The islanders are known for their array of seasonings, with recipes and ingredients varying from island to island. The secret to mouthwatering Caribbean Food is the seasoning or rather what we call marinade. Fresh and dried spices and herbs are always applied to meats, poultry, and vegetables before and during the cooking processes. Jirie Caribbean is keen on delivering the best of the Caribbean to you and this includes a simple guide on making the main varieties of Caribbean seasoning from your home. This will jazz up your cooking, taking any dish you make from good to lick-the-plate-good. As the seasoning recipes we are going to share are common blends, the recipes will vary based on location in the Caribbean and the islanders’ personal preferences. So don’t feel conformed to just the ingredients from our recipes. Now, the big debate is whether to use the wet or dry version of any seasoning but Jirie Caribbean believes in both!! Double the flavor!
Green Seasoning, the West Indian Sauce
The West Indian islands call it green seasoning because of its color. It is a versatile seasoning and can be found in the refrigerator of most islanders and Caribbean diasporas. This seasoning is unique from other Caribbean seasonings as its flavors can only be truly captured through a wet blend even commercially made. In a base of citrus juice and vinegar, green seasoning includes a variety of vegetables and herbs like scallions, garlic, garden peppers, celery, oregano, thyme, and coriander. Green seasoning is used for poultry, meat, and fish marinades. It is often added in the final minutes of cooking stews to intensify the fresh aromas and flavors of the seasonings and spices. West Indian green seasoning applies a refreshing, light, and yet bold flavor to whatever it touches. There is no specific measure on how much green seasoning to add to your marinades or stews, it’s all up to you and your preference. You can store this seasoning in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
West Indian Green Seasoning
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 4 springs green onions
- 2 medium onions
- 2 heads garlic
- 3 tbsp ginger
- 6 springs thyme
- 1 tbsp rosemary
- 6 springs celery
- 4 leaves sawtooth coriander
- 4 springs parsley
- 1 handful basil
- ½ cup red and yellow garden peppers
- 1 tbsp Scotch bonnet peppers or any hot pepper
- 3 tbsp oregano
- salt to taste (recommending 3 tbsp)
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 4 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
- 3 tbsp lime or lemon
Instructions
- Wash and rough chop fresh herbs and vegetables to fit in your food processor
- Have a deep pot or bowl on standby
- Blend the herbs and vegtables in batches until pureed. Pour each batch into the bowl.
- When blending is complete, add salt, vingear, oil and citrus juice and mix thoroughly.
- Store green seasoning in glass jar or plastic container.
- Add by tablespoons to marinades and stews.
Cuban Mojo Seasoning
This is the magic of Cuban cuisine! It is the foundation of bright, tangy flavor in Cuban cuisine. Mojo seasoning is applied to meats, poultry, root vegetables, and fish as a marinade. It is a fine blend of herbs and spices such as garlic, cumin, green pepper, onion, and oregano into a citrus juice (orange and lime) and olive oil base. Cubans mainly use mojo seasoning as the main component in a cooking base called sofrito but this citrusy and garlicy blend can be added to beans, stews, and tomato-based sauces. Jirie Caribbean also curated a dried version of the Cuba Mojo blend.
Cuban Mojo Seasoning
Ingredients
- 3 medium heads of garlic peeled and separated
- salt to taste 3 tsp recommended
- ¾ cup lime or sour orange juice
- ¾ cup orange juice
- ¾ cup olive oil
- ¾ tsp fresh or dried oregano
- ¾ tsp ground cumin
Instructions
- Crush together garlic cloves and salt with a mortar and pestle, and put into a medium bowl.
- Stir in fresh bitter orange juice or fresh lime juice and fresh orange juice, olive oil, chopped fresh oregano, cumin, crushed dried oregano, and salt to taste.
Adobo Seasoning
Adobo is a Spanish Caribbean marinade brought over to the Caribbean by Spanish and Portuguese colonizers making voyages across the oceans. The Puerto Rican and the Dominican style of Adobo seasoning/marinade blend includes salt, cumin, garlic, lime juice, oregano, and a variety of other spices. The seasoning blend can be made into a fresh marinade or dry rub. We’ll show you how to make a wet marinade at home but with the dry rub like Jirie’s Adobo Lime Rub you can apply directly onto all proteins, seafood, vegetables, and in secret sauces. The citrus undertones of Adobo seasoning can brighten any dish. It is the easiest of all the seasoning to make.
Fresh Adobo Seasoning (Marinade)
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 3 medium onions
- 1 head of garlic peeled and seperated
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup fresh oregano
- salt to taste 2 tbsp recommended
Instructions
- In the food proccesor puree all the ingredients together.
- Store in in an air tight container in the refridgerator.
Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
Where it all started with Jirie Caribbean! Jerk Seasoning is hot, bold, and rugged in comparison to the other seasonings. Its notes are earthy like the ground pits used to jerk poultry and meats originally. Spice lovers rejoice at the mouth-numbing burn of scotch bonnet peppers, pimento, nutmeg, and cloves. Take some time to go through our blog, we’re passionate about the jerk and have dedicated an entire post to a Jamaican Jerk Seasoning recipe. The Jirie Caribbean blog also includes many posts that incorporate authentic Jamaican jerk flavor in many dishes that you can include in that summer barbeque you’re planning!
Let’s not forget that Jirie Caribbean has carefully blended dried seasonings that can be added to these homemade blends. Double up on the Caribbean flavor by visiting Jire.store to purchase our Mojo, Adobo, and jerk seasoning blends.