After posting the recipe video for this on the Cooking Channel, I got an email from a viewer saying “that’s nothing but saltfish buljol”. Let’s look at this comment for a brief minute before we get to the actual recipe. NO Absolutely NOT! Yes, there are ingredients in this recipe which may mimic our beloved saltifsh buljol, but when I think buljol I want the key ingredient or ‘star’ of the show to be salted fish. In a good saltfish buljol the salad itself is built around the salted fish, as you want that to shine through. In my recipe below you’ll notice that the salted fish is simply used for additional texture and flavor.

You’ll Need…

3 medium sized cucumbers
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 birds eye peppers
1/4 cup sliced red onions
2 cups cherry tomatoes (or any tomato you have)
1/2 cup prepared salted cod
pinch fresh ground black pepper

Remember to go through the entire list of ingredients if doing this recipe according to a gluten free diet.

To learn how to prepare salted fish (like salted cod) for use, watch this video: How To Prepare Saltfish.

This is so easy you’ll wonder why you’ve never made this before. Basically all you have to do is wash, peel and chop the vegetables. Then assemble in a bowl, top with the olive oil and lemon juice and toss. You’ll notice that I didn’t use any salt as the residual salt from teh saltfish will be enough to balance things.

Tips.

1. If you’re concerned about the raw heat of the peppers, do not use as much as I did and try not to use any seeds. This is where most of that heat resides.

2. To make this vegetarian leave out the salted fish, but remember to add some sea salt (according to your taste).

3. Can be made a couple hours in advance if you’re having guests over and need time to focus on other dishes.

Fresh ingredients from my garden… can’t tell you how much I loved this salad, especially since it was the reward for my work earlier in the spring. This salad has that true Caribbean vibe and is enough for about 6 people as a starter.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Side Dishes

Grilled Corn Salad With A Spicy Cheddar Dressing.

May 27, 2025July 19, 20134 Comments

No joke.. I disliked roast (grilled) corn as a boy on the islands and even today it’s not something I automatically prepare when sweet corn is in season here in Ontario. I absolutely hate the kernels getting stuck between my teeth! However, you can feed me boiled corn (naked.. no butter or salt) everyday and I’ll be happy. The joy of those sweet kernels popping as you bite down on the cob takes me back to days when my brother and I would countdown the days to harvest. Back then it was common for people (who lived in the country-side) to have a plot of land where they planted a lot of the vegetables they ate. We always had corn, pigeon peas, cassava, scotch bonnet peppers, eggplant, okra, pumpkin, eddoes.. well you see where I’m going with this list.

Though it wasn’t the tender sweet corn as you get in North America, we always got to the corns before they got overly mature so we could have sweet and tender corn on the cob when boiled.

You’ll Need…

Dressing

1/2 cup cheddar (grated)
1/4 olive oil
3 table spoon lime juice
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
2 garlic cloves
pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

…….
6 corn (sweet corn)
1/2 tablespoon olive oil (brush corn before grilling)
2 bell peppers (I used red and orange for added contrast)
2 scallions

Brush the corn with olive oil or any oil you like using and place then on a hot grill (I did mine on charcoal). There’s no need to brush the bell peppers with any oil as we want them to char to the point where the outer skin will be easy to remove. By grilling both the corn and peppers they will become even more sweet and take on a lovely overall flavor. Remember to rotate them as they grill and be prepared to hear the corn popping as they cook.

As they grill, lets prepare the zesty cheddar dressing. You’ll need a blender or a magic bullet as I did. Grate the cheese and finely chop the scotch bonnet pepper before adding to the blender. Remember to wear gloves when handling such peppers and do remember to wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling. Place all the ingredients into the blender and puree to a somewhat smooth and creamy consistency.

Immediately after you remove the peppers off the grill, I would recommend placing them on a dish and wrapping the dish in plastic wrap. The residual heat will cause them to steam and make removing the charred skin easy to remove.

