trini food Archives | CaribbeanPot.com

Our mom will verify that no matter where in the world you’re doing your parenting gig, you’ll encounter kids who refuse to eat chicken livers. I still recall the look on my face when we’d come home from school and you’d open the pot to see what mom prepared for dinner and with horror you would see chicken livers staring back at you. However, that changed the first time I actually tasted them and I’ve never looked back. Our mom is a boss in the kitchen so it still baffles me that I didn’t trust her skills… why did I avoid chicken livers all those years?

Seasoned and cooked to perfection, these chicken livers will get your kids and stubborn eaters asking for more… trust meh!

You’ll Need….

1lb chicken liver
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 med onion
2 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon green seasoning
1 tomato
1 scallion
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
1 teaspoon ketchup
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
pinch curry powder

Chop the liver into 1 inch pieces, wash with some lime or lemon juice and water, then drain and set aside for us to prepare the other ingredients. Dice the scallion, onion, tomato, garlic and scotch bonnet pepper. Remember to wear gloves when handing scotch bonnet peppers and wash your hands with soap and water immediately after. If you’re concerned about the raw heat of the scotch bonnet pepper, don’t use any of the seeds or white membrane surrounding the seeds.. that where that raw heat is.

With your trimmed, washed and drained chicken livers in a bowl, it’s time to add the salt, black pepper, green seasoning, ketchup, curry powder and scotch bonnet pepper slices. Give it a good stir and set aside (fridge) to marinate for about 30 minutes.

Time to cook… heat the oil on a medium flame, then add the diced onion and reduce the heat to low, so we can slowly cook the onion. After 3 minutes the onions should be soft, translucent and the edges should start going golden. Add the finely diced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

It’s now time to add the seasoned chicken livers. Turn up the heat to medium and give it a good stir (don’t cover the pan).

Chicken livers cooks very quickly and here’s where you’ll have to decide how “cooked” you like it as it will affect the final texture of it all. I like my liver firm, but not leathery., so you can follow my direction.

Add the diced tomato and continue to stir to make sure each piece of liver gets in contact with the bottom of the pan/pot.

You’ll notice that two major things will happen. The liver will start to go a dull color and it will spring it’s own juices (why we need to leave the lid open, so we can burn that off). Cook for about 3-5 minutes, then add the chopped scallion and then turn up the heat to burn off any liquid.

It should take 4 minutes to now burn off the liquid. I like leaving a little gravy, but our mom was strict.. she wanted to see oil (fuss it was dry).

Taste for salt and adjust accordingly.. turn off the heat and serve. I love these chicken livers in a sandwich, so that’s exactly what I did after these were hot off the stove. But these are an excellent side dish as part of your family dinner.

I guarantee you (strong words), that this will be the absolute best way you’ve ever had chicken livers and I’m even bold enough to say that your picky eaters will also find this very appetizing (providing you can convince them to give it a test drive). Here’s the video of me preparing this wonderful chicken liver dish:

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Meat & Poultry

Jerk Pork Sliders

May 27, 2025September 12, 20124 Comments

Traditionalists can be very picky when it comes to any food labelled as being ‘jerked’, as they feel any jerked meat must be done over pimento wood. Though I agree that there’s the unique taste from the smoke off the pimento wood… but when you can’t source the actual pimento wood you must rely on a bold jerk marinade to help achieve maximum flavor. These jerk pork sliders are guaranteed to excite your taste buds with the brightness of the scotch bonnet pepper and the earthy goodness of the all spice, cinnamon and nutmeg. But it doesn’t end there… take a look at the ingredient list below and you’ll see how we do it in the Caribbean to achieve the perfect jerk pork sliders.

You’ll Need…

1/2 scotch bonnet (seeded and chopped)
1 scallion
2 sprigs thyme
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 lb ground pork
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/4 teaspoon grated ginger

Notes: You can use a habanero pepper if you can’t source scotch bonnet peppers or your fav hot pepper (if all fails use some hot sauce for the kick). You can also use ground chicken, beef or turkey if you don’t dine with the swine.

