Meat & Poultry

While I’ve shared several Curry Duck Recipes with you over the years, only after receiving a request via Instagram for Curry Duck With Pigeon Peas, did I realize that had not already shared this classic Caribbean curry recipe. And while using freshly harvested Pigeon Peas would make for an even better tasting dish, the frozen version still gives you an EXCELLENT result.

You’ll Need…

6-7 lbs duck (prepared)
3/4 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning (divided)
1 tablespoon ground masala
2-3 tablespoon Olive oil
1 tomato (diced)
2 scotch bonnet peppers (sliced)
1 medium Onion (sliced)
8 cloves Garlic (smashed)
Cumin (geera) seeds
2 1/2 – 3 tablespoon Curry Powder
5-8 dried curry leaves
1 tablespoon dehydrated Chadon beni (optional)
1 tablespoon Anchar Masala
3 tablespoon chopped cilantro
5-8 Wiri Wiri peppers (optional)
2 3/4 cups water (divided- adjust)
2-3 cups frozen pigeon peas + water to boil

Important! This version is very spicy, but you can adjust the amount of Scotch Bonnet and Wiri Wiri you use, to your own preference.

Pre boil the pigeon peas in water for 30 mins, drain and repeat for another 30 minutes. This step will help to tenderize the peas, but more importantly, it will remove that sort of bitter taste you can get if you don’t do this step. Drain and set aside after.

Season the clean duck (remove skin and fat, wash with lemon juice and cool water – drain). Yea, I removed most of the skin as the additional fat in really not good for us. Tip… get your butcher to cut the duck for you, using his band-saw. Duck bones are very brittle and will shatter with a conventional chefs knife or cleaver. Watch the video below for more tips, including why you flame the duck’s skin during the butchering process.

In a large bowl with the clean (cut) duck, add the salt, black pepper, 2 tablespoon of the Caribbean Green seasoning, ground Masala, Scotch Bonnet (use as much as you can handle, I like my curry duck SPICY) and tomato. Mix well and try your BEST to allow it to marinate in the fridge overnight.. or at least 2 hours. The tomato’s acidity will help to balance off overall flavor of the curry, plus help us with a thicker gravy at the end.

In a large pot (iron works best) heat the oil (of your choice) on a medium flame, add the onion and garlic, turn the heat down to low and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Now add the cumin seeds and stir well. We’re trying our best to not burn anything. A minute later add the remaining tablespoon of Caribbean Green Seasoning. Stir.

One minute later add the curry powder of your choice (I used my blend) and cook gently for 3-5 minutes. Watch the video below for more tips.

Now turn the heat up to high, stir and add 3/4 cup of water. This step cooks off the rawness of the curry, giving you a much more rounded finished curry at the end. As it comes to a boil, reduce to medium (heat) and add the curry leaves and chadon beni.

The goal is to cook this until the water burns off and you start seeing the oil we stared with, add the Anchar Masala and stir well.

You’re looking for a thick slurry (see my tip in the video)! With the heat still on high, add the seasoned duck to the pot and stir well to coat the duck with this lovely curry base.

Put the lid on and bring to a boil. It will take a couple minutes.. reduce to a medium/low heat and cook. After ten minutes (stir a few times) crank up the heat to high and burn off all that liquid.

Once you can see the oil on the bottom of the pot we started with (and all the liquid is gone), add the pre-cooked pigeon peas and stir well. Now add 2 cups of water and bring back to a boil, then reduce to a simmer to cook the duck until it’s tender. Lid on , slightly ajar.

Do stir ever so often and pay attention to the liquid (add more water if you find it’s too dry).

1 hour later and the duck (depending on the age of it when it was butchered) should be tender. Now it’s time to personalize things, taste and adjust the salt, cook the gravy to the consistency you like (keep in mind it will thicken as it cools) and make sure the tenderness is to your liking. I like fall-off-the bone, some people do like a little chew.

