Caribbean Recipes

Island Chicken Appetizer

Servings

4

Ingredients

3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
½ mango, minced
¼ tsp salt
3 tbsp light rum
1 tbsp olive oil
2 chicken breast halves, cut into large cubes
2 mangoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1-pint cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp fresh cilantro (add more as desired)

Directions

Chop the ripe mango into cubes, mix the minced garlic and ginger together with the salt to form a paste. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and whisk in the oil. Add the rum and mix until smooth.

Add the chicken chunks and toss together well. Place aluminum foil or plastic cover and refrigerate overnight. Toss every hour while you are awake, at least 3 times.

Now, put on the barbecue grill, place the marinated chicken on long skewers in the barbecue grill. Then brush the chicken with some of the marinade.

When the fire is ready, cook the chicken on all sides until half done. Remove to a platter and brush on more marinade.

Then, remove from the long skewers and transfer into shorter skewers, when it’s cool enough to do so (to avoid burnt), brush all with marinade, and return to grill and cook on all sides until done.

Then, arrange on a platter and garnish with cilantro.

Serve with tostones.

Tostones:

Peel a large plantain and cut it into ½ inch thick slices.

Then, melt lard, peanut oil or coconut oil in a 2-inch-deep pot, when the oil is hot, add the plantain slices and fry until cooked.

Remove and flatten each slice under the broad side of a meat cleaver, soak in salty water for 2 minutes. Pat dry and return to hot fat. Cook until browned.

Serve hot.

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Spicy Peanut Coconut Shrimp

Servings

6

Ingredients

½ cup shredded coconut
3 tsp dark sesame oil
3 lb large shrimp (peeled, deveined and patted dry)
½ tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
½ cup roasted peanuts chopped (lightly salted)
1 lime wedge

Directions

First, roast the coconut in a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes until golden brown, stirring constantly. Immediately, remove from the skillet then chop when cool.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, sprinkle some red pepper flakes on the shrimps.

Stir and fry the shrimps in the hot oil until pink and opaque. Add the cilantro and toss thoroughly.

Transfer to serving plates. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon toasted coconut and chopped peanuts.

Garnish with lime wedges.

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Spicy Shrimp on Skewers

Servings

4

Ingredients

1⁄3 cup lime juice
1⁄3 cup honey
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp Jamaican jerk spice
3 dashes hot pepper sauce
½ tsp salt (add more as desired)
½ tsp pepper (add more as desired)
1 kg large green prawns (peeled and deveined)
12 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 1 hour

Directions

Combine together the lime juice, honey, soy sauce and oil in a large bowl, season with jerk seasoning, hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper.

Then, add the prawns and toss well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for one hour to marinate.

Preheat the grill for medium-high heat till both sides are pink and opaque.

Transfer to serving plates. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon toasted coconut and chopped peanuts.

Serve with main course.

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Coconut Shrimp

Servings

4

Ingredients

24 large raw shrimps (peeled and deveined)
½ cup cornstarch
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper
3 egg whites
2 ½ cups flaked coconut
oil (optional)

Directions

Mix the cornstarch, salt and cayenne in a small dish.

Crack the eggs and separate them (egg whites from egg yolk), whisk the egg whites in a mixing bowl until stiff peaks form.

Place the coconut in a zipper bag or on a plate. Then, make a slit down the inner curve of the shrimp and press lightly to flatten.

Put the shrimp in the cornstarch mixture, coat and shake thoroughly. Holding each shrimp by the tail dip in egg mixture. Coat the shrimps with coconut.

Fry the shrimps in hot oil for 2 minutes at 375°F on both sides till golden brown (don’t overcook), drain on paper towels.

Or

Lightly oil the baking sheet, bake the shrimps in an oven under 450°F for 15 minutes or until brown turning once.

Enjoy.

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Tomato Salsa

Servings

2

Ingredients

1 ¾ cup plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
½ cup finely diced red onion
1 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp fresh jalapeno, stemmed and finely diced
½ tsp creole seasoning
Pinch of kosher salt (add more as desired)
½ lime (juiced)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Combine all the ingredients together, mix thoroughly and refrigerate.

Serve with Nachos.

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Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Servings

3

Ingredients

3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 limes, juice them
½ cup water
1 tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt
½ tsp brown sugar
1 tsp thyme
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 cup green onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 habanero peppers, chopped

Directions

First, cut the chicken breasts into chunks.

Mix the lime juice and water together, pour the mixture in the bowl with the chicken and set aside.

Blend the allspice, nutmeg, salt, brown sugar, thyme, ginger, black pepper and vegetable oil together in the blender or food processor. Add the onions, green onions, garlic and habanero peppers until almost smooth.

Pour the blended mixture into a bowl and marinade the chicken with the mixture. Marinate well, cover and keep in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Then, preheat grill on medium heat and brush or spray the grill grate with some oil.

Cook the chicken slowly on the grill. Turn frequently, basting often with the remaining marinade mixture.

