Jerk Sausage with Rice and Peas

Jerk Sausage with Rice and Peas

Recipes with Jerk Sausage

Rice and peas is not a side dish in Jamaica; it is the base of the meal. Kidney beans cooked into coconut milk with thyme and a whole scotch bonnet left intact give the rice a deep savouriness without turning it hot. The jerk sausage rests on top, sliced after grilling, its fat running down into the rice below.

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

40 min

Servings

4

Difficulty

Medium

Ingredients

  • 4 jerk sausage links (about 600g)
  • 400g long-grain white rice, rinsed
  • 1 can (400ml) coconut milk
  • 1 can (400g) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 350ml water
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper (uncut)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 spring onions, whole
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Steps

1

Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the coconut milk, water, thyme, spring onions, salt, and the whole scotch bonnet. Keep the scotch bonnet intact: it flavours the rice without releasing capsaicin into it.

2

Bring to a boil, then add the rice and kidney beans. Stir once. Reduce to the lowest heat, cover tightly, and cook for 20-25 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked through.

3

While the rice cooks, grill or pan-fry the jerk sausages over medium-high heat for 12-15 minutes, turning regularly, until cooked through with charred patches on the casing.

4

Remove the thyme sprigs, spring onions, and scotch bonnet from the rice. Fluff with a fork. Slice the sausages on the diagonal and lay over the rice. Serve immediately.

Tips

The scotch bonnet must stay whole throughout cooking. Even a small nick in the skin releases enough capsaicin to make the rice painfully hot. If the rice looks too dry before it finishes cooking, add a splash of water and replace the lid quickly.