Add Jamaican Flavor to Your Cooking Repertoire

By June 10, 2020

The Best Jamaican Jerk Chicken
A whole chicken is cut into quarters before being coated in the lively jerk marinade and grilled or roasted. Get the recipe for The Best Jamaican Jerk Chicken Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh
The fiery, aromatic jerk marinade cuts through the richness of fatty pork shoulder beautifully. Get the recipe for Jamaican Jerk Pork

Caribbean-Style Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce

Harness fiery Scotch bonnet chiles, along with sweet mango and honey, into a DIY hot sauce. Get the recipe for Caribbean-Style Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce »

Grilled Snapper with Habanero and Scallions

Chile heat brings out the sweetness of whole red snapper in this Jamaican recipe.

Curried Chicken

Bathed in fragrant curry- and ginger-infused coconut milk, this stew is a popular breakfast dish at Kingston cafés. Get the recipe for Curried Chicken »

Spaghetti with Shrimp Rundown Sauce

Shrimp pulls double duty here: the shells are used to make the flavorful rundown sauce, and the meat is marinated with citrus and lightly cooked with the pasta. Get the recipe for Spaghetti with Shrimp Rundown Sauce »

Braised Oxtail with Butter Beans

Oxtail, a tough cut of meat, becomes meltingly tender when braised in this traditional Jamaican dish, served with Coconut Rice and Red Beans, which soak up all the flavorful pan juices. Get the recipe for Braised Oxtail with Butter Beans »

Banana Fritters with Cinnamon-Sugar and Rum

Use very ripe organic bananas for these silver-dollar-size fritters, as they will mash the best and create a smooth, sweet batter. Get the recipe for Banana Fritters with Cinnamon-Sugar and Rum »

Coconut Rice and Red Beans

If you prefer, you can use canned red kidney beans in this satisfying side dish, served alongside Braised Oxtail with Butter Beans. Simply skip the first step and rinse one 15-oz. can of beans before adding them to the pan in step two.

Jamaican Jerk Roast Turkey

Get the recipe for Jamaican Jerk Roast Turkey »

Stamp and Go

These road snacks are possibly named for the way travelers would stamp their feet at food stands to hail vendors. This recipe, adapted from one given to us by Jamaican food columnist Jacqui Sinclair, pairs the fritters with a sauce made with culantro, an herb with a cilantro-like flavor.

Fricassee Chicken

Rosemary-Jerk Lamb Chops

Aromatic fresh rosemary sets the umami-rich marinade for these lamb loin chops apart. Get the recipe for Rosemary-Jerk Lamb Chops

Jamaican Punch

Throughout the Caribbean, rum punches flecked with nutmeg have been served steadily since the colonial era.

Hominy Porridge

Dried hominy takes hours of cooking, but it yields a luscious porridge. This recipe comes from Kingston-based caterer Dian Watson.

Vegetable Run-Up

This version of rundown, typically made with mackerel, was renamed by chef Yvonne Peters-Hope of Ashanti Oasis Vegetarian Restaurant, who gave us the recipe for this meat-free take on the savory breakfast stew.
Jacqui Sinclair, food columnist for the Jamaica Observer, gave us the recipe for these mini brunch quiches made with callaloo, a spinach-like Jamaican green.
These fluffy fried dumplings, served at the Wyndham Kingston Jamaica, are great alongside ackee and saltfish.
Sweet conch meat meets fiery chiles in this aromatic stew. Long simmering tenderizes the shellfish and results in a sumptuous dish.

Ackee and Saltfish

Ackee, Jamaica’s national fruit, is the highlight of this hearty sauté.

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