Caribbean Recipes
145 recipes found
Escovitch Fish
In Jamaica, escovitch is fish rubbed with garlic and allspice, shallow-fried until the skin crisps, then doused with hot vinegar, carrots, onions and wicked Scotch bonnets, all swirled together and bubbling. Leave the dish out at room temperature, the better for the vinegar to work its alchemy, creating not so much a sauce as sheer lushness. Francine Turone’s mother would make escovitch in the morning and let it sit all day on the counter, the flavors intensifying with each hour. Come dinnertime, little effort was required beyond putting out plates — which makes it ideal, Ms. Turone says, when cooking for friends: “You can make it and then go away.” Her version allows for boneless fillets instead of the traditional whole fish, and includes an unexpected ingredient, raisins, inspired by travels with her Italian husband and transposed from a Venetian snack of deep-fried sardines in vinegar.
Stew Chicken
Raised as a Seventh Day Adventist and vegetarian in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the chef Rawlston Williams rarely got to eat stew chicken growing up, he said, but he did help cook this complexly flavored meal with friends — smitten even then with its scent. Like many peasant dishes, Mr. Williams said, stew chicken was often made with leftover scraps like chicken backs, and you could do the same, though the recipe here has been adapted for bone-in chicken thighs or the more economical chicken leg quarters. At the Food Sermon, his restaurant in Brooklyn, he’ll serve it with rice and beans, but his preferred method is his own twist with chickpeas, sweet potato and the Caribbean version of paratha roti, an Indian flatbread he updates with fennel seed.
Red Peas Soup
This hearty soup, a favorite of Jamaican restaurants and home cooks alike, can easily pass as a stew. In fact, think of it as a chili alternative, just as thick and spicy. The dumplings are easy, and cook in the soup, but they’re entirely optional. Other versions of this soup may call for salted pig tails, but here, they’re swapped out for smoked turkey necks. Either one adds a deep smokiness. Cock-flavored soup mix, such as one from Grace, gives this soup yet another layer of flavor; you can find it in the international aisle of most supermarkets.
Jerk Fish
Brown Stew Pork Shoulder
In the Caribbean, brown stew is a staple and this recipe showcases why it's a classic West Indian comfort food. The name comes from the dark hue, usually attained through the burned sugar essence, or browning, at its base. Here, the chef Ricky Moore of Saltbox Seafood Joint, in Durham, N.C., achieves the deep rich color from the inclusion of Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. The slow-simmered pork shoulder acquires complexity from sweet allspice, woodsy thyme and the fruity fire of Scotch bonnet. Lively bursts of pungency from the addition of ketchup and apple cider vinegar, plus pockets of sweetness from carrots and bell peppers complete this rich, well-rounded stew. Serve with rice and plantains or with Jamaican festival to sop up every last bit.
Limber de Coco
Originating in Puerto Rico and coming in many flavors, limber is named after the pilot Charles A. Lindbergh, who landed on the island in 1928. According to El Nuevo Día, Puerto Rico’s newspaper of record, he was greeted with this delicious frozen juice, which came to be called limber, it’s said, after how many on the island pronounced the pilot’s name. In New York, this simple dessert may be one of the best things about summers in the Bronx. Serve it in cups — squeeze the cups, take your first lick, then turn the dessert upside-down — or as ice cubes. The cubes are especially nice in coconut-flavored rum after a long day. It’s the much-needed cool-off you’re yearning for.
Coconut Curry Fish
Jamaican curry powder plays a major role in this deeply savory weeknight dish, giving the sauce its unique flavor and golden hue. The traditional spice blend is heavy on the turmeric, and benefits from being toasted, which brings out its notes. This recipe calls for frozen whiting, which doesn’t hold up to frying but shines here, simmered in a sauce studded with red and green bell peppers. If whiting is unavailable, cod is also a good choice.
Rum Punch
Said out loud, the rough recipe for Trinidadian rum punch hints at the rhythm of the Caribbean: One sour. Two sweet. Three strong. Four weak. A dash of bitters. A sprinkle of spice. Served well chilled, with plenty of ice. An easy-drinking cocktail, this punch gets its deep notes from punchy lime and woodsy-sweet nutmeg. Like many spirits of yesteryear, Caribbean rum tells a greater story — of colonialism and sugar plantation slavery, as well as the enterprise of the West Indian people. In this big-batch recipe, the complex flavors bloom into a bright, expressive libation that truly goes the distance.
Jerk Ribs
Harold Dieterle, the chef and an owner of two restaurants in Manhattan, Perilla and Kin Shop, cooks food that is often fiery and always immensely detailed. It resembles intricate music that is played very, very loud. This Jamaican-style jerk sauce is no exception. Its heat is towering, but it does not overwhelm the flavors that accompany the flames: thyme and allspice, along with wisps of caramelized sugar and a scent of rum. “You could serve it on chicken,” Dieterle told me. “It’s insane on ribs.” Not to mention pork tenderloin and bluefish. Jerk tofu? That’d be terrific as well.
Sancocho
Sancocho, a word often used as slang by Puerto Ricans to mean a big old mix of things, is a rustic stew eaten across the Caribbean and made with every imaginable combination of proteins and vegetables. My father cooked his with beef, corn and noodles; my mom with chicken breasts, lean pork and sweet plantains; my grandmother with beef, pork on the bone and yautia. As such, I’ve rarely used a recipe, so this one is based largely on observation, taste memory and what I like. Pretty much every ingredient can be swapped out, and it also makes for a sumptuous vegetarian dish without meat. Sancocho epitomizes the resilience of Puerto Rican people, as it is often prepared in times of crisis — such as after a hurricane — and made with whatever you have on hand.