You’ll need a food processor or blender (or chop as fine as you can), but first give the scallion, scotch bonnet pepper and the thyme a rough chop. Then add all your ingredients (except the ground pork) into the blender and work it until you have a smooth consistency. If the stalk of the thyme is not tender, remember to remove the little leaves off the woody stalk and discard. If you blend any woody stalk it will not break down all the way and you can have a potential choking hazard.

Place the ground pork in a deep bowl and pour the marinade over it. Using your hands (or spoon) work everything until it’s well incorporated. Here’s a trick to help shape the jerk pork sliders to fit evenly on your bun. Place a sheet of cling wrap on a flat surface, then make a log with the now seasoned meat on the wrap. Try to shape it about 1/4 inch bigger (circumference) than the size of your bun as it will shrink as it grills. Now roll and shape as you do with the cling wrap until you have a sort of thick sausage. Seal the ends and place in the freezer to set. It may take a couple hours.

In the meantime I prepared a Caribbean salsa to top my jerk pork sliders. Basically avocado, tomato, mango, cilantro, sea salt, black pepper, red onion and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (add a little organic honey if you have as well).

After the roll is firm, slice it with a sharp knife into the thickness you want (wet your knife for easier slicing). All you have to do now is grill on a hot grill as you would normally grill burgers. Since this is pork I like grilling slow, but until it’s fully cooked all the way through.I’m sure you can cook these in a frying pan on the stove top as well.

In my haste to get my dinner on, I totally forgot to toast the buns for that extra “bang”. But all you have to do now is place one of these jerk pork patties on your toasted bun, top with that beautiful Caribbean salsa and enjoy! There’s no need for any other condiments as the salsa will have that rich creaminess from the ripe avocado and the pieces of ripe mango will explode in your mouth with every bite.

These jerk pork sliders will be an absolute hit at your next BBQ as people as drawn to sliders in general, but with the unique punch of the jerk marinade we infused the ground meat with before grilling, will have friends and family begging you for the recipe. Remember when using the scotch bonnet pepper to wear gloves, wash your hands immediately after with soap and don’t include any seeds if you’re concerned about raw heat.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Meat & Poultry

Pastelles A Caribbean Christmas Tradition.

May 27, 2025December 18, 2011101 Comments

Growing up on the islands pastelles were not on our hit-list for Christmas, as it wasn’t something made by our mom or dad. I do recall the lady who lived a couple houses across from us had a part time job around the holiday season where she assisted in making pastelles by the hundreds and that’s pretty much all I knew about this tasty Christmas treat. Made from beef, pork or chicken, I do crave pastelles in my adult days and it seems that by the number of requests I get every year for this recipe, it’s a must-have in many homes in Trinidad and Tobago. Very similar to recipes made in Venezuela and Latin America, our pastelle is a true refection of the diverse culture we proudly claim in Trinbago. As there are many variations today and one could even find vegetarian editions being made by suppliers.

One of the problems I encounter as a cook/chef outside the islands, is sourcing the right ingredients. So in the recipe below you’ll see that I encountered a problem with the corn meal, but with some creativity I was able to correct and tweak things. I do hope you appreciate the creativity.

You’ll Need…

For the filling

1.5 lb mixed ground meat (pork | beef | veal)
2 onions, chopped
2 scallions
2 tablespoon thyme
1/2 habanero or scotch bonnet pepper
2 pimento peppers
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup ketchup
1 tsp Worcester sauce
3 tbsp capers (optional)
2 tbsp olives, chopped
½ cup raisins (I didn’t have any so I had to do without this time)

For the cornmeal outer layer.

2 cups cornmeal (I see my note below)
3 cups lukewarm water
4 tbsp cooking oil
1 ¼ tsp salt

Banana leaves for wrapping and about 2 tablespoon veg oil for brushing the leaves.

Note 1. I like the rounded flavor and texture of using the mixed grounded meats I mentioned in the ingredients list. The traditional way is to use beef or pork and maybe chicken and it’s not common to mix the meats. Most people stick to one type of meat.
Note 2. I was lucky to find banana leaves in the freezer section at the Asian supermarket. If you can’t source banana leaves, feel free to use aluminum foil to wrap them in. You may also want to check with Latin grocery stores for the banana leaves as I know they use it in many of their recipes.
Note 3. In 95% of the recipes you’ll see online and in cookbooks you’ll notice that they call for corn meal, I strongly believe they mean to say corn flour as I was told on the Facebook fan page.

