chris de la rosa

Not until my adult years have I started appreciating geera (aka cumin) and even today I use it in a handful of dishes. The lovely smokey flavors works well with the kick from the peppers in this dish and the fact that we’ll be using shrimp means you’ll be done in under 10 minutes. This recipe is based on the classic Caribbean recipe for Geera Pork, a hit when enjoying some adult beverages in bars (rum shops) across the Southern Caribbean.

You’ll Need…

1.5 lbs shrimp
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon veg oil
1 tablespoon Caribbean green seasoning
1 habanero pepper (sliced – include seeds)
5 wiri wiri pepper
3 pimento peppers (sliced – include seeds)
1.5 tablespoon geera (roasted cumin)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
3 cloves garlic (diced)
1 scallion (chopped)
1 teaspoon roasted geera (cumin) for the cooking part
2 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)

Important. This dish is supposed to be spicy, so remember to wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling the spicy peppers. Additionally, if doing this recipe gluten free, be sure to go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

Peel, devin and wash the shrimp (drain dry), then season with the salt, black pepper, olive oil, roasted geera and Caribbean Green Seasoning. Stir well and allow to marinate (if you have time) for an hour or so. In my case I cooked them immediately.

Place a wide heavy pan on a low flame, then go in with the veg oil. As it heats, add the cumin seeds, corriander, garlic, habanero pepper, scallion and pimento peppers (leave out if you can’t source them). Cook on a low flame for about 4 minutes. You may want to turn the fan over your stove on or at least open your kitchen window or risk having the habanero choke you as it cooks.

It’s now time to crank up the heat to med/high and add the seasoned shrimp. Stir well to coat with that lovely base of flavor we created. Be sure to use a wide pan as we need for the shrimp to not be crowded or they may want to boil.

The shrimp will cook quickly.. no need to over-cook. After about 4 minutes, you may take the heat off, add the Wiri Wiri peppers and chopped cilantro and give it a toss. Leave in the pan for another minute to allow the residual heat to brighten up the cilantro we added and warm through the Wiri Wiri peppers. Obviously.. do check for salt and adjust to your liking.

A quick and tasty dish you can rock in less than 10 minutes! You’re free to add a bit more Habanero (or scotch bonnet) peppers if you wish and I’d recommend eating this warm as the shrimp may go chewy if heated in a microwave later on. For an added punch of flavor you may go in with a squeeze of fresh lime juice as you turn off the heat.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Bitter Melon (Carilie) With Shrimp Stir-fry.

January 23, 2019January 23, 20192 Comments

This past summer I finally got around to growing bitter melon (Carilie) successfully.. and if you’ve been a fan for a while you’ll know that it’s one of those ingredients I’ve disliked from the time I entered this world. If you’re wondering why I grew them in my garden, I guess I have two reasons. I wanted to prove I could do so in a cold climate like Canada where our growing seasoning is short and I know how much my mom and dad loves Carilie.

You’ll Need…

3 bitter melons
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/3 lb shrimp (or more)
1 teaspoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
2-3 tablespoon veg oil (divided)
1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust)
pinch of black pepper
1-5 birds eye peppers
3 cloves garlic (smashed)
ginger (sliced thin)
2 -3 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Important! If doing this recipe gluten free please go through the full list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the curry powder you use as some may contain flour.

Peel, devin and wash the shrimp. Pat dry and season with the Caribbean Green Seasoning, curry powder and black pepper.

Heat a pan (I used a wok) on a medium flame and add 1/2 of the veg oil. Followed by the seasoned shrimp when the oil is hot. Stir for just over a minute then remove from the pan and set aside. We don’t want to overcook the shrimp.

With the flame now on low add the remaining oil, then go in with the bird’s eye peppers (give them a slice if you want to release some heat – see the video below). Cook on low for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and ginger. Stir well and cook for 30 seconds, so we don’t burn the garlic.

It’s now time to raise the heat to medium/low and add the prepped bitter melon. Basically you’ll trim off the ends, then cut it down the center length-wise. Then using a teaspoon you’ll scrape out the insides where there are the seeds etc and discard. Wash with cool water and slice into strips. (see the video below for the demo).

Add the pieces to the pan and give it a good stir to pick on the flavors already in the pan, followed by the salt and water.

The idea with the water is to help get the bitter melon tender. Cook on med/low for about 10 minutes or until tender. You can certainly adjust the cooking time if you want more crunchy or if you want it cooked softer. Taste for salt/adjust and if needed crank up the heat a bit if there’s still liquid at the bottom of the pan. The final thing you’ve got to do is add back the shrimp and brown sugar to the pan and cook for a minute, then you’re done.

