Steamed cabbage Jamaican style is a tender, sweet, spicy and overall flavorful salad. A delicious side dish loaded with vegetables in less than 20 minutes.
This salad is wildly popular in the Caribbean islands for good reasons. It’s a refreshing and sweet salad that goes well as a side dish with almost any main dish you have in mind.
I’ve already made a variation of this salad for my Jamaican Escovitch Fish. You can check it out if you decide to add some protein and turn this cabbage salad a fulfilling main dish.
This is not your regular slaw salad recipe by any means. The big difference is that this is a steamed salad. So it’s way healthier because you don’t need to add any mayo. All the flavor comes from the vegetable stocks, herbs, and garlic.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Jamaican Steamed Cabbage?
- Cabbage
- Carrot
- Onion
- Bell pepper
- Vegetable broth
- Garlic
- Thyme
- Coconut oil
- White wine vinegar
How to make cabbage and carrot salad Jamaican style?
First, you need to cut the cabbage, bell pepper, onion, and the carrot into julienne. Try to cut it medium size so they cook properly and keep their shape through the steaming process.
In a big pot, add 1 tbsp of coconut oil, 1 garlic clove minced, 2 thyme sprigs, and the scotch bonnet. Sautee on medium heat to release the flavors into the oil.
Add all the vegetables with the vegetable broth and 1 tbsp of vinegar. Put a lid over the pot to steam the vegetables. Steam over low heat to cook the vegetables gently.
Be careful to not overcook the vegetables or you will end up with a mushy salad — not appealing at all. The carrot must be tender but firm and a bit crunchy. Usually, 12- 15 minutes will give you the perfect result. You can drain the excess liquid. It is better to drain than to have too little liquid and burning the vegetables.
What to serve with this salad?
- Yellow Rice
- Arroz Chaufa (the one you can see in the pictures)
- Fried Plantains
- Fried Yuca
- Pollo a la plancha (grilled chicken)
- Peri-peri chicken
Jamaican Steamed Cabbage Salad
Ingredients
- 1 medium-size cabbage head
- 1 big carrot
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 onion
- ½ scotch bonnet pepper optional
- ¼ cup vegetable broth
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Cut the cabbage, carrot, onion and bell pepper into julienne. Make sure that they are not too thin. Clean them well.
- In a big pot, add the coconut oil with the garlic clove minced, thyme, and the scotch bonnet cut into tiny pieces. Sautee on medium heat to release the flavors into the oil.
- Add all the vegetables with the vegetable broth and the white wine vinegar. Add salt to taste. Put a lid over the pot to steam the vegetables. Steam over low heat to cook the vegetables gently. Cook for 12-15 minutes.
I’m Maria and I love cooking—and mostly EATING—food from all around the world. I’ve been sharing my abuela’s secret Latin-American recipes for the last 7 years with the world on this blog. I’ve been a full-time food blogger for many years and I’m always trying new delicious meals that don’t require a culinary degree or a Michelin-star chef. I also love traveling, cats, and knitting.