The first thing we’ll do is to prepare the filling since we must allow it to cool before we can proceed with actually making the pastelles. In a large sauce pan (no oil needed) add the ground meats and proceed to brown on a medium heat. Please use a wooden spoon (I find this works best) to continuously break up the meat as it cooks. We don’t want any large lumps.

As the meat cooks, lets prepare the other ingredients for adding to the filling mix. Chop the onion, garlic, peppers and scallion… give the olives and capers a rough chop as well.

The ground meat should be fully cooked by now. I used lean ground meats so there’s residual fat in the pan. If you find that you have oil at the bottom of the pan, try to spoon it out. Now add the diced onion, garlic, peppers and scallion to the pan and on a low/med heat allow to cook until soft (about 3-4 minutes). Next up, add the capers and olives give it a good stir. Finally add the black pepper, ketchup, Worcester sauce and salt. If you have raisins, add them now as well. Allow this to cook for a couple minutes, then turn off the stove and allow to cool.

As the filling cools, lets work on the outer layer. Here’s where I ran into problems as the brand and texture of the corn meal I used wasn’t working for me. It was suggested by the group on Facebook, that I should use a brand called Promasa cornmeal flour.. next rongs I guess. Basically all you’re doing is in a large bowl, mix the water, corn meal flour, oil and salt to make a dough. After trying that I realize that the water and meal I was using was not binding. So I quickly placed it in a pot and on a low heat cooked it for a few minutes. But you must continuously stir.. that is if your corn meal gives problem as mine did. If you have the right corn foul as I suggested there’s no need for cooking as I did.

So after my issues with the dough.. I moved on. Make 12 equal balls with the dough, but as you make them.. be sure to cover with plastic wrap pr a damp tea towel or they will dry up.

Let’s prepare the green banana leaves for wrapping these packets of heaven. If you’re using fresh cut leaves you’ll have to pass them over an open flame to make them easier to work with. If not, they will not fold and will burst/crack on you. Since I was using frozen leaves which I found at the Asian store (also check Latin groceries as well) I didn’t have to pass them over any flame (make sure they’re thawed though). Cut them into 8 to 10 inch squares, wipe with a wet towel to clean off any residue and get ready to assemble.

I had a small bowl with vegetable oil and a brush handy. Brush some oil in the middle of each leaf, then place a ball of dough and worked it till I got a fairly large circle (make sure you have even thickness). If you have a tortilla press, it will make this step very easy for you. Now grab a heaping tablespoon (or more) of the cooled filling and place in the center. Using the sides of the leaf, fold until you get a small package (see video below). Now tie with some string and repeat for the rest of them.

You’ll find that some people choose to boil these, but I much prefer to have them steamed. Since I don’t own a steamer, I made one with what I already have. In a large pan, I put about 1-2 cups of water, brought that up to a boil, then placed a wire strainer on top (do not have the water touch the pastelles). I then I placed the uncooked pastelles on top, made sure the heat was set so I had a gentle simmer (to create steam) and I placed the laid of the pan over it to trap that steam. In the video below you’ll see what I mean. Steam for about 20-25 minutes and they should be fully cooked.

Well, after 20 minutes I was enjoying my pastelles with some good pepper sauce. If I find the time before Christmas, I’ll try to share a chow chow recipe with you all. That’s one of the main condiments to go with the foods we enjoy around the holidays.

Before you go I invite you to leave me your comments below.. even if it just to say hello. It’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to join us on facebook and do check out the cooking videos.

Seafood Vegetarian

A Tasty Caribbean Recipe Using Green Bananas.

March 5, 2012October 13, 201175 Comments

This recipe is a combination of many things. It’s a take on a recipe my mom would make but instead of using canned salmon as I did, she would normally use pieces of salted cod. Then about a year ago I saw Levis Roots of “Reggae Reggae Sauce” sauce fame cook up a batch of this with the help of some kids… if you’re from the UK and watch the Dragon’s Den you’ll know who I mean. I think he also calls himself the “Dragon Slayer”! But he used fresh caught mackerel in his dish.

