Healthy Jamaican Recipes
Nutritious and Delicious Jamaican Dishes

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Jamaican Ackee And Saltfish Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 2 doz. ackees
• 1 lb saltfish (codfish), ideally soaked for 1-2 hours
• A piece of hot pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter or cooking oil
• 2 medium onions
• A few blades of escallion and thyme
• 1/2 medium-sized green pepper
• a pinch of black pepper
• 2 medium-sized tomato

PROCEDURE

1. If saltfish was not soaked, gently boil, then cool
2. Debone, flake and drain saltfish
3. Clean Ackee pulps, by removing seeds and inner lining; the red membrane
4. (Note that if the commercially available canned ackees are used, there is no need for steps 2 and 3)
5. Wash and put Ackee into hot water and boil for no more than 5 to 8 minutes. The key is to ensure it stays solid/ firm.
6. Chop the onion and tomatoes, and saute all seasoning in hot oil or butter for about two minutes.
7. Add flaked saltfish and stir.
8. Add Ackee to the pot, sprinkle black pepper and simmer for 3 minutes only. 

 Serve hot. If you need ideas for sides to accompany your Ackee and Saltfish, then these are some Jamaican side dishes we enjoy daily.

Jamaican Ital Sip Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound Pumpkin (Peeled and sliced)
• 1 pound Yam (Peeled and sliced)
• ½ piece Sweet Potato (peeled and sliced)
• 1 pound Callaloo (cleaned and Shredded)
• ½ pound Carrots (cleaned and sliced)
• 1 whole Cho Cho (peeled and diced) (cut the heart out)
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 teaspoon Pimento Seeds (whole) (remove when finished)
• 2 medium Tomatoes (diced)
• 1 whole Scotch Bonnet Pepper (ripen) (optional) (remove when finished)
• 2 stacks Scallion (fold completely) (remove when finished)
• 2 pints Water
• Coconut milk (canned, powdered or blended)
• 6 corns

PROCEDURE

1. Peel, wash, and prepare all the root vegetables and set them aside.
2. Wash and strip the callaloo, chop finely and set aside.
3. Set a pot of water to boil.
4. When it comes to a boil, begin adding in your root vegetables beginning with the yams and allowing a few minutes before adding the leafy vegetables and the pumpkin.
5. Cover and leave to boil for 10 minutes before adding your herbs and spices. Cook for another ten minutes before adding your coconut milk.
6. After this, it is just a matter of waiting until your root vegetables are cooked through.
7. When your soup is done, remove the scallion, thyme and pepper and allow the soup to “sit” and cool down a little.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 3 lbs Chicken2 Tbsp Ground Allspice
• 2 Tbsp Dried Thyme (Finely chopped)
• 1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1 Tsp Black Pepper
• 1 Tsp Ground Sage
• 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• ½ Cup Cooking Oil
• ½ Cup Soy Sauce
• 1 Cup White Vinegar
• 6 Scotch Bonnet Peppers (Finely chopped)
• 1 Tsp Salt
• 2 Onions (Finely chopped)

PROCEDURE

1. In a bowl, combine all spices, thyme, cayenne pepper, black pepper, sage, salt, garlic and sugar.
2. Mix all these herbs and spices well.
3. Then, add cooking oil, soy sauce and vinegar. Mix all these. Add scotch bonnet pepper and onion.
4. Mix everything well.
5. Add chicken pieces ensuring all pieces are covered with the mixture.
6. Let it sit for at least an hour for it to marinate.
7. After marinating, place on grill and cook until chicken is done.
8. Turn and baste each side with the jerk sauce.

Steamed Cabbage Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 whole medium cabbage
• 2 medium carrots
• Red and green bell peppers
• Onion
• Thyme
• Garlic
• Scotch bonnet pepper
• Black pepper
• Salt
• Butter

PROCEDURE

1. The first thing you need to do is fill a pot of water and set it to a boil. You will also need a metallic or ceramic bowl, big enough to cover the pot, steam your vegetables and form a double boiler. This method produces wet heat so the vegetables won’t dry out, they will steam in their juices and you won’t need to add water so the flavours will stand out more.
2. As you wait for your water to come to a boil, prepare your vegetables. Wash your cabbage in salted water, and remove any dead outer layers. Cut your cabbage down the middle and then into thin long pieces. Julienne your carrots, and green and red bell peppers then chop your onion, garlic and scotch bonnet pepper.
3. Once your water is now at a rolling boil, cover face up with your ceramic or metallic dish. Give it a few minutes for the steam from the water to heat the dish then add some butter or margarine to the dish and allow it to melt.
4. Add to the melted butter your minced garlic, onion, scotch bonnet pepper and thyme and stir for a few minutes until they darken in colour, but do not burn.
5. The next step is to add your bell peppers, and cabbage to the mix. Combine all ingredients well, then add a pinch of black pepper. Cover and allow to steam.

All that's left to do is serve and enjoy!

Jamaican Ital Stew Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• Beans - you can use one or a mixture of beans including red kidney beans, ginger peas or broad beans
• Fresh leafy vegetables - cabbage, pak choy, and callaloo are great options.
• Starchy foods of your choice - Irish potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, sweet potato
• Herbs and seasonings - escallion and thyme, garlic, pimento seeds, onion, ginger, scotch bonnet pepper, sweet peppers
• Coconut milk

PROCEDURE

1. The first step is to wash your peas and set them to soak in water overnight.
2. The next step is to prepare your pumpkin. Wash and remove the seeds and some of the skin from the pumpkin. You then need to chop the pumpkin into medium-sized pieces. Once that is done, add your pumpkin and beans to a pot cover slightly with water and leave to cook.
3. Expect a cooking time of between 45 minutes and an hour and 30 minutes. During that time, start prepping your starchy vegetables. Wash and peel each and cut into small pieces.
4. Once your beans and pumpkin are fully cooked and soft, add your starchy vegetables.
5. As your starchy root vegetables cook, use this time to prepare your leafy vegetables. Wash all vegetables under fresh running water. Then, leave it to sit in a large bowl of salted water for around 5 minutes. The next step is to simply chop all your vegetables into pieces.
6. Once your starchy foods have been fully cooked, add your coconut milk and allow it to boil for about ten minutes.
7. At this time, the liquid should already be reduced to a thick stew, add all your seasonings to the pot. Do not cut your scotch bonnet pepper, add it whole.
8. The last thing to be added will be your vegetables. This is because leafy vegetables are quite easy to cook and overcooking them might diminish any nutritional value they have. Add them to the pot and give it a good stir. Cook for an additional 7 to 15 minutes or until soft.

Jamaican Steamed Callaloo Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups callaloo, chopped and tightly packed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, or coconut oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• Salt to taste
• 1 Scotch Bonnet pepper, whole or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons water

PROCEDURE

1. Peel the outer membrane of each stalk of the callaloo and remove the outer old leaves. Place callaloo in a bowl and cover with cold water. Place 1/2 tsp salt and set aside while preparing the remaining vegetables. Discard water, then rinse with water and drain. Chop callaloo
2. Place oil in a large pot, add onion, garlic, spring onion, thyme, tomato, and scotch bonnet pepper on medium heat, and sauté until onion is translucent. Add callaloo and water, and allow to simmer on low heat for 5-10 minutes or until tender.

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