TIP! To prevent the corn kernels from scattering on your counter when you remove them off the cob, I like placing an inverted (small) bowl inside a larger bowl. So I can stand the corn up on the small bowl and as I cut the kernels off, they will fall into the large bowl.

Time to prep the peppers… using your hands, a knife or paper towels, gently scrape the charred skin off the peppers. Then cut open, remove the stems and seeds (discard). Now cut into 1/4 inch pieces and add to the bowl with the corn. Chop the scallions and also add them to the bowl.

Top with the dressing (remember to stir the dressing if its been sitting around for long) and give everything a good toss. Serve immediately (love it warm) or store in the fridge. Remember there’s cheese in the dressing, so be sure to keep it out of the sun (if serving outdoors).

If you have a weakness for roast corn and cheese like our dad you’ll love this dish and it’s the only way I would now eat roast (grilled) corn. As we progress through July’s month of grilling, be prepared for even more exciting dishes straight off the grill!

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Gluten Free Side Dishes Vegetarian

How To Make Haitian Pikliz (Picklese)

May 28, 2025June 23, 201346 Comments

The Caribbean is flooded with pepper sauces and condiments of all kinds as it’s simply part of our culinary culture. The textures, heat level, ingredients, ways of preserving and overall vibrancy of them all are unique to the maker and individual island. In Trinidad and Tobago you’ll find a lot of chutneys and amchars, while in Barbados you’ll hear the locals boast about their peppersauce. As someone who consider myself an aficionado of anything hot and spicy, it must be said that Haitian Pikliz is at the top of my list when it comes to spicy condiments.

The slight crunch of the vegetables, the heat from the thinly sliced scotch bonnet peppers and the flavors the vinegar (takes on) which is use to bring it all together is just outstanding (after marinating for about a week or so).

This recipe is dedicated to the beautiful people of Haiti.

You’ll Need…

2 cups shredded cabbage
1 large carrot
1 cup bell pepper (green, orange, red)
1 onion
2 scallions
6 scotch bonnet peppers
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
12-14 peppercorns
2 cups vinegar (see note)
1/2 lime juice

* 4 cloves (traditionally used)

Note: Add enough vinegar to cover the ingredients in the storage container. Allow to marinate for about 5 days before use. I was out of cloves, but it’s a traditional ingredient used in making this lovely pickle, so I would recommend using.

This is a very simple recipe to put together as it involves a couple steps and some patience (to marinate). Start off by slicing the cabbage very thinly, same for the all the other ingredients. You may be tempted to use a food processor, but I would suggest you don’t. The food processor may overwork the vegetables and you won’t get that unique size/shape pikliz is supposed to have. Grate the carrot and diced the garlic very fine.

Place all the sliced ingredient sin a large bowl .. large enough so you can easily mix everything easily without spilling all over the place. Also mix in the salt, pepper corns and cloves.

Get a fairly large glass bottle and pack in everything, then all you have to do is top with the vinegar, cover and set aside to marinate. You can certainly begin using right away, but if you give it about five days to marinate and really take on the flavors of everything you’ll be rewarded with the best pikliz you’ve ever had.

Since we used vinegar as the base, it will act as a preservative so you don’t have to worry about it going bad if you don’t store it in the fridge. However, if you do store it in the fridge it can last months. But be aware that some the heat will be lost the longer it stays in the fridge. Now if only I had some Griot to accompany this Pikliz!

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Side Dishes Vegetarian

Crispy Golden Cassava (yuca, manioc) Fries.

May 28, 2025April 6, 20139 Comments

I love ground provisions (yam, dasheen, sweet potato, cassava, eddoes, etc) with a passion, so I’m always looking for new ways to include them on my plate. Fresh cut fries (potato) is a huge hit in our home, especially the way I get then super crispy on the outside and warm and creamy on the inside. So the goal of this recipe is to achieve the same result, except we’ll be using cassava.