Knowing that I had green fig (bananas) in the fridge, I had a severe craving for this sort of “country” dish about 8 pm last night. With no salted fish in the fridge, nor mackerel… the wheels of creativity went spinning and I decided on using the canned salmon that peeked at me from behind the can of corned beef in the cupboard (Mr. Salmon learned not to play hide and seek with a grown man). There’s no better motivation in the kitchen than a craving and hunger!

You’ll Need…

5-7 green bananas (known as green fig or cooking bananas in the Caribbean)
1/2 teaspoon salt (for boiling the green bananas)

1 medium tomato
1 medium onion
1 scallion (green onion / spring onion)
1 clove garlic
1/4 habanero pepper (scotch bonnet or any hot pepper you like)
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon olive oil (any cooking oil you like)
1 sprig thyme (dash dried thyme)
Salt – optional (add as needed)
1 can pink salmon

Note: If you’re shopping for green bananas in North America, they will be called cooking bananas. If you can’t find them in your grocery store, do ask a clerk and don’t buy ordinary bananas that are not ripe yet. You’re looking for ones that are really firm, brilliant green in color and no blemishes. If you’re peeling these as I did before boiling, do wear gloves or coat your hands with cooking oil to prevent the sort of ‘milk’ to cause your hands to be sticky and possibly itch. Don’t get that ‘milk’ (sap) onto your clothes.

Since the green fig will require the most time to cook, go ahead and peel, scrape and rinse them. You can also cook them in the skin and peel after they’ve been boiled. In a deep pot put enough water to cover the bananas and bring to a boil. Then add the bananas and salt.. bring back to a rolling boil and allow to cook for about 20 minutes.

While this cooks, lets prepare the other ingredients. Wash and chop the tomato, scallion, habanero pepper, thyme.. don’t forget the garlic and onion as well.

With the bananas fully cooked, drain and allow to cool while we get things really started. In a large saucepan put the olive oil to heat on a medium heat, then add the onion, garlic and thyme. Let them cook on the medium/low heat for about 3-5 minutes. We’re trying to get the onion translucent and release the rich flavors of the garlic and thyme. Next add the green onion, pepper, tomato and black pepper. Let that cook for about 3 minutes.

The next step is to add the can of salmon, including the water it was packaged in and ketchup. Break it up into flaky chunks, give it a good stir and allow to come back up to a gentle simmer… cook for another couple minutes.

While this cooks, the bananas should be cool enough to touch. Cut them into bite-sized pieces and get ready to toss them into the pot.

The final step is to toss in the cut pieces of cooked bananas into the pot, give it a good stir and allow it to heat through with all the other ingredients in the pot (about -35 minutes) and you’re done.

Since the canned salmon is usually packaged with a ton of sodium I don’t feel the need to add any salt, but do taste ad add accordingly as I’m sure your tolerance for salt will be different than mine.

This is one of those versatile dishes that works for any time of the day (or night as in my case)… even breakfast. Growing up on the islands you know we love our BIG breakfast, so though you may find this a bit heavy to start the day.. a Caribbean man would appreciate this (hint ladies). BTW, there’s enough here for 3-4 people if you have some coconut bake or toast on the side or a complete meal for two people.

To make this dish fully vegetarian, you can omit the canned fish, but add a little butter when cooking the onion and garlic at the start.

Before you go I invite you to leave me your comments below.. even if it just to say hello. It’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to join us on facebook and do check out the cooking videos.

Happy Cooking!

Chris…

Breads & Bakes Vegetarian

Coconut Bake A Classic Caribbean Bread.

May 28, 2025September 16, 201158 Comments

Yes it’s a bread, but we call it a bake. Just as the fry bake recipe I shared with you a while back, which isn’t really baked… we try our best to confuse the heck out of people with our food names. Walking into the house after school or on those days when in the rainy season it was customary to spend our evening playing football (soccer) in the muddy savanna down the road (I’m still a ball-hoe), and you would be hit with that lovely aroma of action taking place in the oven… immediate hunger would set in (even if you just raided someone’s mango tree).