Feel free to add a bit of chopped tomato if you’re concerned about the “bitterness” of the Carilie or you can do as I showed you all in a previous recipe – salt the Carilie after you slice them and allow to sit in the salt for about 30 minutes. Then squeeze and rinse off all the salt.

My dad is a diabetic and bitter melon is supposed to be a superfood for such illness. He also makes “tea” with the ‘bush’ (leaves/vines) of the plant. So with the abundance of both the vegetable and vines, he was in his own little word this summer, when they would come over on the weekends.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Gluten Free Vegan

Traditional Curry Pigeon Peas (fresh from the garden). #vegan

May 28, 2025December 18, 2018Leave a Comment

Last Spring I had the opportunity to be “home” in the Caribbean during Pigeon peas season and luckily I had my camera with me so I was able to document my mom and dad making curry pigeon peas, to share with you. This is traditional as it gets, so even though I’ve shared a similar recipe in the past I felt it was important to show you this version as well. This is what I grew up enjoying as a young fella on the islands.

You’ll Need…

5-6 cups shelled pigeon peas
3 1/2 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon amchar massala
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon roasted cumin (ground geera)
1 medium onion
5 cloves garlic (grated)
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper
1/2 cup water (for cooking curry)
4-5 cups boiling water
1 large tannia (2 potatoes will work)
1 teaspoon salt (adjust accordingly)
2 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
3 tablespoon veg oil

Important: If doing this recipe gluten free please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the Curry powder you use as some may contain flour as a filler/thickener.

Fresh off the trees, the pigeon peas were shelled by my dad.. something which was my chore along with my brother and sisters (I hated doing). Then washed with cool water and set aside for cooking. The sort of skin or shell the peas were in could be used for feeding cows, goats and pigs.

In a heavy pot on a medium/low heat add the veg oil, followed by the curry powder and cook for about 3-4 minutes. The curry will go dark and you’ll be able to smell the scent of all the spices which makes up the curry blend. Then add the water (1/2 cup) and cook off the ‘raw’ taste of the curry. After-which you may go in with the onion, garlic and scotch bonnet pepper. Stir well and cook for a couple minutes.

You may now go in with the Cumin, amchar masala, turmeric and Caribbean Green Seasoning and stir well. Cook another 2 minutes or so.

Peel and slice the tannia and add it to the pot and stir well to completely coat with the curry base we’ve created.

Turn up the heat to high and add the pigeon peas, along with the salt and stir well. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. It will spring it’s own natural liquid. At this point you will reduce the heat a bit and allow to cook for about 20 minutes.

After the 20 minutes uncover the pot and burn off any remaining liquid.. there shouldn’t be any/much. This step is to infuse the pigeon peas with that lovely curry flavor. Heat back on high, add the boiling water to the pot and bring to a boil.

Reduce to a rolling boil and cook until the peas are tender. This will take between 1 1/2 – 2 hours.

After an hour and half this was fully cooked in our case, so mom went in with her swizzle stick and gave it a working to crush some of the peas the thicken the gravy. You may use a potato masher if you don’t have a swizzle stick. You’re basically done at this point.

Taste for salt and adjust accordingly. And there you go, a traditional technique Pigeon peas straight out of my dad’s garden. Vegan, vegetarian and gluten free.. and TASTY!

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Seafood

The Ultimate Shrimp Cocktail.

May 28, 2025December 17, 2018Leave a Comment

While we’re lucky to have an abundance of fresh shrimp directly out of the Caribbean Sea and to our door in most cases, I don’t ever recall ever having Shrimp Cocktail growing up on the islands. However it’s a norm now when I go back back and hit the restaurant and bar scene during my travels across the region. Plump juice shrimp dipped in a thick cocktail sauce is definitely “my thing”. And I say my thing as this is not your ordinary ketchup + horseradish + Worcestershire… kinda sauce, as you’re about to learn.

You’ll Need…

1 tablespoon cilantro (chopped finely)
1 small avocado (cubed)
1 1/2 tomatoes (diced fine)
2 scallions (chopped fine)
1 clove garlic (crushed)
1 lemon (juice)
1/2 lime (juice)
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup tomato ketchup
1 shallot (diced fine)
3/4 cup cucumber (diced fine)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/3 cup celery (diced fine)
1 tablespoon horseradish (grated)
3 sprigs thyme (leaves chopped finely)

While it may take a bit more work chopping this manually with a knife, I’d recommend not using a food processor.. but that’s totally up to you. I say so as I like the different texture I get by spending the time to chop everything. Try to keep the tomato, celery, avocado and cucumber the same size. Go a bit finer with the scallions and shallot. And even finer if you can with the thyme and cilantro.

Grate the horseradish into a large bowl. If you cannot source fresh horseradish you may use the stuff in the bottle (it will be in the cooler section of your grocery store).

After this you’re basically adding all the other prepped ingredients to the bowl.