Cook until done (as desired).

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Caribbean Jerk Chicken

Servings

5

Ingredients

2 lb chicken legs and thighs
2 tbsp Italian salad dressing mix
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground thyme
½ tsp ground red pepper

Directions

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a bowl and coat both sides of the chicken with the mixture. Refrigerate for 1hr.

Heat greased grill to medium-high heat. Grill the chicken until done (165°F), turning occasionally.

Remove and cool.

Serve with main dishes.

Tip: spray the grill with some oil before grilling to prevent the chicken from burning or sticking to the surface.

It is advisable to cook the chicken on the broiler instead of the grill.

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Pineapple Glazed Shrimp Skewers

Servings

5-7

Ingredients

14 skewers
5 ½ cups pineapple, large dice (1 large ripe pineapple)
1⁄2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1⁄2 cup white wine vinegar
1⁄2 cup soy sauce
3 medium garlic cloves
1⁄4 tsp cayenne pepper
42 extra-large shrimps, (peeled and deveined, tails untouched)
1⁄2 cup vegetable oil

Directions

First, peel the pineapple and dice. Then, mix 2 cups of the pineapple chunks, the sugar, vinegar, soy sauce and garlic in a blender and blend on high until smooth.

Pour into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Spoon off any foam and reduce heat to low.

Simmer until the glaze is thick, syrupy enough to coat the back of a spoon and about less than a cup.

Then, stir in cayenne and set aside to cool slightly for some minutes.

Heat the gas or charcoal grill to high (about 400°F) or a grill pan over high heat until very hot.

Skewer 1 shrimp and a pineapple chuck, making sure to pass the skewer through the thick part of the tail. Repeat alternating between the two and leaving a space in between, until you have 3 shrimps and 2 pineapple chunks per skewer. Brush skewers on one side with glaze.

Spray the grill with vegetable oil, place the skewers on the grill glaze side down and brush the other side of the skewers with more glaze.

Repeat brushing and turn, cook until the thick portions of the shrimp are white and firm, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove from the grill and serve immediately.

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Jamaican Pork Chops

Servings

8

Ingredients

8 pork chops, about ¾ -inch thick
4 tbsp brown sugar
2 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoon black pepper, coarsely ground
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground cloves
½ cup of mango, diced
½ cup of tomatoes, diced
½ cup of cilantro
2 tsp extra virgin oil

Directions

Wash pork chops with water, pat dry and place in strainer.

Stir together remaining ingredients in a bowl and rub pork chops on both sides with seasoning mixture.

Grill pork chops 15 minutes over medium-hot heat in the oven/grill, turning once, till pork chops are done.

Tip: to serve pork chops, top with mangoes, tomatoes and cilantro.

Mix the mangoes, tomatoes and cilantro with virgin oil and a pinch of salt and black pepper in a bowl before topping the pork chops.

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Jamaican Jerk Steak

Servings

3

Ingredients

1 ½lb beef sirloin steak (trim and discard excess fat)
olive oil
3 teaspoons jerk spice (Jamaican Jerk Seasoning)

Directions

Wash the steak and pat dry. Transfer to the strainer, leave at room temperature for 20 minutes, spray lightly with olive oil.

Then, season the steak with jerk spice on both sides of steak.

Lay the steaks on the grill about 6-inches above the heat, close lid on gas barbecue.

Cook until done or as desired, 7 minutes for medium-rare, turn once with a wide spatula or tongs halfway through cooking.

Transfer to a board or platter and cool for about 5-10 minutes before serving in order for the juices to redistribute.

Serve with the main course.

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Jamaican Curry Chicken

Servings

6

Ingredients

3 lb chicken
8 tbsp curry powder
Onion powder, to taste
2 tsp salt (as desired)
1 tbsp garlic powder
¼ cup cooking oil
1 tbsp vinegar
½ cup water
1 tbsp black pepper
1 sprig thyme

Directions

Wash chicken with vinegar and water, cut into 8 pieces, or more (as desired). Put in a strainer/drainer.

Now, mix together all the ingredients. Rub chicken with the ingredients (with only 6 tablespoons, leave out 2 tablespoons of the curry for sauce) until curry powder is wet and sticks to the chicken.

Turn your heat on high, pour the cooking oil in a large iron skillet and add 2 tablespoons of curry powder, heat until the oil is hot and curry powder changes color.

Add the chicken to the hot oil, then turn down the heat to medium, add the water immediately.

Then cover the pot, cook and simmer. Stir the sauce after fifteen minutes and taste for salt.

Add the 1 sprig of thyme and black pepper to the sauce. Simmer until the chicken is moist and tender.

Remove when thickened as needed.

Serve with rice. Enjoy!

Tips:

The thickened curry gravy can be thickened with some bread crumbs or cornstarch option.

Also, to thicken the gravy, first remove the chicken, put it in high heat, allow to boil until it thickens. Add the chicken before serving.

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