If it was after football, you had to make sure and bathe before setting foot in the house and don’t ever let you mom see dry nashy skin.. so you had to grease down with baby oil or lotion… it’s amazing how fast we would go from pig to Sunday morning church clean. That fresh baked bread smell had a way of getting the best out of us. When it was coconut bake, it also meant timing it so as soon as it came out of the oven, you could have a piece with butter and/or cheese. I also recall our mom cooking a fry-dry curry shrimp to make sandwiches with the coconut bake. Good times!

Wanted to mention that though I can get dried coconut here if I look hard enough, I just didn’t feel like searching then grating etc, so I used dessicated coconut I found pre-packaged (Desiccated coconut is coconut meat which has been shredded or flaked and then dried to remove as much moisture as possible) at the grocery store. I would recommend (though I didn’t this time) soaking it in the coconut milk to add back some life to it.

This recipe is a bit different than my mom’s or grandmother .. who BTW used a coal pot to make her’s, but you’ll find great pleasure as you rip through a steaming hot piece of this coconut bake.

You’ll Need…

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour or bread flour
1/4 cup butter or shortening (i used shortening)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon quick acting yeast
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup freshly grated coconut (I used dessicated coconut)

If you’re using freshly grated coconut , start by prepping that or as in my case I started with the dough. This would be the first time using our new food processor for making dough, but feel free to use your hands if you not as lazy as I am. In the food processor (or bowl) place the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and the butter or shortening and work till you get a sort of crumbs texture. I gave the food processor a few pulses and it was ready for the next step.

I then added the grated coconut and gave it another pulse, then I started to add the coconut milk and make the actual dough. You may notice that you’ll need some additional liquid, if that is the case add some water. You’re looking for a smooth and firm dough. Since I used the food processor (about 3-5 minutes), I then removed it onto a floured surface and worked the dough until it was firm and smooth as I wanted.

The next step is to cut it evenly into two pieces and and work it into the shape of the ‘bake’. You’ll need to have a flour dusted surface and a rolling pin ready. I believe I got mine about 1 inch thick and about 10-12 inches in diameter. I then used a fork to prick the surface a bit (always saw my mom do that), placed it onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Which I covered with plastic wrap and allowed to rest for about 2 0 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 400F, then add the bakes (remove plastic wrap) on the cookie sheet and on the middle shelf for about 25-30 minutes or until they’re golden brown. You can always stick a toothpick in the center and if it comes our dry, it means the inside is fully cooked.

I forgot to mention that you should warm the coconut milk a bit before adding to the flour to make the dough. Day two would see us have slices of this with guava jam and tea for breakfast, before heading off to school… you felt as if you could take on the world when your belly was jam-packed with this lovey coconut bake.

Oye! before you go… Remember you can watch the cooking videos on the recipe channel and we’d love to interact with you on our Facebook fan page. There’s a few thousand of us already causing commesse on there… so do check it out.

Seafood Vegetarian

Creamy Eddoes Talkari.

March 5, 2012September 14, 201015 Comments

trinidad eddoes talkarie recipe (10)

Here’s a another dish our mother could not get us to eat as kids. Our reason being.. “it eh have no colour”. On the islands we tend to do a lot of eating with our eyes and we expect everything cooked to have some “colour” to it or it’s automatically unappetizing for us. But like with many dishes I now enjoy, adulthood really opened my eyes and taste buds. This is a nice side (talkari) to hot sada roti and with a few pieces of lime peppersauce… you’re set!

You’ll Need…

1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable
5 medium eddoes peeled / cubed
1 medium potato peeled / cubed
2 cloves garlic crushed
1/4 hot pepper sliced thin – remember to leave out the seeds to control the heat
1/2 medium onion sliced
4 tablespoon of salted cod pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt (the salted cod will also add some salt to the dish)
1 teaspoon each chopped fine:
– thyme
– Spanish thyme
– celery leaf
– chives
(or you can use scallions + cilantro + thyme) basically any sort of fresh herbs that you may have.

* The potato is optional, but I love the added texture it gives to the overall dish.