Jamaican Oxtail Stew
Here is a midwinter cook-up of deep fragrance and lingering heat, a trade-wind stew that emerged in Jamaica and made its way north. It is oxtail stew, brown and steaming, light with ginger and thyme, pungent with allspice and soy, a taste of the Caribbean to warm winter’s heart. You could make and eat it today while reading Derek Walcott poems as the afternoon vagues into indigo — or allow it to cure into greater magnificence overnight, and stretch out its gravy for the course of a week. Paired with bowls of coconut-scented rice and peas, a staple of the Caribbean diet, it makes for an excellent family dinner or a transporting lunch, as if the flavors within it were a spur to memories of better times, in warmer climes, with soft sand on your feet and a kiss of sun upon your shoulders.
Red Stripe-Steamed Mussels
Before Adam Schop became the chef of the two Miss Lily’s restaurants in Manhattan, he had little experience with the Caribbean culinary traditions he’s since grown fascinated by. The intense floral notes of the chiles of the region were a particular inspiration, and are used with Jamaican Red Stripe and other Caribbean flavors like allspice to boost what is at heart a simple beer-steamed mussel dish.
Coconut Rice With Peas
Traditional accompaniments for jerk chicken are savory rice with crowder peas or red beans, plantains, sweet potatoes or yams, and a fried corn bread called festival. I had the idea to make my rice with coconut milk and fresh spring peas, which may not please purists, but it's delicious.
Sos Pwa Nwa (Black-Bean Sauce)
This velvety purée of black beans and coconut milk is the perfect accompaniment to Mayi Moulen, a Haitian recipe for garlicky polenta-like porridge. Slices of nutty avocado offer a gentle contrast in texture and another element of richness. It was adapted from the Haitian cooking instructor Cindy Similien-Johnson, who remembers it from her grandmother’s house.
Sorrel
This Jamaican drink, traditionally made with hibiscus flowers and spices, is both bracing and thirst quenching. If you’d like a boozy version, it can serve as the base for a rum punch. Or follow the advice here and serve it with simple syrup and rum on the side as an option for guests.
Blueberries and Cream
Nigella Lawson called this "the ultimate in a no-cook dessert": nothing more than Greek or whole-milk yogurt and heavy cream combined in a bowl and given a thick sprinkled covering of soft brown sugar, light or dark as you wish. It's a dish her grandmother made, calling it Barbados cream (presumably because the sugar she used came from Barbados). After combining the yogurt, cream and sugar, you wrap the bowl in plastic and put it in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours to let the sugar turn into a dark bronze liquid, slowly seeping into the cream and yogurt. It tastes like a light, uncrunched crème brûlée. When you are ready to eat it, take the cream-yogurt mixture to the table with another bowl filled with blueberries. And then sit down and feel quietly pleased with yourself: you have made a lovely summer dessert and have not so much as broken a sweat.
Caribbean Black Bean Salad
Molho de Pimenta (Pepper sauce)
Fungi
A staple on dinner tables in the Virgin Islands, this filling, earthy side dish goes well with fish or any stewed protein. In St. Thomas, you can find it accompanying tender stewed snapper or butter-braised conch, acting as a sponge for luscious sauces. Here, chef Julius Jackson, author of “My Modern Caribbean Kitchen” (Page Street Publishing, 2018) and native Virgin Islander, offers a simple, traditional version. This dish isn’t an exact science; some people like it so thick it stands up on its own, while others prefer it thinner, with runny lines of butter. Find which way works best for you by tasting and tweaking as needed. Chilled leftover fungi can be cut into squares and pan-fried in a bit of oil until golden, making a great base for scrambled or poached eggs with bacon on the side.
Trinidadian Macaroni Pie
Macaroni pie is a firmer, highly spiced version of mac and cheese. Quintessential Trinidadian seasonings like thyme and Scotch bonnet pepper give this dish a distinctive taste, while a little less liquid mixed with an egg creates a solid, sliceable texture. A Trini staple for large family gatherings, it’s the perfect addition to a holiday table. And if there are any leftovers, they keep well. Feel free to use your favorite Cheddar, but if you’re able to find New Zealand Cheddar (or “Trinidad cheese” as it’s called on the island), don’t pass it up.
Spicy Saltfish Cakes
Brown Stew Chicken
Popular in many Caribbean households, this chicken dish gets its deep rich color from store-bought browning sauce, like Grace, which is made from a combination of concentrated vegetables, seasonings and caramelized sugar. The browning sauce is used in the marinade, where it’s bolstered by brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and warm spices. The chicken is braised and cooked low with sweet vegetables, like carrots and onions, and yields a thick gravy that’s just as delicious spooned over rice or paired with cabbage.
Jim Harrison’s Caribbean Stew
Jim Harrison, the poet and epicure, hunter and fisherman, novelist, essayist and enthusiastic cook, published a version of this recipe in the literary magazine Smoke Signals in 1981. I adapted it more than three decades later, after Harrison's death in 2016. The key ingredients: a lot of tomato paste and a good, floral hot sauce, ideally made with Scotch bonnet peppers, which combine in marvelous ways. Parboiling the ribs allows the recipe to come together relatively quickly, and the cooking otherwise is totally serial: one step after another until you slide the pot into the oven and allow the heat to do its work. Substitute different meats, or fewer, if you like, depending on availability.
