Homemade Caribbean Green Seasoning
This Caribbean Green Seasoning is a perfect, flavorful mixture of aromatics, spices, fresh herbs, and more. It’s a simple paste-like seasoning/puree that is a staple among Caribbean cuisine to use in a variety of cooking applications. Use this green seasoning to marinate meats, add flavor to stews or when cooking up rice, and everything in between for a boosted, powerhouse of flavor-loaded flair!
Across the diaspora, there are significant staples that show up frequently in cultures. Green seasoning is one of them as it relates to Caribbean cuisine. A heaping bit of it is added to stews, braised dishes, a pot of rice, and so much more. This sauce is an icon, and quite a few cultures have their version of this famous seasoning. I’m thrilled to finally get this recipe up on the site for you!
Caribbean Green Seasoning 🌿
This is a fresh seasoning blend full of herbs, aromatics, spices, and more. It’s earthy, warm, zesty, a little spicy, and full of richness. In Caribbean culture, we add it to stews, marinate meats, blend it into a pot of rice, and anything else that needs a flavor boost.
Green seasoning around the world → We call it green seasoning…Puerto Ricans call it sofrito, Haitian’s call theirs epis, and many other regions and cultures have some version of this green seasoning blend. Growing up, there was always a jar of this green goodness somewhere in the fridge 😌.
Fresh Ground Spices
Whole coriander and allspice (pimento) berries add a ton of depth and warmth. Listen, one thing Caribbean folk love is some allspice and coriander baby, ha.
By grinding them via a mortar and pestle or one of these grinders, you’re unlocking MEGA fresh + potent flavor because it’s not pre-ground like typical spices in jars. Trust when I say that it makes a difference!
How To Make Green Seasoning:
(Note: please see the recipe card directly below for the complete written instructions.)
This homemade green sauce couldn’t be easier…
- First, ground the spices.
- Next, give all of the ingredients a rough chop.
- Add everything into a food processor or blender and blitz away!
How To Use This Seasoning:
- Use it to marinate pork, chicken, beef. Add a little of this green seasoning to your marinade batch with whatever protein your heart desires.
- We recommend a touch of this in an array of Latin/Caribbean-forward dishes like oxtail stew, brown stew chicken, and also arroz con gandules, picadillo, or pernil…& much more, y’all!
How To Store Your Green Seasoning:
- Refrigerator: Transfer the mixture into a mason jar or deli container fitted with an airtight lid. This green seasoning will keep for up to 2 weeks stored in the refrigerator.
- To freeze: Transfer the seasoning into ice cube trays (with a covering for freshness), and it will keep for a few months in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge before using or incorporate a cube or two into dishes while frozen.
With a batch of this Green Seasoning, you have a powerhouse of bold flavor to add to many recipes, it’s so unique. Be sure to tag @butterbeready in your BBR recipe creations, I sure love to see it when you do. Until next time! 🤟🏾
Love Caribbean eats, check out:
- Coconut Curry Salmon
- Jamaican Beef Patties
- Cornmeal Porridge
- Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken Tacos
- Caribbean Rum Cake
- Red Peas Soup
Homemade Caribbean Green Seasoning
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Sauces
- Cuisine: Caribbean
Description
This Caribbean Green Seasoning is a perfect, flavorful mixture of aromatics, spices, fresh herbs, and more. It’s a simple paste-like seasoning/puree that is a staple among Caribbean cuisine to use in a variety of cooking applications. Use this green seasoning to marinate meats, add flavor to stews or when cooking up rice, and everything in between for a boosted, powerhouse of flavor-loaded flair!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon whole allspice (pimento) berries
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- 3 celery hearts
- 1 bunch fresh parsley- (about 1 heaping cup, packed)
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro- (about 1 heaping cup, packed)
- 8 scallions
- 10 cloves of garlic
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper (or habanero pepper)
- 8 sprigs fresh thyme, de-stemmed
- 1 knob fresh ginger, peeled
- ½ medium yellow onion
- ¼ cup avocado oil (or any neutral oil)
- Juice of 1 small lime
Instructions
- Place the coriander seeds and whole allspice berries into a mortar and pestle and grind them into a finely ground consistency. Alternatively, if you have a spice grinder, you can use that to grind the two spices into a fine consistency. Then set the fresh ground spices aside.
- Prep the seasoning items by placing them into a colander and rinse the bell peppers, celery, parsley + cilantro bunch, and scallions. Then pat dry. Roughly chop all ingredients so that all the items fit into a high-speed blender or food processor.
- Add all of the ingredients into your blender or food processor along with the ground spices and blitz on high speed until everything is broken down and well combined into a smooth, paste-like consistency. Be sure to stop and scrape down the sides of your vessel as needed.
- Transfer the mixture into a mason jar or deli container fitted with an airtight lid, or transfer the seasoning into ice cube trays to freeze. This green seasoning will keep for up to 2 weeks stored in the refrigerator, and a few months in the freezer.
Notes
- Please read blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.
Recipe by: Quin Liburd- Butter Be Ready
Photography by: Ashley McLaughlin