You’ll Need…

2 lbs cassava
pinch sea salt
3 cups vegetable oil for frying

Using a sharp pairing knife of potato peeler, peel the tough exterior off the cassava. Then cut down the middle (length wise) to reveal a sort of core (fibrous) line down the center. Remove that and discard. Now cut as you would normally cut potatoes for fries. Try to keep it a bit thick.

Give the cut cassava a quick wash and set aside. Now bring a pot with water to a boil, then place the cassava pieces so they boil for about 10 minutes. After-which you need to drain them and place on paper towels to dry off all the moisture.

Heat your vegetable oil on a medium/high heat, then gently (make sure they are completely dry) add the now pre-cooked cassava pieces. It should not take more that a few minutes to go a lovely golden brown. Do in batches so you don’t crowd the pan and remember to have some paper towels on hand to drain them after they’ve been fried. Sprinkle with the sea salt as they come out of the hot oil. Serve warm!

We usually have ours with garlic sauce, but ketchup is just as good! If you’re a fan of ground provisions and fresh cut fries you’ll love this, but keep in mind that for some reason they are more filling than typical potato fries.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. Oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Seafood Side Dishes Vegetarian

Shrimp, Avocado and Mango Salad.

May 27, 2025January 10, 201310 Comments

In the Caribbean we’re notorious for having heavy meals, not as if I’m complaining but there are times when a salad is the order of the day. Using ingredients which are important in the culinary landscape of the islands, you’ll find this salad very simple to put together and amazed by it’s unique flavors.

As a kid growing up on the islands we had several avocado (aka pear or zabouca) tress surrounding our house, so I grew up having a strong appreciation for this wonderful fruit. This will explain why you’ll see it used in so many different recipes I share.

You’ll Need…

3/4 lb shrimp (cooked)
1 avocado
1 mango
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 medium red onion
1 cup grape tomatoes (optional)
1 grapefruit

Dressing

3 tablespoon orange juice
1 chilli pepper chopped fine
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon grated ginger

Notes: I used pre-packaged shrimp which were already cleaned and cooked (steamed). Check the frozen section of your grocery store. With the mango you need one which is not fully ripe (half ripe as we say in the Caribbean) as you need it to hold it’s shape and not fall apart when mixed with the other ingredients. Don’t cut or peel the avocado until you’re almost done assembling the salad and ready to gently toss with the dressing or it will go discolored.

Peel, wash and dice the mango. Remember there will be a hard seed in the center of the mango.

Peel and cut the grapefruit into segments. Do so but cutting off the top (stem) and bottom of the grapefruit (so it sits stable on your cutting board). Then using a sharp knife, with a sort of sawing motion, cut and discard the skin. Go deep enough to expose the flesh of the grapefruit. You will now have a ball shape with exposed juicy grapefruit. Cut the segments and gently handle them.

Wash and chop the cilantro, then slice the onion very thin and get ready to assemble everything. As I mentioned above I used frozen pre-cooked shrimp so I allowed them to thaw, then rinsed and pat dry with paper towels.

Let’s now make the dressing we’ll be using. Chop the chilli pepper (remove the seeds if you’re concerned about the raw heat) and add everything to a bowl and give it a good whisk.

Put all the ingredients (not the dressing or avocado) in a large bowl and season with the salt and black pepper. If you don’t have grape tomatoes, you can use a regular tomato, but do remove the seeds.

Add the dressing, give it a mix, then add the diced avocado. Try to be gentle from this point on as we don’t want to make the ripe avocado into a mush. Gently fold so everything gets coated in the wonderful dressing.

You’ll love the creaminess of the avocado, the wonderful fruitiness of the mango, the exciting flavors of the dressing and the shrimp will set this off! What I especially like is the ‘pop’ you get when you burst into one of the plump grape tomatoes. If you want you can chill this before adding the dressing as it will not keep after you add the dressing. There’s enough here for 5 people as a starter or 3 people as a main course for lunch. BTW..watch for the little kick from the chilli pepper we used.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Side Dishes

Potato Salad.