Add the lime and lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt and sugar. Yes the sugar is needed to help balance some of the acidity from the fresh tomato. Stir well and chill for an hour or so. I’d recommend tasting after it’s been chilled to see if you need some more salt to your liking.

For a quick fix, use the frozen (cooked) shrimp you can get at the grocery stores. Thaw, rinse with cool water and pat dry with paper towels. I used the shrimp whole (with the tails on) but you’re free to do things a bit different and give them a rough chop. Then mix into the cocktail sauce.

I used a bit of scotch bonnet pepper in the sauce for a needed kick, but this is totally optional. do remember to wash your hands with soap and water after handling such hot peppers. There are times I also serve these in shooter glasses as in the image below.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Gluten Free Sauces & Condiments Vegetarian

Fresh Pineapple Salsa Recipe.

May 28, 2025December 12, 20181 Comment

Most people tend to associate a freshly made Salsa with the summertime and hanging out in the back yard with friends, sipping cocktails (and beer) while patiently waiting for the stuff off the grill. However this holiday season there’s no reason to not make this quick and simple Pineapple Salsa to add a bit of the warm tropics to your party. I guess the same can be said for when it’s the height of winter and you’re engaged in supporting your favorite sporting team on television.

You’ll Need…

1 small ripe pineapple (abt 1 1/2 cups | ripe)
2 cups diced tomatoes (diced)
1/2 cup cilantro (chopped finely)
1 clove garlic
1 med red onion (diced)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 lime (juice)
1 jalapeno pepper (diced)

How To Peel & Trim A Pineapple << Click to watch the demo video!

When shopping for a pineapple please try to get one that’s not green in color (should be a mixture of green and yellow or all yellow). With no blemishes or rotting top leaves and there must a fragrant scent if you were to hold it up to your nose. Make sure it’s also firm.

This is so simple you really don’t need a recipe, plus it’s a shame more people don’t make their own but resort to paying those expensive prices the local grocery stores charge for the pre-made stuff. Crush the garlic, finely chop the cilantro and try to dice the other ingredients the same size. Yes it may take a little effort, but it’s worth it.

Place everything in a large bowl then go in with the salt, black pepper and lime juice and give it all a good stir. Adjust the salt if you find it a bit tart and you can certainly add a bit of finely diced habanero or scotch bonnet pepper if you want a more pronounced kick.

If you want you can substitute lemon juice for the lime juice or add a bit of both. Allow the salsa to marinate in the fridge for an hr or so before serving and give it a final toss before bringing it out to your guests. If you find that the pineapple is a bit tart you can add a teaspoon of brown sugar or honey to the mix.

If you wanted to add some diced mango to the salsa I’m sure your family and guests will approve.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Gluten Free Side Dishes Vegetarian

Outstanding Kale Salad.

May 27, 2025December 9, 2018Leave a Comment

Lately I’ve been doing a series on YouTube called #MeatFreeMondays and it’s been an overwhelming success with fans, though some of the recipes are not necessarily “Caribbean”. The following Kale Salad is one of those demos I shared a while back… which in my humble opinion is one of the best ways to put Kale to use. Kale can be somewhat tough, so by bruising the leaves it breaks down some of the fiber and makes it much more delicious. Especially with the quick vinaigrette we’ll dress it with.

You’ll Need…

1 bunch Kale (about 1 – 1 1/2 lbs)
1/2 small red Cabbage
1 avocado (cubed)
1 small shallot (diced fine)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 heaping teaspoon sugar (white)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 lemon

1 cup nuts (mixed)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon curry powder

Important! If doing this recipe Gluten Free please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet your specific Gluten Free dietary requirements.

Trim the Kale (remove the tough ribs and discard), then rip into bite-sized pieces and wash well with cool water.

Cut the cabbage into strips and add to the Kale.

In a bowl whisk the shallot, salt, black pepper, lemon juice, vinegar and sugar together. Then pour over the cabbage/kale combo. If you wanted to add some dried pepper flakes or some freshly diced Birds Eye pepper to the dressing, feel free to do so.

Mix well, then go in with your hands and be rough – squeeze the kale and cabbage as to bruise the leaves. Try you best to really break down the Kale so it’s easier to enjoy in the salad.

Heat the olive oil in a wide pan (or a dry pan if you wish) on low heat and toast the nuts to warm them through and to help bring out a bit of the ‘nutty’ flavor in them. Toss in the curry powder (optional) and cook for a few minutes. I used a variety of nuts, but you can stick to one of your faves. Now top the salad with the diced avocado and nuts… dig in.

In under ten minutes you’ll be enjoying one of the best kale salads you’ve ever had- guaranteed! But be sure to be rough with the kale leaves when you work in the dressing or you’ll find it a bit chewy.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2