gluten free

In the Caribbean we find (delicious) ways to use just about every part of the animal (and bird).. dishes you must try before passing judgement. Souse is traditionally made with pig trotters, ears and snouts when I was growing up on the islands. However, chicken feet are also used, especially by people who don’t dine with the swine! Souse is basically a spicy pickle, served cool (for the most part) with herbal and citrus notes, along with the kick of Caribbean Sunshine – scotch bonnet peppers.

You’ll find variations of this chicken foot souse recipe as you make your way up and down the island chain, so please use this as a beginners guide and don’t be afraid to personalize it a bit with your signature touch.

You’ll Need…

1 lb chicken feet (cleaned and trimmed)
1 scotch bonnet pepper
2 cloves garlic
water for boiling the chicken feet
3-5 cups of water for the souse
2 tablespoon shado beni (or cilantro)
1 scallion
1/2 large onion sliced thin
juice of 1 lime
lemon slices
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch black pepper
1 medium cucumber

Notes: Remember to wear gloves and to wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling scotch bonnet (or an HOT) peppers. If you don’t want the raw heat, do not use the seeds of the pepper. I used Shado Beni (culantro), but you can use cilantro if you cannot source it. Remember to give the ingredient list a once-over if doing this gluten free to ensure they all meet with your gluten free dietary needs.

Hopefully your butcher will clean and trim the chicken feet for you. In my case I had to trim off the sort of toe nails off the feet, then wash and place in a deep pot with water. Bring to a boil, add the salt and let them cook on a rolling boil until tender (about 40 minutes). If you see any sort of residue on the surface of the water, skim off and discard.

As they cook, you can use this time to prep the other ingredients. Thinly slice the onion, scotch bonnet pepper, shado beni, cucumber, lemon, scallion and finely dice (or crush) the garlic.

Drain and rinse the cooked chicken feet, then place then in a deep bowl.

Top with the sliced ingredients, go in with the black pepper, water and lime juice and mix well.

For best results mix well, cover and let it chill in the fridge for a couple hours. All the flavors will start working to combine for a spectacular dish – served as you would soup.

If you want you can place the garlic, scotch bonnet pepper and shado beni in a food processor with a little water and blend until smooth.. that’s how you’ll find it when you purchase from vendors outside bars and night clubs. However I much prefer getting little bits of the fresh herbs and seasonings.

Caribbean Orange Pineapple Salad.

May 27, 2025June 6, 20141 Comment

If you’re familiar with what we call ‘chow’ in the southern Caribbean, you’ll see the same basic principles used in this recipe. “Chow’ is basically a sort of spicy pickle, usually made from a tart fruit like mango, plum, pineapple and when these fruits are not in season cucumber can also be used. It’s supposed to have herbal, garlic and hot pepper elements to really appeal to the taste buds.

In this recipe we’ll focus on two main ingredient.. sliced oranges and diced pineapple chunks!

You’ll Need…

4 oranges
1 cup cubed pineapple
pinch sea salt
pinch black pepper
1 clove garlic (crushed)
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper

* If you’re using canned pineapple, fell free to toss in about 2 tablespoon of the juice it’s packed in. The more this marinates, the stronger the flavors will be. Remember to always go through the list of ingredients if making this gluten free to ensure it meets with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

Peel the oranges and slice them into 1/4 inch slices… I used seedless oranges so be mindful of the seeds if your oranges contain seeds. You can use any of your favorite citrus if you want to be a bit creative.

In my case I used fresh pineapple as I try to keep away from canned foods as much as I can. The sodium and preservatives that’s usually added is something I know my body just does not need.. plus fresh pineapples are readily available and relatively cheap. Peel, remove the core and dice into small pieces- see my note above about using canned pineapple.

Crush the garlic, and finely chop the cilantro (in the Caribbean we’d use shado beni aka Culantro) and scotch bonnet pepper.

It’s now time to assemble everything.. place in a deep bowl and combine all the ingredients. Remember to wear gloves when handling scotch bonnet peppers, wash your hands immediately after with soap and water and do not use any of the seeds if you’re concerned about the raw heat. I like using fresh ground black pepper and sea salt, but use what you have.. no need to go out and buy sea salt.

Allow everything to marinate in the fridge for an hour or so for best results.. you can also add some diced cucumber and drizzle on a little honey to balance off the heat if it’s a concern of yours. Do I need a dressing for this? Nah.. this is a wicked salad all on it’s own.

Gluten Free Seafood

Simple Oven Jerk Fish Recipe.

November 8, 2014April 14, 20149 Comments

With Easter around the corner I’ve had several requests for fish recipes, so I thought I’d share a simple technique for making Jamaican style jerk snapper (fish), but with store bought jerk marinade and in your oven. I agree that making your own jerk marinade is much better and using a grill with coals and pimento wood is what true Jamaican jerk is all about. However this is all about convenience and exciting flavors.

