Method

Jamaican recipes are some of the best in the world. The cuisine is a unique blend of local takes on international classics, as well as brand new creations. From all over the world, different cooking techniques and ideas have come to the island and, with a wide variety of tropical fruit, seafood and meat all available, it’s a must-try.

So, what’s stopping you from getting stuck into our Jamaican food recipes below? We’ve put a few of our very favourites together, using some of our finest spice mixes.

First up, we’ve got delicious, crispy accras. Accras are a go-to when it comes to Jamaican recipes. They’re basically Caribbean fritters, often made with fresh fish that has been cured in salt and dried until every ounce of moisture has been drawn from it. In this case, we’re recommending using cod or crab meat. You’ll also be making use of our Caribbean Adobo Spice Rub – a wonderfully warming mix with salty, earthy notes. Usually, adobo is used for marinades, as well as often being the base flavour for stews, soups, sauces, beans and other similar Jamaican recipes. However, it works well here for the fritters!

Next up, no list of Jamaican food recipes is going to be complete without some Jerk cooking. This native style of cooking is notorious around the world and synonymous with Jamaican cuisine. The meat is cooked directly on the fresh, green wood of the Pimento (allspice) tree over a smoking pit. Meanwhile, on top, sheets of metal press down and ensure that the smoke permeates deep inside your choice of meat.

But how did this all come about? Well, when the British invaded Jamaica in 1655, the Spanish colonists fled. A large number of African slaves were left behind and, rather sensibly, instead of being re-enslaved by the British, they opted to escape into some of the island’s mountainous regions.

Up here in the mountains, the escaped slaves mingled with the Tainos – an indigenous Caribbean population. It was the Tainos who then taught the escaped slaves (the first Jamaican Maroons) the practice of jerk cooking. They hunted wild hog which was the perfect meat for this practice. Using the herbs and spices found naturally growing on the island (including the infamous Scotch bonnet pepper), the jerk marinade and seasoning was then slowly developed over the centuries.

Speaking of spices, for our recipe you will be bringing your chicken to life with tangy, charred pineapple and our Caribbean Jerk Rub pot. It’s mind-blowing in flavour with subtle, herbal notes of thyme marrying powerful flavours of onion, sea salt, allspice, cayenne, nutmeg and clove.

There’s also our delicious, beautifully simple Salsa recipe. It works really well served alongside the jerk chicken and should take a little bit of the heat out, should you need the option!

Of course, all these recipes make use of our spice mixes. We take our job incredibly seriously here at Seasoned Pioneers. We work hard to source you the world’s finest herbs and spices because we believe that high quality means better taste. So only the most premium ingredients make it into our spice mixes. At our headquarters on the Wirral, the spice mixes for these Jamaican food recipes are roasted and blended by hand in small batches to ensure those high standards are met.

Step 1

Place Caribbean jerk rub, maple syrup, 1 teaspoon thyme, ground bay, ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt, habanero chilli (optional), chipotle, spring onions, onion, garlic, fresh ginger, 2 tablespoons sunflower oil, juice of 1 ½ limes and 1 tablespoon dark rum (optional) in a large jug and combine thoroughly into a thick paste using a stick blender.

Step 2

Place the chicken breasts in a suitable bowl or dish and cover with the marinade. Mix to ensure the chicken is thoroughly coated.  Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for a minimum of 1 hour. However, the longer you can leave it the better it will taste!

Step 3

Rinse 280g of basmati rice in a sieve under cold water and place in a bowl of cold water to soak.

Step 4

Pre-heat the oven to 190°C, 375°F, Gas 5

Step 5

Place the chicken in a roasting tin. Spoon a few tablespoons of the marinade mixture over the chicken before cooking and use this to baste the chicken as it roasts.  Cook for approximately 40-45 minutes until fully cooked and the juices run clear. The chicken will become quite dark in places whilst cooking. This is quite normal but if you wish to prevent some of the browning, cover the tin with foil for the first 25 minutes of cooking.

Step 6

Place 400ml of cold water in a medium pan with a tight fitting lid and bring to the boil. While this happens prepare the salsa.

Step 7

To the pan of boiling water add a good pinch of salt. Drain the soaked rice and add to the pan. Return to the boil for a moment then reduce to a very low heat. Add the peas and stir everything together once.  Put the lid on and leave to cook without removing the lid or stirring for 20-25 minutes. Once the liquid has all been absorbed the rice will be cooked. Remove from the heat and set aside with the lid still on.

Step 8

Using a sharp knife carefully peel, core and slice the pineapple into wedges, if using unprepared fresh pineapple.

Step 9

Mix 1 tablespoon of rum (optional), the juice of ½ lime, soy sauce and sugar in a small bowl. Add the pineapple wedges and mix thoroughly. Remove the wedges from this mixture, rub with a little sunflower oil and place on a hot griddle, in a frying pan or on the barbeque to lightly char. Turn regularly to ensure all sides are nicely browned. Set aside ready to serve (can be kept warm or served at room temperature).

Step 10

Remove the chicken from the oven and check it is thoroughly cooked. Cover with foil and set aside to serve.

Step 11

Loosen the rice with a fork and divide between 4 plates. Place a chicken breast on each plate and drizzle with the remaining cooking juices. Add some charred pineapple and a large spoonful of the pepper salsa.