Green Seasoning

Green seasoning is a staple in our kitchen, and it is the foundation of many Trinidadian/Tobagonian recipes. Like sofrito in Puerto Rican cooking or Epis in Haitian dishes, green seasoning adds flare, complexity, and familiarity to the classic meals we enjoy. It’s often used to marinate meats, poultry, and fish. However, you can add a spoon to sauces, soups, sautés, and rice dishes. We love green seasoning because it is natural, healthy, and extremely fun and intuitive to make!

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* Please see additional notes listed below.

INGREDIENTS

Makes about 3-4 cups of seasoning | Total time: 10 mins

• 1 cup roughly chopped shado beni/chadon beni/recao OR cilantro

• 8 springs scallion/green onions

• 1/2 cup thyme

• 1/2 cup roughly chopped parsley

• 10 cloves garlic

• 8 pimento/capsicum chinense/seasoning peppers

• 1 cup roughly chopped celery

• 1 yellow onion 

• 2-4 tbsp Water, White Vinegar, or Lime/Lemon Juice

• 1-2 scotch bonnet pepper/Jamaican pepper* (optional) 

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash and roughly chop all ingredients. 

2. Using a blender or food processor, blend all ingredients on high speed until smooth. Add additional water by the tablespoon to assist with the blending process if needed. Feel free to use a large mortar and pestle if preferred.

3. Store in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator or freeze in a freezer-safe container.

If you make or adjust this recipe, we would love it if you tag us on Instagram at @thematchingaprons.

Notes on Ingredients and Substitutions

Like most of our recipes, think of this recipe as a guide. We make green seasoning all of the time, and we always adjust the ingredients and quantities. If you don’t like something, skip it. If you love a particular flavor, double that ingredient. The only caveat, in our opinion, is that shado beni/cilantro is a must- otherwise, you are making seasoning that may happen to be green instead of green seasoning. 

• Shado beni: Shado beni is a distant, but more intense, cousin of cilantro. Some people know it as chadon beni or recao. If you can’t find it in your area, fresh cilantro works just fine.

• Pimento Peppers/Seasoning Peppers: We live in New York City, so we usually find these at Caribbean markets or Korean veggie stands when we aren’t growing them during the summertime. If you can’t find these in your area, you can substitute with ½ green bell pepper.

• Scotch Bonnet Pepper/Jamaican Pepper: We add 1-2 whole peppers for a kick, but feel free to leave this out if you prefer a milder seasoning.

Making the seasoning: Since we typically make larger batches, we use a blender or a food processor to combine all of the ingredients. If you are using fractions of each ingredient for a much smaller batch, a mortar and pestle or emergent blender would do the job.

Using Green Seasoning: Don’t be afraid to be a bit heavy-handed when using green seasoning as a marinade for meat, plant-based meat, poultry, or fish. This recipe does not call for salt or sugar! Green seasoning enhances the flavor of what it is used on, so go off!

Storage: For short-term storage in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, use water. For storage up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator, use lemon/lime juice. For longer storage up to one month in the refrigerator use white vinegar