Turn off the stove, top with the cilantro and wiri wiri peppers and ENJOY!

Served with hot steamed rice or with off the tawa Buss-Up-Shut Roti! Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/

Meat & Poultry

The Ultimate Chicken Tenders.

May 27, 2025June 23, 2022Leave a Comment

This recipe is based loosely on the way mom would make fried chicken for us as children. It’s a recipe I did quite often when my daughters were growing up (to prevent them asking for McDonalds) and something I still do when I get Chicken Tenders on sale at the market.

You’ll Need…

salted crackers (about 1/2 a pack)
2 lbs chicken tenders
vegetable oil (3 cups)
1 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 teaspoon black pepper
3 eggs (whisked)
1 cup all-purpose flour

Feel free to season the whisked eggs with a bit of salt and black pepper if you wish. I use vegetable oil for frying, but you can use whichever oil you like frying with. If you wanted to give these a go in your air fryer, spray them with a bit of cooking spray (oil) first.

Season the chicken tenders with the Caribbean Green Seasoning, salt and black pepper. Mix well to coat all the pieces of chicken. No need to marinate for long… maybe just the time you need to prep everything else.

You may use bread crumbs you can purchase at your bakery or grocery store, but I’m doing as our mom would do when we were growing up on the islands.

Place the salted crackers in a large zipper bag (or tea towel) and smash to crumbs with a rolling pin. The beauty of doing it this way is that you won’t have uniform crumbs, but some pieces will be bigger than others, thus giving the finished chicken tenders a uniqueness.

Now prep your breading station. The seasoned chicken, eggs (whisked) in a bowl, flour and the crumbs we made from the crackers.

Grab the tenders, dust it in the flour, then into the whisked eggs (shake off the excess egg), then roll/pat it in the crumbs. Repeat until you’re all done. I set each coated piece of chicken tender on a cookie sheet as I worked my way through them all.

Heat your veg oil on a med high heat in a wide pan, then add the breaded pieces of chicken.. don’t crowd the pan.

Fry, flip and fry again, for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Drain on a wire rack (on a cookie sheet to catch the excess oil). I explain why I don’t use paper towels in the video below.

As you take them out of the hot oil, you may sprinkle on some sea salt if you wish. I didn’t as I’m trying to cut back on the salt in my diet.

Serve warm! I did a Scotch Bonnet Honey Mustard Sauce to dunk these into. WARNING this sauce is SPICY and not rated for children use… unless they’re my daughters! Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/

Meat & Poultry

Loaded Caribbean Corned Beef.

May 28, 2025June 12, 20221 Comment

This version of “fry” Corned-beef aka Bully Beef is inspired by after-school visits to my Jamaican friend’s home and the way his grandma (RIP granny) would make it. Her version was a bit more runny/saucy as I believe she would add a 1/4 cup or so of water.. I talk about this in the video below.

You’ll Need…

1 can corned beef
1 medium onion (sliced)
1 medium tomato (sliced)
1 small habanero pepper (sliced)
1 small carrot (thin strips)
1/2 green bell pepper (diced)
1/2 orange bell pepper (diced)
2 scallions (chopped)
1 cup frozen corn
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 clove garlic (smashed)

I used a whole Habanero pepper, including the seeds. Use as much as you can handle, or any spicy pepper you like. Remove the seeds and white membrane of the pepper to control the heat level slightly. Finally, as we’ve discussed in the past, wear gloves and wash you hands with soap and water immediately after handling such spicy peppers.

Prep the vegetables in advance as this is supposed to be a quick side dish to top steaming hot rice, on sandwiches or even toss your fav cooked pasta into the mix. Growing up, we would enjoy the version mom would make, with hot Sada Roti or as mentioned previously, on top of hot long grain rice.

Place the opened tin of corned beef in a dry non-stick pan… I explain why I don’t start with oil in the pan, as well as why I don’t add any salt, in the video below.

