18 delicious caribbean recipes

Caribbean cuisine is a fusion of African, Creole, Cajun, Amerindian, European, Latin American, Indian/South Asian, Middle Eastern, and Chinese. These traditions were brought from many different countries when they came to the Caribbean. In addition, the population has created styles that are unique to the region.

Ingredients that are common in most islands’ dishes are rice, plantains, beans, cassava, culantro, bell peppers, chickpeas, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, coconut, and any of various meats that are locally available like beef, poultry, pork or fish. A characteristic seasoning for the region is a green herb-and-oil-based marinade which imparts a flavor profile which is quintessentially Caribbean in character. Ingredients may include garlic, onions, scotch bonnet peppers, celery, green onions, and herbs like culantro, Mexican mint, chives, marjoram, rosemary, tarragon and thyme. This green seasoning is used for a variety of dishes like curries, stews and roasted meats.

@magicbones66 via Twenty20

Tropical Fruit with Chocolate Sauce

Tropical Fruit
3 to 4 cups assorted fresh tropical
fruit: banana, pineapple, strawberries,
carambola, papaya, mango
2 to 3 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur or rum

Prepare Chocolate Sauce. Toss fruit and liqueur or rum. Cover and refrigerate, stirring once or twice, at least 1 hour. Spoon fruit into dessert dishes; drizzle with Chocolate Sauce.

Chocolate Sauce
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons butter or margarine
1 tablespoon orange-flavored liqueur or rum

Heat chocolate, milk and sugar to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Stir in butter and liqueur. Let stand 1 hour.

Cover and refrigerate any remaining sauce.

Yields 6 to 8 servings.

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Haitian Bread (Pain Ha?tien)

2 packages active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (105 to 155 degrees F)
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon freeze-dried instant coffee
2 tablespoons milk

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl. Stir in honey, oil, salt, nutmeg and 2 cups of the flour. Beat until very smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually add enough of the remaining flour to make a stiff dough. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up. Cover; let rise in warm place until double, about 50 minutes. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.

Punch dough down. Press into greased 15 1/2 x 10 1/2-inch jellyroll pan. Cut dough into about 2 1/2-inch squares with sharp knife, cutting two-thirds of the way through dough. Cover; let rise until double, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Dissolve instant coffee in milk; brush over dough. Bake until bread is golden brown, about 35 minutes.

Break bread into squares to serve.

Makes 24 squares.

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Sweet Potato “Bread” (Pain Patate Haiti)

This is not a bread although baked in a loaf pan. It is a marvelous dessert.

2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and boiled until tender
2 medium ripe bananas, peeled
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3 medium eggs, beaten
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup seedless golden raisins

Coarsely mash together sweet potatoes and bananas with a potato masher in a large mixing bowl; blend with an electric mixer until smooth.

Beat butter and eggs into the sweet potato-banana paste with a wire whisk to combine. Add sugar, molasses, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; whisk until well blended. Next whisk in the milk until it is incorporated. Stir in the raisins. Pour the batter into a 2-quart loaf pan and bake it in a preheated 350 degrees F oven until the center is firm and the top is golden brown, about 55 minutes.

Remove the “bread” from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a plate. Serve generous slices of Pain Patate warm or chilled, with whipped cream or a little rum poured over the top, or plain.

Serves 6 or 8.

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Cuban Bread (Pan Cubano)

1 package active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups bread flour
Vegetable oil (for greasing)

Sprinkle yeast over 1/2 cup of the warm water in a large mixing bowl. Add sugar, and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 cup water, the olive oil and salt. Slowly add the flour, 1 cup at a time, and mix to make a dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 4 minutes, or until the dough is satiny and elastic. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down the dough and shape it into a 12-inch long oblong loaf. Place the loaf on a lightly greased baking sheet (or one dusted with cornmeal), cover it with a towel, and allow it to rise for 30 minutes.

Brush loaf lightly with warm water. Bake it on the baking sheet in a preheated 400 degrees F oven until it is golden brown and sounds hollow when the bottom is tapped, about 35 minutes. Remove the bread and cool it on a wire rack before serving.

Makes 1 large loaf.

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Hearts of Palm in Tomato Sauce (Palmito Guisado)

1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalape?o pepper, seeded and chopped
4 ounces fully cooked smoked ham, coarsely chopped (2/3 cup)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (16 ounce) can whole tomatoes with liquid
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 (14 ounce) cans hearts of palm, rinsed drained and sliced 1/2 inch thick
Grated Parmesan cheese

Cook and stir onion, garlic, jalape?o peppers and ham in oil in skillet over medium heat until onion is tender. Add tomatoes, parsley, vinegar and pepper; break up tomatoes with fork. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thickened, about 15 minutes. Stir in hearts of palm. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until hearts of palm are hot, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese.

Yields 6 servings.