Start by prepping everything. This means peeling, slicing and cube the potato / eddoes pieces the same size so they cook uniformly. I also soak the pieces of salted cod in hot water for a few minutes to rehydrate them and to release most of the salt (drain).

trinidad eddoes talkarie recipe

trinidad eddoes talkarie recipe (3)

trinidad eddoes talkarie recipe (2)

trinidad eddoes talkarie recipe (4)

Now heat the oil on medium/high heat and add the pieces of salted cod, then followed by the onion. Cook this for a couple minutes, then add the pieces of potato and eddoes. Stir well and cook for a minute or two, then top with all the other ingredients, including the water. Cover the pot, bring it to a boil, then to a gentle simmer.

trinidad eddoes talkarie recipe (5)

trinidad eddoes talkarie recipe (6)

trinidad eddoes talkarie recipe (7)

trinidad eddoes talkarie recipe (8)

Allow this to cook for about 25 minutes, or until the eddoes is tender and the dish gets a sort of thick soupy consistency (see pic below). To make this into a full vegetarian dish, ignore the part where I added the pieces of salted cod, but do taste at the end, in the event you have to add more salt. Remember the salted cod fish pieces will add additional salt to this dish.

trinidad eddoes talkarie recipe (9)

trinidad eddoes talkarie recipe (10)

Simply and tasty… my kinda dish! Don’t forget to leave your comments below, even if it’s just to say hello – it’s really appreciated. And while I have your attention, please join us on Facebook – you’ll love the community we’ve created. Simply click on the facebook image below to get started.

Seafood

Can smoke herrings be considered comfort food?

March 5, 2012February 5, 201053 Comments

trinidad smoked herrings My idea of comfort food is any meal that takes me back to a time or place where I was in total bliss. Words alone could never tell how happy it was for us as kids growing up on the islands, but there are several meals that takes me right back to those days. I still recall days when my dad would bring home ground provisions from the garden and my mom would cook up a batch of smoke herring to top a plate full of yam, dasheen and green bananas. Back then I wouldn’t eat the actual pieces of smoked herrings, but the oil was drizzled all over my plate of provision.

Our girls hate the smell of smoke herrings, so with having the house all to myself today I thought I’d take advantage of this opportunity and fire up the stove to prepare some comfort food from my youth. Little did they know I had this day planned from a few days ago when I first learned that I would be home alone. I had already source some yam and smoke herring fillets.

NOTE: I’m using the herring fillets since it’s a lot less work, but I’m almost positive that you won’t get fillets if you live in the Caribbean. You can check out a pic I took at the San Fernando public market back in October of a huge pile of smoked herrings as it’s sold in the Caribbean.

You’ll Need…

1/2 lb smoked herring fillets
1 tomato
1 medium onion
1 hot pepper (your choice – I use habanero, including seeds)
dash of black pepper
6-8 tablespoons olive oil

Optional ingredients:
– 1/ 2 bell pepper diced
– 1 scallion sliced thin
– 1/4 red onion sliced thin.
– 1 pimento pepper sliced thin

* If you’re using a very hot pepper like habanero or scotch bonnet and don’t want the “flaming” heat, don’t include the seeds or the membrane that surrounds the seeds.

Start by putting the fillets into a fairly deep bowl and cover with boiling water. This will help remove some of the salt and make the fish tender enough to shred. TIP: Smoke herrings will give your hands a very strong smell which will remain long after… even after you wash with soap. If you can get a pair of disposable gloves I ‘d suggest you use it when handing the fish.