On a low heat, break up the corned beef into pieces.. it will be easier as it heats up.

Add the black pepper, carrot, bell peppers, habanero pepper, onion, frozen corn and tomato.

Stir well to make sure everything is mixed together nicely. Cook on a medium heat and at this point add the ketchup and garlic.

After about 6 minutes with the lid on.. BOOM! You’re Done. Toss in the scallions to finish!

Bully beef (also known as corned beef in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Singapore and other Commonwealth countries as well as the United States) is a variety of meat made from finely minced corned beef in a small amount of gelatin. The name “bully beef” likely comes from the French bouilli (meaning “boiled”) in Napoleonic times, or possibly from the head of a bull depicted on the popular Hereford brand of canned corned beef. The cans have a distinctive oblong shape. Bully beef and hardtack biscuits were the main field rations of the British Army from the Boer War to World War II.

Please serve hot! Add chopped cabbage to leftover and refry for yet another excellent side dish. Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/

Meat & Poultry

Spicy Geera (cumin) Chicken Liver.

May 27, 2025June 11, 2022Leave a Comment

While I do enjoy Chicken Liver, this appreciation only started in my adult years. While mom had a lovely repertoire of recipes using Chicken livers, nope.. my siblings and I never appreciated any! Well, until today! While this recipe is traditionally done spicy, you can certainly tailor it to your own heat appreciation.

You’ll Need…

2 lbs chicken liver (washed cut into 1 inch pieces)
1 lime or lemon (to wash the liver)
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 onion (diced)
2 scallions (chopped)
2 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
2 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)
2 tablespoon cilantro stems (chopped)
1 scotch bonnet pepper (sliced)
2 chili peppers (sliced)
1 teaspoon anchar masala
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (geera)
1 1/2 tablespoon dry roasted geera powder (cumin – divided)
5 sprigs thyme
4 cloves garlic (optional)

Wash the trimmed chicken liver with the lime or lemon juice and rinse with cool water. Drain and season.

In a large bowl place the washed chicken liver, the stalks of the cilantro (watch the video below), 1 tablespoon cumin powder aka Geera (dry roasted ground), Anchar Masala (check your local Caribbean market), black pepper and salt. Give it a good mix and allow it to marinate for 5-10 minutes.

I used a non stick pan to help cut back on the amount of oil (use any oil you like using) used, though we still need 2 tablespoon to start. Toast the cumin seeds (oil is on a low/medium flame), then add the remaining cumin powder and stir well.

After 2-3 minutes, add the onion, scallions, Scotch Bonnet pepper , thyme, chili pepper (watch the video below to hear me explain why I cut the peppers as I did), in goes the parsley and cook for 4 minutes. At this point is where you’d add garlic if you were including it in the dish. Smashed!

Now add the seasoned liver to the pan, turn the heat to medium/high and stir well to coat the pieces of liver with that glorious Geera (cumin) base we made.

Cook for about 7 minutes, then taste and adjust the salt to your liking and you’re basically done at this point. As you turn off the stove, toss in the leaves of the cilantro (chopped) and enjoy! Traditionally Chadon Beni (culantro) would be used instead of the Cilantro

Remember to wash your hands with soap and water after handling hot peppers!

Yes, Geera is just another word for Cumin, I apologize for any confusion caused. This is a great side dish or as a snack (say cutters) to adult beverages, especially COLD beer! Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/

Meat & Poultry

Black-eyed Peas Cook-up Rice.

May 27, 2025June 7, 20224 Comments

Like Pelau, cook-up rice is another iconic comforting one-pot dish to come out of the Caribbean. And YES, as you move up and down the chain of islands, you’ll find variations of this dish. Our mom would do this dish with salted beef or pig’s tail, but you can do I as did and add a combination of your fav meats. I used canned coconut milk (convenience), however if you have access to freshly made coconut milk.. you’ll want to use that!