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Adobo

This sauce is basic to many Puerto Rican recipes. It appears on just about everything, either as a marinade or added as a seasoning. Try a little bit when cooking meat.

5 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup wine vinegar

Peel and mince garlic. Mix garlic, oregano, olive oil and wine vinegar together in a small jar. To use the adobo as a marinade for steak or other meats, allow the meat to marinate in it for 24 hours or so in the refrigerator.

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Baked Stuffed Papayas (Jamaica)

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (16 ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained
1 jalape?o pepper, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 (12 ounce) papayas
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Cook and stir beef, onion and garlic in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until beef is light brown; drain. Stir in tomatoes, jalape?o pepper, salt and pepper; break up tomatoes with fork. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered until most of the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes.

Cut papayas lengthwise into halves; remove seeds. Place about 1/3 cup beef mixture in each papaya half; sprinkle with cheese. Arrange in shallow roasting pan. Pour very hot water into pan to within 1 inch of tops of papaya halves. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F until papayas are very tender and hot, about 30 minutes.

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Jamaican Codfish Fritters (Stamp and Go)

8 ounces cod fillets
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
Vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

Heat fish and just enough water to cover to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until fish flakes easily with fork, 5 to 7 minutes; drain. Cool and flake. Cook and stir onions in 2 tablespoons oil until tender.

Heat 1 to 1 1/2 inches oil to 360 degrees F. Beat remaining ingredients with hand beater until smooth. Stir in fish and onions; drop by level tablespoonsful into hot oil. Fry 5 or 6 at a time until golden brown, turning once, about 4 minutes; drain. Serve with tartar sauce and lemon wedges.

Makes about 36 fritters.

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Fried Ripe Plantains (Pl?tanos Maduras Fritos ? Puerto Rico)

4 medium very ripe (nearly all black) plantains
4 tablespoons butter, divided
Salt or garlic salt, to taste (optional)
2 limes, cut into wedges (optional)

Peel plantains as you would a banana, then cut them on the diagonal into 3/4-inch slices. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Saut? half the plantain slices in a single layer until they are quite brown on the underside, about 4 minutes. Flip them over with a spatula and saut? until brown on the other side, about 3 minutes. Leaning the slices against each other if necessary, stand each plantain slice on one of its edges in the skillet and saut? for 30 seconds. Next stand the slices on their opposite edges and saut? an additional 30 seconds.

Remove one slice from the skillet, cut it in half, and check to see that the plantain has lost its pale yellow, white, or pink tinge and has turned yellow all the way through. If so, the plantains are ready. If not, continue saut?ing them for another minute on the sides that are the least brown.

Gently remove fried plantains from the skillet with a spatula and pace them on paper towels to drain. Add remaining butter to the skillet and saut? remaining plantains in the same fashion. Arrange fried plantains in one layer on a large serving plate. Sprinkle them with salt or garlic salt, if desired, and serve at once with lime wedges or plain.

Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish or appetizer.

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Coconut Eggnog (Coquito ? Puerto Rico)

3 cups packaged unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut
1 cup hot water
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup Puerto Rican white rum
2 large egg yolks
Ground cinnamon or nutmeg

Combine coconut and hot water in a large pitcher, and let the coconut steep for 10 minutes. Strain the liquid into a blender. Put the coconut pulp in a cheesecloth and squeeze it to extract as much coconut milk as possible, then add the extracted milk to the coconut milk in the blender. Discard the coconut pulp.

Add condensed milk, rum and egg yolks to the coconut milk in the blender, and process until the Coquito is well blended. Transfer the beverage to the pitcher, cover, and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours.

Remove the Coquito from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving. When ready, stir it thoroughly and pour the Coquito into short glasses and add a dusting of cinnamon or nutmeg.

Serves 8.

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Puerto Rican Egg Nog (Coquito)

Posted by Darlene at recipegoldmine.com 12/18/2001 7:07 am

Yield: 16 Servings

2 cups water
8 (3 inch) cinnamon sticks
6 large egg yolks
3 (12 ounce) cans evaporated milk
2 cans coconut milk
3 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
3 cups white rum (a touch less if you use 151 proof!! Burp!!)

In a 2 quart saucepan, heat water and cinnamon sticks to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook until liquid is reduced to one cup. Remove cinnamon sticks and set liquid aside to cool to room temperature.

In a 3 quart saucepan with a wire whisk, beat egg yolks and evaporated milk until well-mixed. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and coats a spoon – about 10 minutes (DO NOT BOIL). Set aside to cool slightly.

When cinnamon flavored liquid has cooled, stir in coconut milk, until well mixed. In serving bowl, combine coconut mixture, yolk mixture, sweetened condensed milk and rum. Chill well and serve.