You’ll Need…

2-4 lbs Red Snapper
1/2 lime or lemon (for washing the fish)
1 heaping tablespoon of jerk marinade (use gluten free for the gluten free version)
1 tablespoon orange juice
pinch salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon veg oil

* Use your favorite store purchased jerk marinade.

Scale, trim (gut) and wash the fish with the juice of 1/2 lime or lemon.. rinse with cool water and pat dry. Cut two slits on the back (both sides) of each fish to allow for the jerk marinade to penetrate and do all-kinda good things. Stuff the cavity of each fish with a bit of thyme and scallions (bruise or crush with your knife to release the flavors) and sprinkle a bit of salt and black pepper.

In a small bowl mix the jerk marinade (use your fav) and orange juice, then brush it onto both sides of each fish. Try to get some in the cuts we made. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate in the fridge for about 1/2 hour (max 1 hr as the marinade will start to cook the fish after that).

Now preheat your oven to 400 F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Drizzle on the veg oil so the fish won’t stick as it does it’s thing in the oven. Set the baking tray on the middle rack in your oven and let it go for about 15 minutes. Then flip over and cook for another 8-10 minutes. This depends on how thick your fish are and how well done you like your fish.

There you go, a simple but exciting jerk fish done in your oven.. no need for an outdoor grill. Remember if you’re serving this to kids be mindful of the bones of the fish. If you decide to use fish fillets, try to get some with the skin still on and reduce the cooking time (again, depending on the thickness of the fillets) by about 1/2.

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! Important, do read the label of the jerk marinade you use to ensure it meets with your gluten free dietary needs.

Gluten Free Seafood

Coconut Curry Mussels Done The Caribbean Way.

November 24, 2014March 18, 20144 Comments

Very much like the ‘Curry Lobster” recipe I shared a while back, Mussels is not something you’ll find normally being prepared in the Caribbean, unless it’s at one of the many high end restaurants we have catering to a mainly tourist clientele. This curry mussels recipe is basically my take on a shellfish which is readily available in Canada.. where we presently call home. I’m sure you’ve heard of PEI mussels!

You’ll Need

2 lbs mussels
1 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoon curry powder (use gluten free)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 Shallot (minced)
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper
1 large tomato diced
3 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 scallion
1 cup beer – optional
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
2 tablespoon olive oil

Note: I like using a good Caribbean lager beer… like Carib! But you can use any beer you enjoy. I used my fav madras curry blend out of the Caribbean, but you can certainly use whichever curry you enjoy. If doing this recipe gluten free, do ensure that the curry powder has no flour filler to meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

Mussel Tip! Their shells should be tightly closed when you buy them, or they should close when you tap them. They will open their shells to try and cool themselves off as they cook, so no open shells at the end of cooking means they were dead to start, and probably not safe to eat.

See the tip above for selecting your mussels. Wash under cool water, remove any debris or strings attached to the mussels and get ready to cook. Dice the tomato, scallion, garlic and shallot. Remember to wear gloves when handling the scotch bonnet peppers, wash your hands immediately after with soap and water and don’t include any of the seeds of the pepper.

In a wide saucepan heat the oil on a medium flame, then add the shallot and garlic. As we’ve done in other curry recipes, turn the heat down to low to help gently cook the garlic and shallot for that exciting base of flavor.

After about 3-4 minutes, go in with the curry powder (low heat still) and cook for another 3 minutes. This will toast the curry to really bring out the flavors of the spices which make up the curry blend. Then add the diced scallion, turn up the heat to high and go in with the mussels.

Top with the finely diced scotch bonnet pepper, coconut milk, salt, tomato, black pepper and beer (stir well). Bring to a quick boil and cook for about 4-5 minutes (until the mussels open).

I like to finish this off with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (not mentioned in the ingredient list as it’s a personal choice) and top with the chopped cilantro. The sauce will be thin compared to other curry dishes we’ve prepared before, so don’t think it’s soupy and a mistake. Get some good bread and tuck in for real flavor.

The sauce will be thin compared to other curry dishes we’ve prepared before, so don’t think it’s soupy and a mistake. Get some good bread and tuck in for real flavor.

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 Meat & Poultry

The Ultimate Curry Turkey Necks Recipe.

May 27, 2025February 23, 201412 Comments

One thing you’ll quickly notice about the cuisine of the Caribbean is that we ‘doh waste”. This usually means that things like necks, backs, feet.. even pigs ears, trotters and snouts are used to perfection in many of the dishes throughout the region. We never had turkey necks (or turkey as a matter of fact) when we were growing up, as it wasn’t a common poultry on the islands back in those days. How times have changed!

The bony texture of the turkey necks allows for a delicious curry and if you’re not squeamish, it will be one of the best curry dishes you ever enjoy. If you’re daring kick up the heat level as I find that a spicy curry takes on a whole new dimension.

