The Ultimate Crayfish Callaloo.

March 14, 2022March 2, 2022Leave a Comment

Over the years I’ve shared several types of Callaloo (the soup) recipes with you, including Crab (the classic), Lobster, Shrimp, Salted Pigtail and Smoked Turkey, to name a few. With leftover Crayfish from when I purchased for making the Curry Potato With Crayfish recipe, I thought I’d give you yet another TASTY version of Callaloo.

You’ll Need…

1 1/2 lb crayfish (meat only)
2-3 tablespoon salted butter
1 medium onion (diced)
1 green scotch bonnet pepper (sliced)
2 pimento peppers (aka seasoning pepper)
6 cloves garlic (smashed)
3 sprigs thyme
2 cups water (in total)
1 cup seafood stock
1/2 tablespoon sea salt
1/3 teaspoon black pepper
1 lb baby spinach
15-20 okra (cut 1 cm)
2 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1-2 cups pumpkin (cubed)

Note! I’m based in Canada so sourcing Dasheen (taro) leaves is almost impossible, so the next best thing = Baby Spinach. If doing this recipe gluten free, be sure to go through the full list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your gluten free dietary needs.

Get your soup pot on a medium heat and heat the butter, then add the crayfish (washed and drained) and stir well. Cook for 2 minutes, then remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside for later.

In the same pot, add the onion, scotch bonnet and pimento peppers, turn the heat to low and gently soften. Add the thyme, garlic and black pepper.

4 minutes later add the okra (stir well) and the Caribbean Green Seasoning. Go in with the seafood stock, turn the heat to medium and bring to a boil.

Add the pumpkin, coconut milk, salt and bring back to a boil.

It’s time to add the baby spinach (washed) and the water. It may look like a lot, but it will wilt down as it cook.

Here’s where we’ll need to have some patience. Let it gently cook (lower your heat so you have a simmer) for about an hour and fifteen minutes. Add more water if you find it’s getting too thick. I added the extra cup of water mentioned in the ingredient list. (2 cups in total)

Taste for salt and adjust accordingly. Here’s where I used a traditional swizzle stick to break things down so it’s a bit smooth (watch the video below). You may use a whisk or stick blender. If using a stick blender, pulse or risk getting it frothy.

Add the pre-cooked crayfish, bring back to a boil (2-3 minutes), taste and adjust the salt again and BOOM.. you’ve got a wicked Crayfish Callaloo.

This is an excellent side dish to rice, steamed potato, boiled ground provisions or roasted breadfruit. Or, do as I do and enjoy a piping hot bowl as a soup. Now you know how to make an incredible pot of crayfish (say crawfish?) callaloo.

Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Curry Stew Chicken Pelau.

May 27, 2025August 2, 20211 Comment

BLISS! When two culinary worlds collide, you get what I refer to as the Ultimate Comfort Food! Curry Stew Chicken and Pelau are two of my fav dishes out of the Caribbean. Anyone close to me will tell you that I can eat either on a daily basis. Such is my love for them. Served with a side/s of Tomato Choka, Coleslaw, Salad, even just sliced Avocado (zabouca) and/or cucumber.

You’ll Need…

3-4 lbs chicken
1 1/2 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
3/4 tablespoon salt (adjust)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoon Curry Powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce (optional)
1 med onion (diced)
1 med tomato (diced)
1 1/2 tablespoon golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon oil (I used olive)
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
6-8 cups water
2 1/2 cups long grain par-boiled rice
1 scotch bonnet pepper (sliced)
2 pimento peppers aka seasoning pepper (optional)
2 tablespoon chopped shado beni (culantro)
1 stalk celery (diced)
1 medium carrot (diced)
1 can pigeon peas (1 1/2 cups)

Season the chicken (cut into serving sized pieces) with the Caribbean Green Seasoning, salt, black pepper, curry powder, onion, tomato, Worcestershire Sauce, pimento peppers and scotch bonnet pepper. Allow this to marinate for at least 2 hours. Overnight in the fridge may give best results.