May 27, 2025June 30, 201219 Comments

Absolutely nothing says summer, picnic and BBQ like a creamy potato salad. There are so many variations of making potato salad that it can be a bit confusing if you’re looking for a good recipe to follow. I’ll be honest and say from the start that I’m NOT a fan of potato salad and I never paid much attention to when our mom would make this as part of our huge Sunday lunch on the islands. However, your ‘boi’ have real skills, so you know the little I remember, combined with my creative side… I’ve come up with a wonderful potato salad to share with you.

You’ll Need…

6 large Potato (I like Yukon Gold)
1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 can peas and carrots
1 1/2 cups mayo
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1 small red onion diced (1/3 cup)
1/2 cup celery
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard powder
4 sweet gherkins
5 eggs (hard boiled)

* optional- chopped dill and or seasoning peppers (pimento)

Notes: The prep time is the main time consumer in making this potato salad, since we’ve got to cool things down in the fridge before assembling. Also remember that since there’s mayo in this recipe, try and keep it cool if you’re transporting it to a party, beach or picnic.

Let’s start by getting the hard boiled eggs ready. This tip here will guarantee that you have perfectly boiled eggs every time. Place 5 eggs in a deep pan, pour in cool water and bring to a boil. As soon as you start seeing bubbles along the edges of the pan, turn off the heat and cover the pot. Let that remain as it is for 17 minutes (try to be precise). after 17 minutes, pour out that water, add cold water to stop the cooking process.. then pour that out and add cool water. After a minute the now fully cooked eggs should be cool enough to handle (peel). Try it and let me know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Next up it’s time to peel, wash and cube the potato. I love using Yukon Gold potatoes, but you’re free to use whatever kind you like. I tried to cube the potato into 3/4 inch pieces and make sure to not over-cook them or they will not hold it’s shape when we assemble it all. It’s normal to have them break apart a bit, but we still need to have some texture. After they’re cooked (8-12 minutes), drain well and set in a bowl.. place in the fridge to cool down.

When dicing the celery stalk, run the knife down the middle of the stalk a few time (lengthwise), then chop into a fine dice. the idea is to have a little texture and not huge pieces of the celery. The same can be said about the gherkins and red onion – fine dice is key here.

In a small bowl place the black pepper, salt, mustard powder (use prepared mustard if you have that), mayo, vinegar and chopped gherkins, then give it a good whisk to combine everything. Place that in the fridge to cool down as well.

Your eggs should be cool and peeled by now. All you have to do here is decide how large the pieces of eggs should be in your potato salad and begin chopping. Place that in a bowl and chill as well.

Time to assemble everything. In a large bowl place the cooked cubed potato, add the eggs, chopped celery, onion, peas and carrots (be sure to drain and rinse under cool water and drain) and 1/2 of the paprika. Now add the creamy base we created earlier in heaping spoonfuls to make it easier to blend in.

Start with a sort of folding action and start combining everything. Try to your best to incorporate everything.. taste for salt and pepper and adjust accordingly. Empty into your serving container and top with the remaining paprika.. adds a nice touch! Remember if you want you can add some chopped dill and pimento peppers to give this potato salad an added kick.

This is one of those (rare) recipes where you won’t see me use scotch bonnet peppers or anything with real raw heat, however the paprika will give it a nice smokey flavor and the gherkins will give it that sort of pickled punch.. trust meh! You’ll love it. Remember to keep cool or it can go bad very fast in the summer’s heat.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Side Dishes

A Classic Caribbean Summer Salad From My Garden.

Grilled Corn Salad With A Spicy Cheddar Dressing.

How To Make Haitian Pikliz (Picklese)

Recipe Card

Haitian Pikliz (Picklese)

Description

Ingredients

Instructions

Crispy Golden Cassava (yuca, manioc) Fries.

Shrimp, Avocado and Mango Salad.

Potato Salad.

Hi, I'm Chris.

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