You’ll Need…

3 lbs turkey necks

Marinade…

1 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon curry powder (for marinating the turkey)
2 scallions (green onions)
1 tomato (diced)
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (or to your liking)
1 teaspoon ketchup

Cooking…

2 tablespoon veg oil
1 onion (diced)
4 cloves garlic (diced)
1 1/2 tablespoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon grated ginger
3 cups water
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro – garnish at the end.

IMPORTANT! If doing this recipe gluten free, do ensure that the curry powder has no flour filler to meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

Wash, drain and marinate the turkey necks with the ingredients mentioned in the marinade list above. Overnight in the fridge will be best, but if you’re in a rush try to get about 2 hours.

Heat the oil on a medium flame then add the garlic and onion… reduce the heat to low and let it cook for about 3 minutes. Just to soften up and helps with a lovely flavor base. Then toss in the curry powder (heat still on low) and cook for another 2-4 minutes. This will toast the spices in the curry powder and help them bloom… plus it will cook the curry so you don’t get a raw curry taste at the end.

The curry will go darker in color and take on a grainy texture… then start clumping together. Turn up the heat to high and start adding the seasoned turkey necks to the pot. It’s ok if the marinade gets it there and try to deglaze the pot so we get all that lovely curry goodness from the bottom of the pot. After the necks take on a bit of color (about 2-3 minutes) reduce the heat to low, place the lid on the pot and cook for about 10 minutes. It will spring it’s own natural juices.

Then remove the lid, turn up the heat and grate in the ginger. This step is to do two things, burn off all the liquid and in the process give the dish a rich color and infuse it with massive curry flavor (stir). Pour the 3 cups of water into the same container you had the necks marinating in and swish it around to pick up any remaining marinade.

With all the liquid in the pot burnt off, add in the water and bring to a boil.

You’ll need some patience now.. turn the heat down to low and let it simmer (braise) for about 2 hours. The idea is to have very tender turkey necks when it’s all done.

* If you’d like you can certainly use a pressure cooker to cut back the cooking time for this dish by at least 1.5 hrs or if you want low and slow, a slow cooker will work as well. The first few steps must be done first though (cook curry powder, add seasoned turkey and then burn off initial liquid.. this will give you that rich curry flavor we expect from a good curry).

After a couple hrs you can now test for salt and adjust accordingly, if the gravy is thin you can turn up the heat and thicken it a bit more (or burn off all if you want a more infused curry) and top with some chopped cilantro or culantro (shado beni).

Treat this curry turkey necks as you would any curry meat dish.. goes well with rice, roti, ground provisions, flour dumplings and even bread! 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

A Refreshing Mango Strawberry Salad.

May 27, 2025February 14, 20146 Comments

I was doing a chef’s table a few months back and I wanted to include a tropical salad in the mix, so Caron suggested I do a take on ‘mango chow’ and hinted that I should add a “Canadian’ element by using some sliced strawberries in the mix. It was such a hit with the 30 + people in attendance that I’ve now made it several times.

This is an excellent salad when you’re looking for something light and refreshing… but with a slight kick from the bird’s eye pepper and fresh garlic.

You’ll Need…

2 mangoes (ripe but firm)
2 cups strawberry
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 birds eye pepper (deseed and chop fine)
black pepper (optional)
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (any salt you like)
2 cloves garlic
1/2 medium red onion

Note: If you don’t have bird’s eye pepper you can use a 1/4 of a scotch bonnet or habanero pepper and a few drops of pepper sauce (hot sauce) is also a excellent alternative. If you’re concerned about the heat you can omit the ‘pepper’ from the recipe.

Prep the fruit. Wash, peel and cube the mango. Trim (remove the stems) off the strawberries, wash, pat dry and slice into 1/4 inch pieces. Deseed the bird’s eye pepper and chop finely and remember to wash your hands with soap and water immediately handling the peppers. Then it’s just a matter slicing the red onion very thin and dicing the garlic.

All you have to do now now is assemble everything thing in a large bowl and top with the salt, black pepper, lemon (or lime) juice and toss in the chopped cilantro.

You can serve this immediately, but I find that if you leave it to marinate for about 30 minutes in the fridge (cover with plastic wrap) the flavors are more pronounced. Do remember to give it a final toss before serving. You can add your favorite (firm) fruit to the mix and cubed cucumber or pineapple works great in this salad as well.

My Trinbagonian friends will be looking at this recipe and say “lawd.. Chris fooling people with chow”. True That! But to a global audience this is a great introduction to our beloved chow (a very spicy fruit pickle which blends sour or tart flavors with herbs, citrus and heat from scotch bonnet peppers).

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.

How To Make Caribbean Chicken Foot Souse.

Caribbean Orange Pineapple Salad.

Simple Oven Jerk Fish Recipe.

Coconut Curry Mussels Done The Caribbean Way.

The Ultimate Curry Turkey Necks Recipe.

A Refreshing Mango Strawberry Salad.

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