If I was making this during the warmer months I would boil it in a pot with water for a few minutes on the side burner of my grill outside. But if I were to do that during the winter months indoor, the smell would be too much for even me to handle. So I did the next best thing and poured the hot water directly over it and allow it to soak from about 15 minutes.

how to prepare smoked herrings

what to do with smoke herring

how to cook smoke herrings

somke herring recipe

While the smoke herring fillets soak in the hot (make sure it’s boiling and not just hot water from your tap) water, I prepare the onion, pepper and tomato. Basically all you’re doing is slicing the pepper and onion very thin and dice the tomato into small pieces. If you’re using the optional ingredients, all you have to do is slice/dice the same as you did with the onions etc.

trini smoke herring recipe

cooking smokee herring

Drain out the water from the bowl and rinse the fillets with a fresh batch of cool water. Squeeze dry and start breaking/shredding the fillets into small pieces. You may notice some tiny bones.. try to remove as much as you can. But don’t worry they won’t cause any real harm as they are very soft.

trinidad smoke herring with tomato and onion

Let’s now assemble everything…

Empty all the onions, pepper and tomato into the bowl with the shredded herring and add a couple dashes of black pepper. Then give it a good mix. The final step is to heat the olive oil in a pan over high heat and as soon as you start seeing smoke, pour it over everything. This will help cook the onion and allow all the flavours to marry. Mix well and serve.

simple smoke herring recipe

trini smoke herring choka

smoked herring recipe

Here’s my complete dish of boil yam topped with the smoked herrings…

trinidad smoked herrings

smoke herring and yam

The only thing I hate about comfort food is the “ritis” it gives at the end. I could so easily fall asleep now. Do you have a different way of preparing smoked herrings or a alternate way of making this recipe? I’d love for you to leave your comments below.

Caribbean Pot on Facebook

Desserts Vegetarian

The simplicity and splendor of fry plantains.

March 5, 2012November 2, 200941 Comments

how to fry plantain Dad it’s getting black! Yup that’s what I heard the last 2 times I purchased plantains with the intention of sharing the simple recipe for fry plantains. I grew up eating fry plantains as a side to many dishes, but my absolute favourite was making sandwiches with these as the filler. I still recall my mom waiting just until the plantains would be so ripe they’d be very close to going black before she cook them. We were told that the more ripe (or quale) they went, the more sweet they would be. So this is exactly what I was trying to achieve, except with my rather busy schedule I tend to forget about them. Not until one of our girls point them out or when those pesky fruit flies appears, do I remember what I was trying to achieve.

For best results allow your ripe plantains to go a bit dark (it will look discoloured) before frying. In the pic below you’ll notice that the plantains I used were ripe, but were only just starting to go “quale” or discoloured.

You’ll Need..

1-2 ripe plantains
1-2 cups of vegetable oil for frying.
salt – optional
brown sugar – optional

trinidad fry plantain

Start by peeling the plantains. Do so by cutting off the ends and then cutting the plantain itself in the middle (as in the picture below).Discard the ends and get ready to peel off the skin and slice for frying.

fry plantain

Then using a small knife, cut through the skin along the length of the 2 pieces. Don’t go too deep as you only want to cut through the skin. Then peel back the skin and discard. Now cut thin strips (about 1/2 cm or little less than 1/4 inch) along the length of the piece of plantain.

how to peel plantain

sliced plantain for frying

The final step is to fry the pieces of sliced plantain. Heat the oil in a frying pan and gently place the pieces away from you to avoid hot oil splashing onto you. Allow to cook for about 5-7 minutes on each side (medium heat) or until it gets to the colour you like (use a fork to flip them over). The darker you allow it to go, it seems to also enhance the natural sugars in it. You’ll also notice that it floats when cooked through.

This is not a dish for the health conscious, since even though you pat dry on paper towels, the plantain tends to soak up a lot of the oil.

trini fry plantain

trinidad fry plantain recipe

I usually sprinkle a little salt over mine and I know people who does the same with brown sugar… but you can enjoy these just the way they are when they cool a bit.

If you’ve ever purchased a rice dish at a Caribbean restaurant in North America you should have come across fried plantains served on the side. The Jamaican spot where I go for my jerk chicken with rice and peas, knows to give me a good potion of fry plantains with my takeout order.

Remember to leave me your comments below.

Happy Cooking.

trini food

Caribbean Style Chicken Livers.

Jerk Pork Sliders

Pastelles A Caribbean Christmas Tradition.

A Tasty Caribbean Recipe Using Green Bananas.

Coconut Bake A Classic Caribbean Bread.

Creamy Eddoes Talkari.

Can smoke herrings be considered comfort food?

The simplicity and splendor of fry plantains.

Log In