LimeGrid

Jamaican food, carefully explained

Cook, learn and taste Jamaica.

The LimeGrid recipe library includes Jamaica’s national dish, iconic mains, pork, soups, side orders and desserts. Every page includes equipment, preparation order, cooking timelines, common mistakes, storage guidance and serving ideas.

Browse recipesStart with the national dish
Editorial distinction: Ackee and saltfish is Jamaica’s national dish. Curry goat, oxtail, jerk chicken and the other recipes below are presented as iconic Jamaican dishes rather than additional national dishes.

Jamaican recipe collection

Jamaican recipes

Search by dish, category or cooking method, then open a recipe for ingredients, practical steps, serving ideas and storage guidance.

Jamaican ackee and saltfish served with boiled green bananas, fried dumplings and yellow yam.LimeGrid Recipes

National Dish

Jamaican Ackee & Saltfish

Jamaica’s national dish: tender ackee folded gently with seasoned saltfish, onion, sweet pepper, tomato and thyme.

50 minutes, plus optional saltfish soakingModerate4 servings
Jamaican curry goat served with rice and peas, vegetables and fried plantain.LimeGrid Recipes

Iconic Main Dish

Jamaican Curry Goat

Slow-cooked goat seasoned with Jamaican curry, thyme, pimento, Scotch bonnet and potatoes.

3 hours, plus 4–12 hours marinatingModerate6 servings
Jamaican brown stew chicken served as a complete plated meal with traditional side dishes.LimeGrid Recipes

Iconic Main Dish

Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken

Seasoned chicken browned until richly coloured, then simmered with vegetables in a savoury Jamaican gravy.

1 hour 15 minutes, plus 1–4 hours marinatingModerate6 servings
Chopped Jamaican jerk chicken served with rice and peas, handmade festival, vegetables, pepper sauce and ketchup.LimeGrid Recipes

Iconic Main Dish

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Chicken marinated with pimento, thyme, scallion and Scotch bonnet, then grilled or roasted until smoky and deeply seasoned.

1 hour 25 minutes, plus 8–24 hours marinatingModerate6 servings
Jamaican curry chicken served with rice and peas and vegetables.LimeGrid Recipes

Iconic Main Dish

Jamaican Curry Chicken

Bone-in chicken simmered with Jamaican curry, thyme, pimento, Scotch bonnet and potatoes.

1 hour 15 minutes, plus 1–4 hours marinatingModerate6 servings
Smoky sliced Jamaican jerk pork with dark charred edges, festival and rice and peas.LimeGrid Recipes

Pork

Jamaican Jerk Pork

Pork shoulder marinated with pimento, Scotch bonnet, thyme and scallion, then cooked slowly for smoky, deeply seasoned edges.

3 hours, plus 8–24 hours marinatingAdvanced8 servings
Jamaican stew pork in brown gravy with carrot, onion and sweet pepper, served with rice and peas.LimeGrid Recipes

Pork

Jamaican Stew Pork

Well-seasoned pork browned and simmered with thyme, pimento, Scotch bonnet and vegetables in a rich Jamaican gravy.

1 hour 45 minutes, plus optional marinatingModerate6 servings
Sliced Jamaican roast pork with a deeply browned seasoned crust, pan juices, rice and fresh salad.LimeGrid Recipes

Pork

Jamaican Roast Pork

Garlic-, thyme- and pimento-seasoned pork roasted until tender, with crisp edges and pan juices for serving.

2 hours 40 minutes, plus 8–24 hours marinatingModerate8 servings
Jamaican red peas soup with kidney beans, ground provisions, spinners, carrot and pigtail.LimeGrid Recipes

Soups

Jamaican Red Peas Soup

A substantial Saturday soup of red peas, salted pigtail, ground provisions, coconut milk, herbs and spinners.

3 hours, plus overnight soakingModerate8 servings
Jamaican mannish water with tender goat, tripe, ground provisions, carrot and flour dumplings.LimeGrid Recipes

Soups

Jamaican Mannish Water

A peppery Jamaican goat soup with cleaned goat head and tripe, green banana, ground provisions and dumplings.

3 hours 45 minutesAdvanced10 servings
Fluffy Jamaican rice and peas with red kidney beans and coconut seasoning.LimeGrid Recipes

Side Orders

Jamaican Rice & Peas

Long-grain rice and red peas steamed with coconut milk, thyme, scallion, pimento and a whole Scotch bonnet.

1 hour 35 minutes, plus soaking dried peasModerate8 servings
Fluffy Jamaican gungo peas rice with genuine tan pigeon peas and coconut seasoning.LimeGrid Recipes

Side Orders

Jamaican Gungo Peas Rice

Rice steamed with gungo peas, coconut milk, thyme, scallion and a whole Scotch bonnet—a Jamaican Christmas favourite.

50 minutesModerate8 servings
Golden elongated Jamaican festival with one piece opened to show its soft cooked centre.LimeGrid Recipes

Side Orders

Jamaican Festival

Lightly sweet cornmeal-and-flour dumplings shaped into fingers and fried until crisp outside and soft within.

40 minutes, plus 15 minutes restingEasy12 festivals
Hand-cut squares of Jamaican coconut toto showing their moist compact crumb.LimeGrid Recipes

Desserts

Jamaican Toto

A simple Jamaican coconut cake with brown sugar, coconut milk, grated coconut and warm spices.

1 hour, plus coolingEasy16 squares
Jamaican gizzadas with hand-pinched pastry edges and brown ginger-coconut filling.LimeGrid Recipes

Desserts

Jamaican Gizzada

Crisp hand-pinched pastry shells filled with grated coconut cooked with brown sugar, nutmeg and ginger.

1 hour 20 minutes, plus chillingAdvanced12 gizzadas
Irregular Jamaican coconut drops with chunky coconut set in dark ginger syrup on banana leaf.LimeGrid Recipes

Desserts

Jamaican Coconut Drops

Fresh coconut pieces and ginger cooked in brown-sugar syrup, then dropped onto banana leaf or parchment to set.

1 hour, plus coolingModerate16 drops

Jamaican cooking traditions

Authentic foundations with room for family variation.

Jamaican recipes vary by parish, family, ingredient availability and personal taste. LimeGrid presents a dependable base method, explains where choices can vary, and respects the fact that treasured household versions are not all identical.

Recipe photographs and illustrations are prepared for LimeGrid and reviewed to reflect the expected appearance of each dish.