Tips! Wash you hands with soap and water after handling such spicy peppers. Do not use the seeds and white membrane of the pepper if you’re overly concerned about the raw heat. Yes, use you fav spicy pepper if you cannot source Scotch Bonnet. If you’re doing this gluten free pay attention to the ingredient list on the curry powder and Worcestershire Sauce you use. Some curry powder may have flour as a thickener and filler.

Please watch the video below to follow along with this step. Heat the oil on a med/high flame on a deep and heavy pot (one with a lid). Then add the brown sugar and stir (dry spoon). I suggest stirring as some spots in your pot may have HOT spots and the sugar may BURN there. The goal is to NOT BURN the sugar or you’ll end up with “bitter” tasting Pelau.

The sugar will melt, go frothy, then a dark amber color. This is when you’ll add (be careful when adding) the seasoned chicken to the pot. Add about half the seasoned chicken, stir well, then add the rest. The goal is to coat the pieces of curry-seasoned chicken with this lovely caramelized sugar. Do NOT get the sugar black. Should this happen, turn off the stove, cool the pot completely, wash and start over. NO this is NOT a sweet dish.

Now place the lid on the pot and bring to a boil. In the meantime, add 6 cups of the water to the same bowl where you marinated the chicken in, to pick up any remaining marinade which may be in there. Set aside for later.

3-4 minutes later and it will come to a boil and start sprouting it’s own natural juices. Now it’s time to develop that rich color. Remove the lid and allow that liquid to burn off. Here’s where I like adding my grated ginger and stir well.

As the liquid burns off, add the pigeon peas (rinse and drain), followed by the celery and carrot. Stir to coat with the ‘stew’ niceness and continue cooking on high to burn off that liquid. Takes about 5-6 mins in total.

Add the coconut milk (stir), followed the water we reserved in the bowl earlier and bring to a boil.

Wash the rice (see the video below), drain and add to the pot (as it comes to a boil), stir well and bring back to a boil.

Turn the heat down to a simmer and allow the rice to fully cook, go plump and soak in all the stew/coconut goodness. BTW my lid was on but slightly ajar. Add more water should the rice not fully cook at this point. In the ingredient list I mentioned we’ll need 6-8 cups of water.

Couple things, should you want a more wet and creamy pelau I’d suggest stirring the pot a few times. This will brake down the rice and it will release more starch. Should you want a more grainy pelau (team dry), don’t stir too much.

25 minutes later and it’s time to personalize things. 1. Taste and adjust the salt to your liking. 2. You need to decide if you want a ‘wet’ or ‘dry’ pelau. For a more wet (creamy) pelau you may need to add a bit more water and cook longer. For team dry, burn off that liquid, cover the pot completely (after you turn off the stove) and let it sit in it’s own residual heat to dry-up. Flake/fluff with a fork after about 20 minutes and serve.

Top with finely chopped shado beni (culantro), should you not have access to culantro, you may use cilantro or parsley.

SERVE PIPING HOT! No, but I do enjoy a massive plate as soon as its off the stove. One of those things you got to suck air in as you eat, to help cool it down or you risk 2nd degree burns in your mouth. (smile.. I’m just a greedy) Add a little kuchela on the side if you want a little extra heat or spice flavor.

Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/

Meat & Poultry

Amazing Saag Chicken.

May 27, 2025March 11, 20215 Comments

Few housekeeping notes before we get started with this recipe to avoid the hate and backside comments. This recipe is inspired by Saag Chicken we get at a local Indian restaurant. This is NOT (even though the ingredients are very similar) genuine Indian Saag Chicken, it’s my take on Saag Chicken if we were to do it in the Caribbean. The technique you’ll see me use, is called Curry-Stew!

