When lockdown started a few months ago I focused on buying vegetables that would last a long time in my fridge or pantry so I could continue to eat a well rounded plate without having to go to the grocery store often. Collard greens are one of the first things I bought. They hold up well in the fridge, they’re inexpensive, and I just loooooove them! When I made that first pot of collard greens I looked in my pantry for something to season them with and pulled out a bottle of jerk seasoning on a whim. I couldn’t believe how incredible the flavors were together, and I knew that these Jerk Seasoned Collard Greens were something I was going to need to share on the blog.
Interesting in knowing what other fruits and vegetables last a long time? Check out my round up of Long Lasting Produce to Stock Up on During Isolation (including recipes ideas for each)!
What is Jerk Seasoning?
If you’ve never heard of Jerk seasoning, it’s an amazing spicy, sweet, and savory blend of herbs and spices used for jerk style cooking in Jamaica. Jerk marinades usually consist of a mix fresh ingredients like Scotch Bonnet peppers, onions, ginger, scallions, allspice, garlic, thyme, among other ingredients. The flavorful marinade is slathered all over chicken, beef, pork, fish, or vegetables, then they’re cooked over an open flame to perfection. For this recipe, I simmered my collard greens in a broth seasoned with a dry jerk seasoning and a touch of orange juice for sweetness. This seasoning is pretty much good on everything.
Where to Find Jerk Seasoning
You should be able to find either the wet marinade (in a jar) or a bottle of dry spices in most major grocery stores, although a dry spice mix is what I used for this recipe. Walkerswood is an authentic brand from Jamaica that makes both the wet marinade and dry spice mix and it’s available for purchase on their website, on Amazon, and in many large grocery chains like Kroger. Or, if you want to try to make your own spice mix, check out this jerk seasoning recipe from Immaculate Bites.
What to Serve with Jerk Seasoned Collard Greens?
The unique sweet-savory-spicy flavor of these collard greens makes them a match for a variety of dishes. For some reason, I really love them with mac and cheese and ate them throughout the first few weeks of lock down just piled on top of a bowl of mac. In the photo above, I have them paired with Quick BBQ Chicken and Mac and Cheese. They’d also go great with other southern comfort foods, like potato salad, cornbread, BBQ Meatballs with Cheese Grits, or even something like red beans and rice.
How to Store Leftover Collard Greens
These simmered collard greens are one of those things that tastes even better the next day. Make sure to store your collard greens with the leftover broth from the pot, so they can continue to marinate in all that flavor in the refrigerator. You can reheat the leftovers (with the broth) either in a sauce pot on the stove over medium, stirring often, or microwaved until hot. Just strain the greens out of the broth for serving (use a slotted spoon to lift them out of the broth).
Jerk Seasoned Collard Greens
Servings 8 ¾ cup eachIngredients
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 1 clove garlic ($0.16)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 2 tsp jerk seasoning ($0.20)
- 1/2 cup orange juice ($0.52)
- 3 cups chicken broth ($0.36)
- 1 lb. chopped collard greens ($2.50)
Instructions
- Slice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the onion, garlic, and cooking oil to a large pot. Sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent (about 5 minutes).
- Add the jerk seasoning, orange juice, chicken broth, and collard greens to the pot. Stir to combine. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the broth to come up to a boil.
- Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and let the collard greens simmer, stirring occasionally, until they are tender (about 30 minutes, or to your liking). Keep the lid in place when not stirring. Serve hot.
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How to Make Jerk Seasoned Collard Greens – Step by Step Photos
Slice one yellow onion and mince one clove of garlic (if you prefer not to have large pieces of onion, you can finely mince the onion instead). Add the onion and garlic to a large pot with 1 Tbsp cooking oil and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent (about 5 minutes).
Add 2 tsp jerk seasoning, ½ cup orange juice, and 3 cups chicken broth to the pot with the onions and garlic.
Add one pound chopped collard greens to the pot. I used collard greens that come in a bag, pre-washed and chopped. If you’re chopping your own, make sure to wash them well, cut the stems out, then chop into strips.
Stir everything to combine, place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the broth to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let the collard greens simmer until tender, stirring occasionally. I let my collard greens simmer for 30 minutes, but you can simmer for more or less time depending on how tender you like your greens.
Serve the jerk-seasoned collard greens hot, with a slotted spoon to let the broth drain away.
Hi Chef! I have been following you for a long time, and I love all your recipes. Thanks for sharing this article! Although I don’t know how to cook at all, I will definitely try it one day.
I make this all the time and generally eat it for breakfast. Spoon the broth over some rice, and pair with chorizo (or soyrizo) and fried egg.
The dish is flexible. I sub kale when collard greens aren’t available. Other times I throw a chopped tomato in there and it reminds me of Filipino sinigang over rice. And to appease my on and off veganism, I make it with vegetable broth and it still tastes great.
Ruined two pounds of good greens . Mixing collards and jerk seasoning is an insult to a good southern dish . Not good by any definition of the word .
was Glad to run across this way to make jersey veggies as well as knowing where to getthejekseasoningthanksandkeepupthegoodwork
where do you get Jerk seasoning? Can i make it? thx!
Check the paragraph above the recipe titled, “Where to Find Jerk Seasoning” for recommendations and a recipe you can try.
I am looking for other ways to cook veggies which can be great to my taste, I’m glad I found this one, it looks so delicious
I’m Jamaican and it’s no surprise to me that this would be delicious. We use many of the same seasonings that are in jerk to cook greens called callaloo. When my family moved to the US we substituted collards or spinach for callaloo. Callaloo was often served with breakfast when I was a child, but we had it as a side dish with other meals too. I smiled when I read “even red beans and rice” because that’s basically what the dish Jamaicans call rice and peas is. (In Jamaican patois the word pea often means bean.) I can tell you for sure that anything cooked with jerk seasoning will be great with red beans and rice. Jamaican rice and peas is a little fluffier than the red beans and rice I’ve had in the US, and ours is made with coconut milk, thyme, scallion, garlic, allspice, and a little Scotch bonnet pepper. I’m looking forward to trying your collards recipe because I already know I will love it.
I really want to try callaloo some day! Thank you for sharing all of that background on Jamaican cuisine! :)
The broth is called potlikker and it’s DIVINE. Use it to soak up cornbread.
Thank you for posting this–we’re looking to shake up our quarantine cooking routine a bit, and this should do the trick nicely.
Super delicious! Made yesterday to bring to a friend’s for dinner.
I will look forward to making this dish!!
These are simple and fast to prepare and everyone enjoyed them!
I went to Jamaica for my honeymoon a few years ago and they have the best jerk chicken! I would love that same flavor profile on collard greens! What a great idea Beth, I’m looking forward to trying this!
Of course we have the best jerk chicken and jerk pork. We invented it! :)