A Caribbean Garden

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When Caribbean islanders say “Seasoning” they are referring to what is called “Green Seasoning” a herb mixture that is unique to the Caribbean and which differs slightly from island to island. In Trinidad, it's distinguished by the use of culantro, known there as shadon beni or bhandania and seasoning peppers. This mix is used for marinating all fish, meat and poultry, as well as for flavoring some stews, casseroles and soups.


A farmer proudly displaying his herbs for "green seasoning" at the Arima market, Trinidad.

The village of Paramin, located on the hills of North Trinidad is famous for growing herbs and spices, and for its bottled Green Seasoning which is always snapped up in the supermarkets when you can find them.



Seasoning peppers. These have all the flavour of habaneros but none of the heat.

Below you will find the classic recipe for Trinidad Green Seasoning, but you can add and substitute many herbs. To make a small batch you can use just a sprig of each herb, using a food chopper for the herbs and add then the liquid later to get the correct “paste” consistency.

Ingredients
1 bunch fresh scallions or chives
2 sprigs fresh French thyme
1 bunch fresh flat leaf Italian parsley or leaf celery
2 leaves culantro or 2 sprigs cilantro
4 garlic cloves
4 tablespoons lime juice, lemon juice or white vinegar
1 bunch fresh oregano or 5 leaves Cuban oregano
6 aji dulce or seasoning (pimento) peppers (optional)

You can also substitute other herbs for the thyme, oregano, cuban organo or celery, depending on what you have at hand or like, eg Thai, lemon or holy basil, lemon balm, mint, dill, a few leaves of sage, stalk of lemongrass etc.

Method
De-seed peppers and coarsely chop herbs. Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree, adding a small amount of water or wine if needed. Store in a sealed glass jar in the refrigerator for up to one week.

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