You’ll Need…

3.5 – 4 lbs chicken thighs
1 1/2 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1 medium onion (diced)
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
1 shallot (diced)
1 teaspoon grated ginger
2-3 cloves garlic (crushed)
3/4 tablespoon salt (adjust)
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoon golden brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 heaping tablespoon curry powder
2 lbs spinach (baby)
1 scotch bonnet pepper
1 seasoning pepper (optional)
1 1/2 cups water
8 cherry tomatoes (cut in half)

Important! If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary requirements. Especially the curry powder you use, as some may have flour as a filler. It’s also important that you wear gloves and wash your hands with soap and water after handling such hot peppers as Scotch Bonnet.

In a large bowl, place the chicken pieces (I used large chicken thighs which I cut in half – along the bone) and season with the salt, black pepper, Caribbean Green Seasoning, ketchup (trust me), scotch bonnet pepper (as much as you can handle), curry powder, onion, shallot, grated ginger, garlic and seasoning pepper (aka pimento pepper). Note the ginger will give it a spicy note so be mindful of that when adding the Scotch Bonnet (btw Habanero is a tasty replacement if you can’t source Scotch Bonnet).

Mix well and allow to marinate for a couple hours.

Heat a big heavy pot on high heat and add the oil. Followed by the brown sugar (you may want to watch the video below to follow along) and stir. This step is called “stewing” in the Caribbean. The sugar will melt, go frothy, then deep amber in color (NOT BLACK). At this point add the seasoned chicken to the pot and stir well to coat. Should you miss and it goes black, STOP. Allow the pot to cool, wash, dry and start over or you will have bitter tasting chicken. Yes, it will go smoky so turn the fan on over your stove or open a window.

Be gentle when adding the seaoned chicken to the pot as the melted sugar can burn you something bad.

Turn the heat to medium, place the lid on and allow it to go to a boil. In doing so the chicken will release it’s own juices. 6 minutes later, remove the lid and crank up the heat.. we want to burn off that liquid and get the chicken pieces darker and intensify the overall flavor.

After about 5 minutes on high, you should start seeing the oil we started with (be sure to stir so the chicken don’t burn). Add the water to the pot and bring to a boil – to cook off the raw chicken. For max flavor, swish the water in the same bowl you marinated the chicken in before adding it to the pot, so we get all remnants of that seasoning.

Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and add the spinach (washed/drained) and allow it to go on that gentle rolling boil. It will seem like a lot of spinach, but it wilt down. Be sure to tuck it in between the pieces of chicken.

For more flavor.. instead of 1 1/2 cups of water, add 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup coconut milk.

25 minutes later, taste for salt and adjust accordingly, determine how you want the gravy (cook longer if you want it thicker) and finally, toss in the tomato. Turn off the stove!

I’ll continue to hit that Friday Special at Gates Of India (restaurant), but dare I say, my version (while not authentic and not done in disrespect) is a very tasty Caribbeanized version of this classic dish.

Serve with steamed rice or hot roti! Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/

Gluten Free Rice & One-Pot Dishes Side Dishes Vegetarian

Delightful Tomato Rice.

May 29, 2025May 4, 20194 Comments

As part of our ongoing #MeatFreeMonday series, I’ decided to share a rice recipe my girls and I get excited about. Not something I grew up eating on the islands, but nevertheless made in an ‘island’ influenced kitchen in Canada (smile). Plump grains of rice with a deep and rice tomato and herb flavor and the gentle heat achieved by adding a Bird’s Eye Pepper. This recipe is somewhat similar to the Roasted Tomato Choka And Rice Soup recipe I shared a while back.

You’ll Need…

2 cups Basmati rice
5 large tomatoes
small bunch parsley
1 small onion (diced)
2 large cloves garlic (diced)
1 birds eye pepper (chopped)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4-6 sprigs thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 – 2 cups vegetable stock (adjust)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste/puree
1-2 tablespoon cilantro (chopped – optional)

Important! If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the stock you decide to use.