You’ll Need…

4-5 lbs chicken (cut into serving size pieces)
2 lbs salted pigtail (2 inch pieces)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
2 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 medium onion (diced)
5 cloves garlic (smashed)
1 scotch bonnet pepper
1 carrot (cut into rings)
2 cups diced pumpkin
3 scallions (chopped)
5 sprigs thyme | 1 Can Black Eyed Peas
1/2 teaspoon smoked pimenton (smoked paprika)
1-2 tablespoon tomato paste concentrate
2 cups coconut milk
2+1 cups water + 1 chicken stock cube (adjust if necessary)
2 1/2 cups long grain brown par-boiled rice
3-5 pimento peppers (sliced)
1 teaspoon grated ginger
8-12 taro (dasheen) leaves

Pre-boil the salted pig tails to make them a bit more tender and to remove most of the salt. (cover with water, bring to a boil. cook for 35 minutes, drain, rinse and cool)

Place the chicken (I used dark meat – leg and thigh) and the pig’s tail in a large bowl, then add the Caribbean Green Seasoning, salt and black pepper. Mix well and set it aside.

Get your big soup pot out as this will yield a lot of food (the remains can be frozen and reheated easily).. I went with a heavy iron pot. On a medium flame, add the olive oil (feel free to use coconut oil if you prefer), then onion, scallion, fresh thyme, garlic and scotch bonnet pepper. Remember to wash your hands with soap and water after handling such hot peppers. Use as much of that scotch bonnet as you can handle.

Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 3 minutes. Now add the tomato paste (non traditional) and smoked paprika and stir well (I explain why in the video below).

Heat up to medium now, then go in with the seasoned meats… the marinade too! Mix well to coat the pieces of meat with everything.

Five minutes later add the black eye peas (from a can, so I rinsed it first), pumpkin and carrot. Stir well. Then add the coconut milk and 2 cups water + chicken stock cube. Bring to a boil.

Allow it to cook on a rolling boil (reduce the heat) for about 15 minutes.

As this happens, prepare the taro leaves (use spinach if you cannot source dasheen (taro) leaves). Watch the video below to see how this is done.

Add the chopped dasheen leaves to the pot and give it a good mix. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the pimento peppers now, if you can source it and grate in the ginger. Cook for 5 minutes, then it’s time to add the rice.

Wash the rice, then into the pot. Turn the heat up, add the additional cup of water and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Adjust the water later if needed (add more).

Watch the video for my tip on getting this dish more creamy and additional ingredients you can add for a more spectacular cook-up rice.

25 minutes after adding the rice and you can now personalize things. Taste and adjust the salt to your liking, continue cooking if you want it more soft or turn off the stove as I did as I knew that the residual heat of this iron pot would finish off things for me.

I closed the pot, and allowed it to sit for 15 minutes before I went in for a feast!

Serve warm with sliced tomato, cucumber and a THICK slice of zabouca (avocado) and one must NOT forget the peppersauce. Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/

Meat & Poultry

Incredible Rib Pelau.

May 27, 2025March 22, 2022Leave a Comment

While I do make Stewed Ribs when baby-back goes on sale and have shared that recipe with you, this will be the first time I’m making/sharing a Pelau recipe with ribs as the cornerstone of the recipe. We’ve done Chicken Pelau, Vegan Pelau, Oxtail Pelau, Salted Pigtail Pelau, Beef Pelau, Curry Stewed Chicken Pelau, Curry Chicken Pelau and most recently, I did and amazing Seafood Pelau that blew people’s mind! However, this version using pork ribs (use beef if you wish) is truly one of my faves.. #ComfortFood

You’ll Need…

5 lbs pork ribs
1 lemon (juice)
1 tablespoon pepper sauce
2 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1-2 teaspoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Angostura bitters
1 tablespoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 medium onion (sliced)
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoon golden brown sugar
1 large carrot (cubed)
2-3 pimento peppers (sliced)
1 can red kidney beans (small)
2+1 cups water
2 cups vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
2 cups coconut milk
3 cups long grain par-boiled rice (washed)
1/2 lb spinach (washed)

Note! This Incredible Pork Rib Pelau recipe is inspired by my friend Chef Barry Bartholomew IG @cheffinbar.

