Caribbean cookbook
Cookbook
Take a look inside our cookbook at some classic Caribbean dishes - but remember there is no such thing as a standard recipe in the Caribbean! What you cook or are served could depend on a family’s secret recipe, the flavours enjoyed by the cook, or the contents of the cupboard at the time.
See if you can recreate some of these tasty meals for yourself at home.
The recipes were compiled with help from our exhibition Advisory Board and Catherine Ross and Lynda Burrell from Museumand, the National Caribbean Heritage Museum.
Discover more about the stories of people who moved halfway across the world from the Caribbean to the UK, and their contribution and impact to London’s transport and culture in our new exhibition - Legacies: London Transport’s Caribbean Workforce.
Bajan fish cakes
Ingredients
- 200g saltfish (salted codfish)
- ½ onion, chopped
- ½ scotch bonnet pepper, deseeded and chopped
- 3 tbsp green seasoning*
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme
- 1 tsp marjoram/oregano
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp allspice
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- 200g self-raising flour
- ½-1 cup of water to make a batter
* Either a mix of fresh green herbs such as coriander, parsley, thyme, oregano etc or from a jar
Method
- Rinse the saltfish in cold water and then soak for an hour in cold, fresh water
- Drain the saltfish and then bring it to boil in a pan of fresh water
- Cook until it flakes easily with a fork (about 40 minutes). You can boil it with some additional thyme, onion and garlic in the water if you like
- Drain and flake the saltfish and place in a bowl with the chopped ingredients and green seasoning, add the additional spices and stir
- Gradually add flour and water to make a batter consistency
- Heat some vegetable oil in a Dutch pot (casserole dish) and drop tablespoons of the batter in the oil (being careful not to overfill the pot)
- Cook over a medium heat, turning to a low heat if the fishcakes begin to burn before they are cooked
- When fishcakes begin to float and air bubbles appear, turn to allow them to brown on the other side
- Remove when browned on both sides
Jamaican ackee and saltfish
Ingredients
- 225g saltfish (salted codfish)
- ½ onion, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- ½ scotch bonnet pepper, deseeded and chopped
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1 scallion, chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme
- 1 tin of ackee (approx. 540g)
- Black pepper
Method
- Rinse the saltfish in cold water and then soak for an hour in cold fresh water
- Drain the saltfish and then bring it to boil in a pan of fresh water. Cook until it flakes easily with a fork (about 40 minutes)
- Drain and flake the saltfish
- Over a medium heat fry the onion, scallion, bell pepper and scotch bonnet until soft. Add the saltfish and cook for 5 minutes
- Add tomato, scallion and thyme and cook for a further 5 minutes
- Add ackee, stirring carefully so the consistency does not become too mushy. Cook until the ackee is heated through
- Season with black pepper and salt (if necessary)
Pholouries with Guyanese mango sour dip
Pholouries
Ingredients
- 4 cups split pea flour
- ⅓ tsp yeast
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ⅓ tsp salt
- ⅓ tsp turmeric
- ⅓ tsp curry powder
- ⅓ tsp ground cumin
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ½ tsp pepper sauce or ½ red scotch bonnet, deseeded and chopped
- ⅓ tsp onions, chopped
- ½ tsp green seasoning
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 ¾ cups water
- Oil for frying and oiling the teaspoon
Method
- Mix the flour, yeast, and baking powder in a bowl
- Add the salt, turmeric, curry powder, cumin, garlic, pepper sauce/scotch bonnet, onion and green seasoning to the bowl
- Add water about a third at a time until a thick batter is formed
- Cover and let it rest and rise for 1-1½ hours
- Pour oil into a pan, about halfway up
- Pour some oil into a cup to oil the teaspoon so you can put the batter into the hot oil more easily
- Heat the oil in a pan and test if it is hot enough by putting some of the batter in the pan using the oiled teaspoon - the batter should float
- Fill the pan with scoops of the batter but leave enough room in the pan so each pholourie ball has enough space to expand and cook properly
- Fry until golden brown
Guyanese mango sour dip
Ingredients
- 2 cups mango, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper, deseeded and chopped
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 2 cups of water
- 1 tbsp vinegar (optional)
Method
- Add all the ingredients (except the vinegar) to a pan and bring to the boil, cooking over a high heat for 20 minutes
- Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally and mashing the larger pieces of mango, for 10-15 minutes
- Remove from the heat and season to taste
- Add the vinegar once the dip has cooled to room temperature
Jamaican Pattie
Ingredients
The pastry
- 2 cups flour
- ½ tsp curry powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup margarine
- ⅓ cup cold water
- 1 beaten egg
The filling
Any sort of filling can be used - meat, fish, vegetarian and vegan. Be creative!
- 2 tbsp margarine
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 4 scallions or spring onions, chopped
- ½ tsp garlic
- ¾ pound minced beef
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp paprika
- Small piece of fresh ginger grated, or 1\4 teaspoon of dried ginger
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- ½ cup beef stock
Method
Pastry
- Preheat oven to 200°C
- Sieve the flour in a large bowl
- Mix in the curry powder, turmeric, and salt
- Cut in the margarine and then crumble the mixture using your fingers until it looks like breadcrumbs
- Add water and stir until the mixture forms a ball
- Roll the mixture into a sausage shape
- Cover with damp cloth or cling film or put the pastry in the refrigerator until it’s ready to be used.
Filling
- Melt the margarine in a pan over a medium heat
- Fry the onion, scallions and garlic until soft and translucent
- Add the beef, salt, pepper, curry powder, thyme, paprika and ginger and mix well
- Cook until the beef is evenly brown, stirring constantly
- Add the breadcrumbs and stock and combine all the ingredients well
- Simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the mixture looks like a thick stew – it should be moist but not watery
- Remove from the heat and let the contents cool
Assembling the Pattie
- Preheat oven to 200°C
- Uncover the pastry dough and cut into equal sections
- Sprinkle some flour on the work surface and roll out each section into circles approximately 1/8 inch thick or cut out a round shape using a saucer
- Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of filling on half of each circle
- Moisten the edges of the dough with a little water and fold the dough circle over the meat filling. Use a fork to press the edges together, creating a crimped edge
- Brush the pastry lightly with the beaten egg
- Bake on a lightly greased baking sheet for 30 to 35 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown
Fried plantain
Ingredients
1 litre of oil for frying
2 over ripe plantain, peeled, cut in half and then sliced lengthwise into thin pieces
Method
- Pre-heat oil in a large deep pan over a medium-high heat
- Fry the plantain pieces until browned and tender
- Drain excess oil on kitchen paper before serving
Discover London Transport's Caribbean recruitment
Open now, Legacies: London Transport’s Caribbean Workforce exhibition celebrates the huge contribution people of Caribbean heritage have made to transport history and British culture.
After the Second World War, London Transport experienced labour shortages. To maintain a sufficiently large workforce, the organisation increasingly needed to look beyond London. Read more about London Transport’s direct recruitment from the Caribbean.
For much of the twentieth century, London’s transport companies provided canteens for staff to take a break, eat and relax. Discover what was required to keep the workforce well fed and fit for keeping the Capital moving.