The first thing we need to do is to wash the tomatoes (make sure they are fully ripe), remove the area where the stems were with a pairing knife and make an X cut on the bottom (not deep). Then place in a pot with boiling water for about 2-4 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Then go back to where we made the cuts and peel back the skin and discard.

Give the tomatoes a rough chop and along with the parsley, give it a minute or so in your food processor.

I pulsed it as I wanted a bit of texture (chunky) to the finished “puree”. Now in a deep pot, heat the vegetable oil on a medium heat and then go in with the onion, garlic, thyme, bird’s eye pepper and black pepper. Cook on LOW for 3-4 minutes, then add the tomato paste and stir well. Cook for another 2 minutes or so, so we get the natural sweetness of the tomato paste coming out.

Pour in the tomato puree into the pot and bring to a boil (raise the heat). Add the salt and reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes.

Wash your rice at this point (basically all you’re doing is rinsing it with cool water until the water runs clear -repeat as many times as necessary). Washing the rice will help to remove any grit and extra starch, so your finished dish is not sappy (thick and clumping together). Then add it to the pot and give it a good mix so each grain is coated with this wicked tomato base. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. After which you need to turn the heat down to a simmer and cover the pot.

TIP! You may use chicken or beef stock if you wish (if not doing this dish vegan) and for a lovely twist you may replace 1/2 the stock with coconut milk if you wish.

After about 10 minutes check to make sure you have some liquid left.. but don’t stir. If you stir it will help release starch and you’ll get that clumpy rice we don’t necessarily want. Cook for another 5 minutes (so 15 in total), then turn off the stove, but leave the lid on and do nothing else, except top the rice with the chopped cilantro.

After 5 minutes, go in with a fork and fluff the rice.. you’re done! Time to enjoy one of the best rice dishes you’ll ever make. Guaranteed!

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Gluten Free Seafood

Bitter Melon (Carilie) With Shrimp Stir-fry.

January 23, 2019January 23, 20192 Comments

This past summer I finally got around to growing bitter melon (Carilie) successfully.. and if you’ve been a fan for a while you’ll know that it’s one of those ingredients I’ve disliked from the time I entered this world. If you’re wondering why I grew them in my garden, I guess I have two reasons. I wanted to prove I could do so in a cold climate like Canada where our growing seasoning is short and I know how much my mom and dad loves Carilie.

You’ll Need…

3 bitter melons
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/3 lb shrimp (or more)
1 teaspoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
2-3 tablespoon veg oil (divided)
1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust)
pinch of black pepper
1-5 birds eye peppers
3 cloves garlic (smashed)
ginger (sliced thin)
2 -3 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Important! If doing this recipe gluten free please go through the full list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the curry powder you use as some may contain flour.

Peel, devin and wash the shrimp. Pat dry and season with the Caribbean Green Seasoning, curry powder and black pepper.

Heat a pan (I used a wok) on a medium flame and add 1/2 of the veg oil. Followed by the seasoned shrimp when the oil is hot. Stir for just over a minute then remove from the pan and set aside. We don’t want to overcook the shrimp.

With the flame now on low add the remaining oil, then go in with the bird’s eye peppers (give them a slice if you want to release some heat – see the video below). Cook on low for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and ginger. Stir well and cook for 30 seconds, so we don’t burn the garlic.

It’s now time to raise the heat to medium/low and add the prepped bitter melon. Basically you’ll trim off the ends, then cut it down the center length-wise. Then using a teaspoon you’ll scrape out the insides where there are the seeds etc and discard. Wash with cool water and slice into strips. (see the video below for the demo).

Add the pieces to the pan and give it a good stir to pick on the flavors already in the pan, followed by the salt and water.

The idea with the water is to help get the bitter melon tender. Cook on med/low for about 10 minutes or until tender. You can certainly adjust the cooking time if you want more crunchy or if you want it cooked softer. Taste for salt/adjust and if needed crank up the heat a bit if there’s still liquid at the bottom of the pan. The final thing you’ve got to do is add back the shrimp and brown sugar to the pan and cook for a minute, then you’re done.