Cut the ribs individually (you may remove the sliver skin on the underside first if you wish), then wash with cool water and the juice of the lemon and drain dry. Now it’s time to season the ribs and have them marinate for at least 2 hours.

Add the Caribbean Green Seasoning, salt, black pepper, onion, ginger, Worcestershire sauce, Angostura bitters and peppersauce (hot sauce). You may use fresh Scotch Bonnet or your fav pepper if you wish… I was out of them. Stir well and marinate.

Watch the video below to follow along with this step (as well as how to cut the rack of ribs into individual ribs) as it can be a bit tricky. NO, the sugar we’re about to use will NOT make this dish sweet.

Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pot. Add the brown sugar and using a dry spoon, stir the sugar. It will melt, go frothy, then amber. As soon as it goes DEEP amber in color (be gentle here) add the seasoned ribs to the pot. Should the sugar go black, STOP! Allow the pot to cool completely (move from the hot burner) and wash, dry and start over. Or you will have a bitter tasting dish.

This step is called “stewing/browning” and it’s one of the most important steps in preparing Pelau. BTW Pelau is basically a one pot dish, with a protein, pigeon peas (not today), coconut milk, herbs etc and rice. Made mostly in the Southern Caribbean and differs from island to island in the ingredients used. As you add the seasoned ribs to the pot, stir to have them coated in the ‘browning’.

Put the lid on the pot, turn the heat down to med/low and let it go for about 15 minutes. Try to stir every 4-5 mins. Yes it will sprout it’s own natural juices.

After the 15 minutes, remove the lid and crank up the heat to high. The goal here is to develop a rich flavor and deep color. Be mindful to stir and keep an eye on things so it doesn’t burn.

When you can see the oil we started with (some fat will render from the pork ribs too) at the bottom of the pot, it’s time to add the red beans (I used a small variety of red beans out of a can, which I washed – traditionally pigeon peas is use in making Pelau), carrot, Pimento peppers (aka seasoning peppers), vegetable stock, coconut milk and water. I added 2 cups of water here and later on I added the 3rd cup (more on that in the video below).

Bring this up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, lid on slightly ajar and allow it to cook for about 30 minutes or until the ribs starts getting tender.

Its then time to wash your rice (watch the video below where I comment about this) and add it to the pot. Bring back to a boil (you may need to raise the temp a bit), then reduce to a simmer.

After about 10 minutes I added the spinach and stirred it in. It was here I noticed I needed more liquid, so I added the 3rd cup of water. No spinach is not traditional to this dish, but as I mentioned in the video. It’s a great way to sneak vegetables etc into a dish for children and picky eaters.

The spinach will wit down so don’t stress about seeing it pile on. There are 2 things to pay attention to when it comes to Pelau. The color and the texture. Both are personalization based on the individual. Some like it a bit darker and this is achieved by the “browning or stewing” step at the start. The other key thing people focus on, is the texture. You’re Team Wet Pelau (meaning a bit soggy) or Team Dry Pelau, meaning there’s a look of steamed (grainy) rice at the end. I’ve recently converted to Team Wet Pealu, so I used a bit more than usual liquid, plus I stirred the rice quite a bit. By stirring, the rice grains rub on each other and release starch, giving the finished dish a more creamy (wet) texture.

After another 10 minutes or so, you’ll be done. Taste for salt and adjust accordingly. I like to turn the stove off, place the lid on and let it rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with a side of watercress, sliced cucumber, sliced tomato, coleslaw and/or a thick slice of Avocado (say zabouca). In my case I like mine with a side of Roasted Tomato Choka and/or Roasted Pepper Choka.

Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/