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Baked Kidney Beans and Rice (Riz et Pois Rouges)

1 medium onion, chopped
2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked regular rice
2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
4 ounces fully cooked smoked ham, diced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 1/2 cups boiling water

Cook and stir onion, garlic and green pepper in oil until tender. Mix onion mixture and remaining ingredients in ungreased 2-quart casserole. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 55 minutes. Stir before serving.

Yields 5 to 6 servings.

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Coconut Corn Bread (Dominican Republic)

1/2 cup diced mixed candied fruit
2 tablespoons dark rum
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 cup coconut cream
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup shredded fresh coconut

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix candied fruit and rum in small bowl; reserve.

Beat sugar and butter in large bowl; add eggs, one at a time, beating until well blended. Stir in remaining ingredients except candied fruit mixture and coconut; beat until smooth, about 30 strokes by hand. Fold in candied fruit mixture and coconut. Pour into greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Bake until top is golden brown and wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool 20 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely before slicing.

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Banana Bread (P?o de Banano ? Guatemala)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 large bananas, mashed
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime peel
1 tablespoon lime juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom only of 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

Mix all ingredients; beat 30 seconds. Pour into pan. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 70 to 80 minutes. Cool slightly. Loosen sides of loaf from pan; remove from pan. Cool completely before slicing.

To store, wrap and refrigerate no longer than 1 week.

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Citrus-Marinated Pork Roast (Cuba)

1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice
1 (3 pound) boneless pork loin roast
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 large carrot, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup orange juice

Mix 1 cup orange juice and the lime juice; pour over pork roast in non-reactive bowl. Cover and refrigerate, turning pork occasionally, at least 4 hours.

Remove pork from juice, reserving juice. Pat pork dry. Mix garlic, oregano and pepper; rub evenly over pork. Place onion, celery and carrot in shallow roasting pan; sprinkle with salt. Pour reserved juice over vegetables. Place pork on top of vegetables. Insert meat thermometer so tip is in center of thickest part of pork and does not rest in fat. Roast uncovered at 325 degrees F, spooning juices over pork occasionally, until thermometer registers 170 degrees F, about 2 1/2 hours.

Remove pork; cover with aluminum foil and let stand 15 to 20 minutes before carving. Place vegetable mixture and 1/2 cup orange juice in blender container. Cover and blend on medium-high speed, stopping blender occasionally to scrape sides, until well blended, about 1 minute. Heat to boiling.

Serve with pork.

Yields 8 to 10 servings.

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Caribbean Honey-Spiced Chicken with Mango

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon peel
1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
2 fresh jalape?o peppers, halved and seeded
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

In a small bowl, combine honey, lemon juice and lemon peel; whisk until well-blended. Remove 1/4 cup of mixture to food processor container; set aside. Add mango to honey lemon mixture in bowl; toss to coat. Store in refrigerator.

Add onion, jalapenos, paprika, oil, garlic salt, cinnamon, pepper and allspice to honey-lemon mixture in food processor container. Process until very finely chopped, scrape down sides when necessary. Spread mixture evenly over both sides of chicken breasts. Spread oil in 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Arrange chicken breasts in pan. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes or until cooked through. Remove chicken to serving platter; top with reserved mango.

Yields 4 servings.

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Caribbean Jerk Pork Chops

1/4 cup water
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon chopped green onion
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
2 1/4 pounds lean pork loin or rib chops
(6 chops) – about 5/8 inch thick

Place all ingredients except pork in blender. Cover and blend until smooth.

Reserve 1/2 cup of the marinade; cover and refrigerate for basting. Trim excess fat from pork. Place pork in shallow nonmetal dish or heavy-duty resealable plastic bag. Pour remaining marinade over pork. Cover dish or seal bag and refrigerate at least 12 hours but no longer than 24 hours.

Heat coals or gas grill. Remove pork from marinade; discard marinade. Cover and grill pork 4 to 5 inches from medium heat 8 to 11 minutes, turning frequently and brushing with reserved marinade, for medium doneness (160 degrees F) or until pork is slightly pink when cut near bone. Discard any remaining basting marinade.

Yield: 6 servings.

Per Serving: 183 Calories; 8g Fat (40.8% calories from fat); 22g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 53mg Cholesterol; 312mg Sodium

Exchanges: 0 Grain (Starch); 3 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

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Chicken and Vegetable Stew (Saucochi di Gallinja)

1 (2 1/2 to 3 pound) broiler-fryer chicken, cut up
6 cups water
2 tablespoons instant beef bouillon
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 medium sweet potatoes or yams, cut into 1/2-inch slices
3 ears sweet corn, cut into 3 pieces
1/4 pound winter squash, pared and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (1 cup)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas
1 small hot chile pepper, stemmed, seeded and sliced
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Chopped chives

Heat chicken, water and bouillon to boiling in Dutch oven; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Skim off fat. Add remaining ingredients except chives. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until thickest pieces of chicken are done and vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Garnish each serving with chives.

Yields 8 or 9 servings.