Green Seasoning

The best Green Seasoning Recipe for grilling. Use this green marinade for grilled chicken, beef, fish and for adding to soups, stews and tons of meals!

This Green Seasoning Recipe made with a blend of fresh herbs will change your life!

You guys, after sharing our Jamaican Jerk Seasoning recipe with an authentic Caribbean taste, we knew We had to share our Green Seasoning recipe. We have used it as a seasoning base for food over the years! It is one recipe you want to make and keep in your fridge so you can use it to drastically improve on the taste of meals.

We use this traditional green seasoning recipe to season meats for grilling and in our Bean Stew, Jollof Rice, Potato Hot Pot, Poulet DG and much more. So, we keep a big jar of this green sauce in the fridge and add tablespoons of green seasoning to our meals when cooking. It is a key ingredient for us in a wide range of dishes!

This glorious blend of herbs creates a burst of flavor and only requires a handful of ingredients. It is made with our favorite herbs, specifically green herbs, which is what makes this seasoning so special and makes the colour of the seasoning so vibrant.

You don’t have to be from a Caribbean household or Cameroonian household like us to enjoy this recipe; anybody can enjoy it! With fresh ingredients and so many different ways to use it, what’s not to love? A lot of people who have tried this recipe have said it is the best green seasoning they’ve ever tried!

Green Seasoning Recipe

Often, in our recipes, you will see us include the ingredients for this green marinade. They include garlic, ginger, parsley, celery, and basil. In Cameroon, the trio of celery, parsley, and basil is called “green spices”. We often grind them and add to many meals to improve on the taste!

This Green Marinade looks a tad like Chimichurri. Chimichurri is a sauce made of parsley, oregano leaves, garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and vinegar. Though this green seasoning and chimichurri look similar because of the use of herbs in both sauces, these seasoning recipes are not the same. The green seasoning is… dare we say… way better.

It packs a ton of flavor in everyday cooking and even vegan recipes like grilled vegetables. It is like a gourmet sauce made by a famous chef, which you will purchase and add to your meals. Yet, you are the gourmet chef because you can easily whip this up in no time!

Use this green seasoning as seasoning for grilled food. Also, simmer some of the sauce with some salt and pepper then serve on the side of grilled meat or fish.

Make a big jar of this green goodness and keep in your fridge.

It is perfect for chicken: chicken legs, chicken wings, chicken thighs, whole chicken. Also great with beef: sirloin steak, skirt steak, chuck roast, brisket or any part of beef you want to grill. It is perfect with pork: use it on pork spare ribs, pork chops or any part of pork you like. Use it on lamb, goat meat, the list is endless. This green seasoning is also great on seafood! Use it on salmon, halibut, seabass, red snapper, mackerel or on shrimp.

It is such a versatile marinade. That’s why we are sharing this with you because your kitchen needs this green goodness. Hope it makes life easier for you just as it makes life easier for us.

Ingredients Needed

What is the foundation of the seasoning? The use of fresh herbs and veggies! Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

• Celery: Use celery stalks or Chinese celery with leaves, depending on your personal preference, or what you can find.
• Fresh Herbs: Herbs like parsley and basil provide a bright color and fresh flavor. You’ll also need ginger root for a warm, peppery undertone.
• Leeks: provides a delicate, pleasant flavor reminiscent of an onion.
• Garlic: gives an umami kick that is a joy for your taste buds! It really helps enhance this seasoning.
• Oil: Oil helps prolong the shelf-life of the green seasoning recipe when stored in the refrigerator.

Check out the recipe card below for the exact ingredient amounts.

Other ways

Green Seasoning recipes can vary from place to place. For instance, you’ll find different versions in the Caribbean islands, like Jamaican green seasoning for Jamaican cuisine or Puerto Rican and Trinidad green seasoning. There are a few variations of Caribbean green seasoning.

