Cabbage is an inexpensive and very healthy ingredient. We use it a lot in our cooking. You will see us use cabbage fried, raw, in soups, and more. Our Spicy Jamaican Slaw Recipe uses fresh, crunchy cabbage and beautiful sweet peppers for a plate of Caribbean color!
Oh, and there are a couple of (not so) secret ingredients that make this slaw tangy and spicy.
Spicy Jamaican Slaw Recipe
For our 10th Anniversary, my husband and I travelled to Negril, Jamaica. Other than the outstanding beaches and friendly people, our favorite memory about the Caribbean is the FOOD.
Not going to lie...we pigged out while we were there. Fresh seafood, spicy chicken, fresh fruits and vegetables. It was almost like we were home, only spicier. The cooking in Jamaica is like a cross between down home Southern cooking and Cajun.
Everything there is prepared simply... but so colorful and flavorful. I wanted to make something that reminded me of our time there.
We started with fresh, thinly sliced cabbage.
For flavor we added onion to our slaw recipe, and for color we used carrots and sliced sweet peppers. These are so crunchy and sweet and juicy. I try to get them when they are on sale, but they are worth the splurge. You can also use bell pepper.
You can add your spices now, or add them in the dressing.
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Mayo, BBQ sauce, vinegar, honey, and a little water are whisked together. Then we add the spices. (Use a Jamaican spice blend!)
Vinegar and honey give it the extra sweet and sour zing, and mayonnaise brings this slaw recipe together.
Combine well, pour over the vegetables, toss and that's it. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving to let the flavors blend and serve.
Easy, healthy and fresh!
📖 Recipe
Spicy Jamaican Slaw Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups green cabbage thinly sliced
- 1 cup sliced sweet peppers
- 1 carrot peeled and shredded
- ¼ of an onion thinly sliced
- 3 TB BBQ sauce
- 2 TB water
- 2 TB white or apple cider vinegar
- 1 TB mayo
- 1 TB honey
- ½ TB Jamaican dry spice blend
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine cabbage, onions, carrot, and peppers. Add Jamaican spice blend, black pepper and salt.
- In a small bowl, whisk together BBQ sauce, water, vinegar and mayo. Pour liquid over vegetables, and toss and stir to coat well.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve.
Susan
This recipe is delicious! It is perfectly balanced and I love that it has fewer calories than a typical mayonnaise based dressing. I served it with Jerk pork chops along with Jamaican cauli-rice & peas. Thanks so much for posting it! We will be making it again often!
Teri
Thank you so much for taking the time to let us know. That makes my day. I really loved the flavors, too. Now, if we could just figure out a way to get back to Jamaica! lol Have a great night. 🙂
Brenda
What dry seasoning do you buy?
Teri
The one I used for this recipe was brand name "Island Spice" Jerk Seasoning. Here is a link (I'm not affiliated with this company or this website, but so you can see the picture of what I'm talking about). https://groceryeshop.us/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=265176