Feel free to add a bit of chopped tomato if you’re concerned about the “bitterness” of the Carilie or you can do as I showed you all in a previous recipe – salt the Carilie after you slice them and allow to sit in the salt for about 30 minutes. Then squeeze and rinse off all the salt.

My dad is a diabetic and bitter melon is supposed to be a superfood for such illness. He also makes “tea” with the ‘bush’ (leaves/vines) of the plant. So with the abundance of both the vegetable and vines, he was in his own little word this summer, when they would come over on the weekends.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Gluten Free Vegetarian

The Ultimate Curry Corn Recipe.

January 6, 2018December 2, 20172 Comments

As a kid growing up on the islands, I can’t remember mom ever making curry corn. And while it’s quite popular in Trinidad and Tobago and some of the other islands of the Caribbean today, I only started hearing about it about this dish a few years now. While in Trinidad a few days ago my neighbor gave me a sample of her version to try and while it was very tasty, it wasn’t ‘my’ version. Which I’m about to share with you today (filmed/documented back in August of this year). Yes, those of you requesting more vegetarian / vegan recipes will luv this one.

You’ll Need…

5 corn
2-3 tablespoon veg oil
1/2 onion (diced)
3 cloves garlic (crushed)
3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoon curry powder (your fave)
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (green one if possible)
4 sprigs thyme
2 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
6-8 cherry tomatoes
1 1/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-3 scallions

IMPORTANT! If doing this recipe gluten free please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the curry powder you use, as some curry powder blends may contain flour as a filler.

If you’re familiar with the traditional recipe for making curry corn you’ll notice some differences in my version. Since I’m using sweet corm I prefer to slightly grill them to bring out even more sweetness and to add a subtle smoky undertone to the dish. You’ll also notice that I didn’t go heavy with the ‘curry’ as I wanted the curry to compliment the flavors of the herbs and corn. Finally I added some diced tomatoes… before you freak out – yes you can add tomatoes to a curry (very natural) as it’s acidity helps to balance the overall flavor of the curry dish.

Since it was summertime I decided to use the burner on my propane grill to cook the curry outside. Start by grilling the corn for about 5 minutes to give them a slight char. As they grill, heat your pot (one with a lid) on a medium flame and add the vegetable oil. Then add the onion and garlic and drop the heat to as low as it will go. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add the scallions, thyme, parsley (reserve 1/2) and sliced scotch bonnet pepper (add as much as you can handle) and cook on low for a further 2-3 minutes.

Now crank-up the heat and add the coconut milk… bring to a boil.

Cut the grilled corn into 1 inch pieces and add to the pot. Add the salt and mix well to coat the pieces of corn with that rich coconut curry base.

Add the tomatoes (optional), cover (lid) and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer when it comes to a boil and let it cook for about 10 minutes. Since I’ used sweet corn, the cooking time is much less than if using traditional Caribbean corn which is a bit more tough.

Do remember to stir a couple times so every piece of corn gets coated with that tasty curry goodness. Taste for salt, adjust and you’re done.

Since I didn’t have Sado Beni (culantro) nor cilantro, I saved some of the chopped parsley to top it when I turned off the stove. While curry corn may sound a bit strange to many of you, I assure you it’s one of the best vegetarian/vegan dishes you’ll ever have. As a side dish or as a snack when hosting friends.. do give this recipe a try.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

gluten free cooking

The Ultimate Crayfish Callaloo.

Curry Stew Chicken Pelau.

Amazing Saag Chicken.

Delightful Tomato Rice.

Recipe Card

Caribbean Tomato Herb Rice

Description

Ingredients

Instructions

Bitter Melon (Carilie) With Shrimp Stir-fry.

The Ultimate Curry Corn Recipe.

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