• Make Trinidadian Green Seasoning: To use in your Trini cooking, you can include Trinidadian pimento peppers (aka pimiento peppers), as well as some lemon juice and bell peppers. You can use some red bell pepper; it doesn’t have to be just green. Some Trinidadian cuisine green seasoning also includes big leaf thyme and scotch Bonnets (green scotch bonnet peppers).
• Make Puerto Rico-style Green Seasoning: Puerto Rican green seasoning, also known as Recaito, is actually quite different than this green seasoning recipe. It often contains sweet peppers (seasoning peppers), garlic, yellow onions, culantro (also known as different names: shadow beni, shado beni, or chadon beni), cilantro, and other types of peppers. However, if you want to create your own version of green seasoning that incorporates some of these ingredients, you can make a fusion of this recipe and the Puerto Rican green cooking base.
• Make Jamaican-Style Green Seasoning: If you plan on cooking Jamaican recipes, you can align it better with the cuisine by including green onions, pimento berries or seeds, scotch bonnet pepper, and lime juice in addition to the ingredients in this recipe.
• Make Haitian Epis: To make the Haitian version of green seasoning, some ingredients are the same as this recipe, like celery, garlic, parsley, and oil. You’ll also need thyme, chopped bell peppers, and vinegar. Also, you can use scallions in place of the leeks.

Of course, you can always create your own version, too, whether you want to use hot peppers or milder peppers or add an acidic ingredient like apple cider vinegar. Some people also use Spanish thyme, sawtooth herb, scallions, and other seasonings.

It all depends on personal taste when making your own variation! So, don’t be afraid to put your own spin on it and craft your own green seasoning! Hint: some ingredients you might want to include, like cilantro, can be found in your local Asian market if you can’t find them in other grocery stores!

Pantry notes

• Herbs: If you need to substitute one of the herbs in the recipe, try to use different herbs with a similar flavour profile. For example, if you need to sub the basil, try to use something in the mint family since they are the most alike. Or, instead of the leeks, you can use green onions.
• Garlic: Although you can technically use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic, we don’t suggest it unless you have no other choice. The powdered garlic just doesn’t provide the same flavor or texture.

How it comes together

• Place chopped celery, parsley, basil and ginger root in a blender or food processor. Add peeled garlic and oil then blend into a paste.
• Place the green seasoning in a glass jar or mason jar with a tight-fitting lid and keep in the fridge to save for up to two weeks.

How To Grill Chicken with Green Marinade

1. Rinse and pat dry 5 pounds of chicken.
2. Add 1 cup of green seasoning to the chicken.
3. Add two teaspoons of chicken bouillon powder (or ground powder from bouillon cubes) and 1 teaspoon of salt.
4. Add a quarter teaspoon of ground white pepper and a quarter teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
5. Rub the ingredients all over the chicken.
6. Cover in a large bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge for up to 24 hours or grill immediately.
7. Place chicken on a baking sheet lined with foil paper and greased. Arrange the chicken in a single layer on the baking sheet. Grill in the oven on broil for 40 minutes. For the outside grill: place on the grill and cook for 40 minutes rotating every 15 minutes (and basting with the leftover marinade) until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (75 degrees Celsius).

Cook notes

• If you are trying to stay away from oil, you can also use water in the recipe; it just might not have as much flavor or richness. Make sure to substitute the oil amount with enough water. Otherwise, the mixture will be too thick to blend. Also, you’ll need to use the green seasoning within a couple of days of using it since it won’t hold up as long with the water.
• Aside from refrigeration, you can also freeze the green seasoning in ice cube trays. To make ice trays, use a little water instead of oil since oil does not thaw well. With this method, it will stay fresh for a long time, about 6 months! You can also use freezer bags.
• Since you will use a blender or food processor, you don’t need to finely chop the ingredients. A rough chop on the herbs is fine.
• For every pound of meat, use about 2-3 tablespoons of green seasoning as a marinade. This works out to about 1 cup of seasoning for every 5 pounds of meat.

Uses for Green Seasoning Recipe

Use green seasoning to:

1. Marinate chicken
2. Marinate fish
3. Marinate beef or pork
4. Make a green dipping sauce by simmering the marinade together with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add extra flavor to stews and soups, and rice dishes

• Yield: 5 cups
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Total: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 celery stalks, if using celery with leaves (Chinese Celery), use 6 full stems instead.
• 2 cups chopped fresh basil
• 2 cups chopped parsley
• 2 inches ginger root, peeled and chopped
• 2 bulbs garlic – peeled
• 1 leek, substitute with 4 green onions
• 2 cups oil, See Note 1

Method

1. Thoroughly wash the celery. Chop and put in a blender or food processor. Wash the leek and chop and add to the blender.
2. Add in the parsley, basil, leek garlic, ginger and oil then blend everything into a paste.
3. Pour the mixture into a jar with a tight-fitting lid and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.