Caribbean Steamed Cabbage

What Is Caribbean Steamed Cabbage?

Caribbean steamed cabbage is most often associated with Jamaican or West Indian cooking. Many Caribbean cultures make a form of steamed cabbage, though. It appears on many menus simply labeled “cabbage,” because it really needs no introduction. Most newbies are shocked to see a yellow vegetable presented to them, but the color quickly becomes irrelevant once you taste it.

This quick vegetable side dish is made by lightly cooking cabbage with carrots, peppers, onions, herbs, and a small amount of moisture. Even though I call it “steamed cabbage,” that’s not entirely accurate. The cabbage gets a quick sauté before I add flavorful broth and a hit of acid to finish cooking. It’s closer to braised than anything, but I can’t stop calling it steamed cabbage. Give me some grace, please.

I developed this recipe when I lived a vegan lifestyle as a Rastafarian. When I tell you this, with some white rice, was my dinner many a night, I’m not exaggerating. I know it’s an amazing recipe because it’s what kept me from starving during my broke college days, so I made sure it was on point.

Ingredients For This Caribbean Steamed Cabbage

This Caribbean steamed cabbage is made with green cabbage, carrots, onion, garlic, ginger, red bell pepper, sofrito, vegetable stock, Jamaican curry powder, ground allspice, adobo, lime juice, olive oil, a bay leaf, and thyme. If you want spicy cabbage, add a scotch bonnet or habanero to the grocery list.

The sofrito is what makes this “Caribbean” steamed cabbage, instead of Jamaican. You can replace it with green seasoning or epis (a Haitian green seasoning). You can also omit the ginger, but I think you’ll love the brightness it gives to the recipe.

I add lime juice because it cuts through the deep, savory notes in this recipe. I’ve also done this with malt vinegar (a nod to the English, even though we don’t f#@k with colonizers like that).

This is a one-pot dish, so grab a heavy-bottom Dutch oven or caldero to cook in.

The Best Way To Cut Cabbage For Even Cooking

What’s great about this recipe is that you can use pre-shredded carrots, bell peppers, and jarred garlic or ginger (I honestly shivered typing that last part, but I understand, I don’t judge). The only ingredient I want you to cut yourself is the cabbage.

Cutting the cabbage into consistent strips ensures it cooks quickly and absorbs seasoning without overcooking. That bagged cabbage in the produce section is too thin and doesn’t feel right when you eat it. I know that reads weird, but just trust me.

Cut the cabbage head into 6ths through the core. Then cut out the core by cutting into the wedges at a 15° angle. You can compost the cabbage cores or steep them in hot water to make a tea that aids digestion or sleep.

Turn the wedges and cut them into 1/2 to 1″-thick strips. Put these strips into a colander and rinse them under cold water, “scrubbing” the pieces between your hands to remove any dirt. If you have a salad spinner, use it to get the cabbage as dry as possible; otherwise, pat the strips down with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.

How To Season Caribbean Cabbage Properly

Cabbage is a pretty bland vegetable, so it needs more seasoning than most people expect. Cabbage also shrinks, so it’s best to go light on the adobo at first. Then, you’ll adjust to taste at the end.

Heat your pot for 30 seconds over medium. After 30 seconds, add the olive oil and heat it for another 30 seconds. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and sofrito to the pot and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Once the aromatics look glossy, add the red bell pepper, Jamaican curry powder, ground allspice, and adobo to the pot. Heat these for another 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring to keep the curry from scorching.

How To Avoid Mushy Cabbage

Stir in the vegetable stock, lime juice, bay leaf, thyme, and scotch bonnet (if you’re using one) to the pot, and bring to a boil.

Once the liquid in the pot reaches a boil, stir in the cabbage and carrots, then bring it back to a boil. Once you see steam rising from the pot, stir the cabbage, then cover the pot and decrease the heat to medium-low. Steam the cabbage for 20-25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Mushy cabbage is the result of cooking the bejeezus out of it. There should still be a bit of bite left in the cabbage, so taste it after 20 minutes to decide if you should continue cooking. This is also a great time to adjust the salt.

Variations On This Steamed Cabbage

You can quickly turn this into a one-pot meal or customize it to your preferences:

• Saltfish (Bacalao) and Cabbage: Add in 1 pound of desalinated, sautéed salt cod before adding cabbage.
• Shrimp and Cabbage: Increase the curry to 1 1/2 tablespoons and the adobo to 1 tablespoon. Add 1 pound of peeled shrimp during the last 3–4 minutes, adding more stock or water as needed to keep simmering.
• Deep flavor: replace the vegetable stock with Red Stripe or similar beer.
• Spicier: Mince the Scotch bonnet instead of leaving it whole, or use hot Jamaican curry powder.
• Milder: Omit the scotch bonnet.

What To Serve With Caribbean Steamed Cabbage

The cabbage is ready to serve once it’s done steaming. This is a great side to serve with a variety of entrees:

• Jerk chicken or jerk tofu
• Brown stew chicken
• Curry or escovitch fish
• Rice and peas
• Pan-Fried Pork Chops (Chuletas Fritas)

I have even eaten it with just coconut rice and plantains.

How To Store And Reheat Steamed Cabbage

Store leftover Caribbean steamed cabbage in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

To reheat the cabbage, microwave it or cook it in a skillet until it’s steaming and warmed through. The more you reheat it, the softer it will be, so make sure you’re undercooking it slightly if you plan to have leftovers.

Can I Freeze Leftovers?

You can freeze leftover Caribbean cabbage, but it’s not ideal since cabbage retains a lot of water. After freezing and thawing, the texture softens more than you want.

If you plan to freeze it, let it cool completely, then store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge, then reheat in a skillet to cook off excess moisture. Again, make sure to undercook it slightly if you plan to freeze it.