Jamaican Green Seasoning
Spice up your food with this homemade Jamaican Green Seasoning. Made with aromatic spices, herbs, and vegetables, it’s the perfect marinade for your meat.
Green Seasoning is a flavoring blend used widely in stews, curries, soups, and more.
In the Caribbean, while some may prepare their seasoning right before cooking, some like to prep ahead.
Sometimes, my mom would make this marinade as she was about to make dinner.
It was just an easier way for her to season the meat without getting her hands smelling completely of garlic and onion and escallion and so on.
And if you’re like us, making this homemade recipe can be a game-changer for you.
What is Green Seasoning?
Green seasoning is a blended mixture of herbs, spices, and vegetables used commonly in the Caribbean, mainly to marinate meat, poultry, or fish.
This recipe has been a part of the Caribbean for many years.
Being passed down from generation to generation, it’s a time-honored tradition for many.
While there are different variations of green seasoning, depending on where you are in the Caribbean, Jamaican green seasoning stands out with its combination of ginger, pimento berries (allspice), scotch bonnet, onion, garlic, and lime juice.
Green Seasoning vs Epis
While both blends are flavorful in their way, they are different.
Epis, also called Haitian Seasoning Base (Haitian Epis), is a seasoning blend used in almost all Haitian cooking.
Its flavor base originated from Tainos and African recipes and is similar to Hispanic cuisine called Sofrito.
Green seasoning is traditionally associated with Caribbean folks abroad, Jamaicans, Trinidadians, and other Caribbean countries.
Ingredients To Use
- Bell Pepper – I used red bell peppers to add sweetness to the blend. You can use both green and red and any other color bell peppers.
- Onions – white onions are perfect for this recipe. Place them at the base of your blender to help liquefy the blend better, as it produces lots of water.
- Thyme – dried thyme is fine, but fresh thyme is best.
- Garlic
- Escallion
- Ginger
- Scotch Bonnet Pepper
- Lime Juice
- Salt to taste
How To Make Green Seasoning
One of the main things I love about this recipe is you can make it at home.
Though I used the red bell peppers, which gave my blend a reddish-orange color, you can use both more green than red bell peppers to get a more defined ‘green’ color.
The texture can vary when making it, as some folks like a chunky blend while others prefer a smooth, velvety feel and look.
To change that depends on the amount of liquid used. A small amount of water can make that change.
Directions:
- Add onions, garlic, thyme, escallion, bell peppers, scotch bonnet pepper, ginger, lime juice, and salt to taste in a blender or food processor.
- Blend until everything is combined.
- Scrape green seasoning (marinade blend) into a clean jar and store in the refrigerator.
How To Use Green Seasoning
To be honest, there’s no one way when using green seasoning.
This blend is so versatile when cooking many dishes. Some people like to add this to their cooking, such as marinating meat, poultry, fish, and other seafood.
You may also use it for stews, curries, grilling, bases of soup, and more.
Whenever I use this blend in my dishes, I can taste the difference in the flavors of my meals.
I was so excited after I made my seasoning blend; I started using it for some curry chicken, and let me tell you, it was delicious.
Why You Will Love This Recipe?
- Versatility – how one can use this in cooking is unimaginable. It’s the perfect way to marinate meat, poultry, beef, fish, and other seafood. You can also use it to help build the base of soups or add flavor to whatever you’re grilling.
- Make It At Home – say goodbye to all your worries about preservatives, as this is the perfect way to season and cook your food without all that artificial nonsense.
- Easy-To-Make – aside from being a homemade blend of your favorite herbs and spices, it’s easy to make. You can have this ready for any of your dishes within 5 minutes.
- Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free
How To Store Green Seasoning
Once you’ve made a good batch, you can store your green seasoning in an airtight mason jar in your refrigerator for up to one week.
You can also freeze them into ice cubes. Once frozen in cubes, place in a ziploc bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Tips For Making This Recipe
- If using a blender, add the onions at the bottom since they carry the most water. You will need little to no water for this recipe.
- Add one teaspoon of water if you want your marinade to get a less thick consistency.
- Add other ingredients like cilantro, parsley, basil, celery, and pimento berries.
- To alter the texture, add water for a more creamy, silky texture or no water to remain chunky and thick.
- If you prefer a spicier blend, add an extra scotch bonnet pepper or any other spicy pepper.
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Jamaican Green Seasoning
Equipment
- Food Processor or Blender
Ingredients
- 1 small onion
- 3 stalks escallion
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper
- 2-3 sprigs thyme
- 1 inch of ginger
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 medium green sweet pepper I used the red sweet pepper only for this recipe
- 1 medium red sweet pepper optional
- 1 tsp lime juice
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor, add all the ingredients.
- Blend until everything is combined.
- Scrape green seasoning (marinade blend) into a clean jar and store in the refrigerator.
Notes
Notes for Making Green Seasoning
- If using a blender, add the onions at the bottom since they carry the most water. You will need little to no water for this recipe.
- Add one teaspoon of water if you want your marinade to get a less thick consistency.
- Add other ingredients like cilantro, parsley, basil, celery, and pimento berries.
- If you prefer a spicier blend, add an extra scotch bonnet pepper or your choice of spicy pepper.
