The last apartment I lived in was on a super cute street in Mid-City New Orleans. I had the best group of neighbors and our entire block would often hold impromptu cookouts on the weekends. One of my neighbors was from Trinidad and his jerk peas became something of a legend within the group because we could never get enough of them. We’d hover around the pot until they were ready to eat, and then they’d be gone in the flash of an eye. He never gave me the recipe for those jerk peas (I don’t blame him), but I do know that the peas swam in a broth made of full fat coconut milk and a healthy dose of jerk seasoning. I’ll probably never be able to recreate those famous peas, but these Coconut Jerk Peas are about as close as I can get!
Season Your Jerk Peas to Taste
The one thing you want to be aware of, though, is that jerk seasoning varies a lot from brand to brand, so you’re best adding the seasoning according to your own taste buds. You can add some before the peas cook and then spice up the whole pot at the end with more, if needed.
Where to Find Jerk Seasoning
I’ve included a photo of the brand I used, which I got at Whole Foods. Sometimes you can also find it sold in the bulk bins. This spice blend contains a lot of ingredients and some items that I don’t keep on hand, so it’s just one of those blends that I find easier and more logical to buy pre-mixed. Of course, if you want to mix up your own spice blend, a quick Google search provides plenty of recipes.
The best part about these peas is that they are insanely simple. You can make these on Sunday afternoon while you’re relaxing or doing other chores, and you’ll have lunches ready for the week.
Coconut Jerk Peas with Pineapple Salsa
Servings 4Ingredients
COCONUT JERK PEAS
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.13)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 lb. frozen black eyed peas or purple hull peas ($1.99)
- 1 cup water ($0.00)
- 1-2 Tbsp jerk seasoning* ($0.60)
- 1 14oz. can coconut milk ($2.19)
- 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste ($0.02)
- 4 cups cooked rice ($0.75)
PINEAPPLE SALSA
- 2 cups chopped pineapple** ($0.67)
- 1/4 red onion ($0.17)
- 1 lime ($0.34)
- 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro ($0.21)
- 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste ($0.05)
GARNISH
- 2-3 green onions, sliced ($0.20)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add both to a medium sauce pot with the olive oil and sauté over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the onions are soft and transparent.
- Add the peas to the pot along with the water and 1 Tbsp of jerk seasoning. Stir to combine. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat to medium-high, and allow it to come to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low, and let it simmer for 15 minutes, or until the peas are very tender.
- While the peas are simmering, prepare the pineapple salsa. Chop the pineapple into very small pieces. Finely dice the red onion. Pull the cilantro leaves from their stems and give them a rough chop. Combine the pineapple, onion, cilantro, juice from half the lime, and salt in a bowl. Stir to combine, then taste, and adjust the lime or salt if needed. Set the salsa aside.
- Once the peas are very tender, turn the heat down to low, and add the coconut milk. Stir and heat through. Smash some of the peas against the side of the pot to help thicken the mixture. Taste the peas and add more jerk seasoning and salt until they are very well seasoned. You want the peas to be heavily seasoned because once they’re poured over the plain rice, the seasoning will seem diluted.
- To serve, place a cup of cooked rice in a bowl and add about 1 cup of the jerk peas with the coconut broth. Top with 1/2 cup of pineapple salsa, and a sprinkle of sliced green onions. Enjoy!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Want more vegan recipes? Check out our Vegan Recipe Archives!
How to Make Coconut Jerk Peas – Step by Step Photos
Before we begin, I just want to show you which type of jerk seasoning I used. All brands are different, so you’ll have to go by your own taste buds for this one. If you don’t have an international market near you that carries it, check Whole Foods, Cost Plus World Market, or perhaps The Fresh market.
These are the peas that I used, but you could also use purple hull peas. Frozen is definitely better than canned, but if you must use canned, make sure to drain them well before adding to the recipe.
Begin by dicing an onion and mincing 2 cloves of garlic. Add them to a medium sauce pot with 1 Tbsp olive oil and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and transparent.
Add 1 lb. frozen peas (I did not thaw them first), 1 cup water, and 1 Tbsp of the jerk seasoning. The water will not fully cover the peas, but that’s okay. Stir to combine, then place a lid on the pot and turn the heat up to medium-high. Let the pot come to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
While the peas are simmering, prepare the pineapple salsa. Combine 2 cups finely chopped pineapple, 1/4 of a red onion (finely diced), and 1/4 bunch cilantro (roughly chopped) in a bowl, along with the juice from half a lime (about 1 Tbsp) and 1/2 tsp salt.
Stir to combine and then taste and adjust the lime or salt if desired.
Once the peas have simmered and are tender (test a pea or two to make sure), add a 14oz. can of full-fat coconut milk.
Stir everything to combine and heat through. Smash some of the peas against the side of the pot to help thicken the liquid. Taste the peas and add more jerk seasoning if needed and a bit of salt. You want the peas to be heavily seasoned because once you ladle them over the plain rice, that seasoning will seem somewhat diluted.
To serve, place a cup of cooked rice in a bowl and ladle the peas and coconut broth over top. Finish it off with about 1/2 cup of the pineapple salsa and a few sliced green onions.
I never get sick of “beans” and rice!
I cooked this up yesterday to take for lunches this week and it’s great! It works wonderfully packed and reheated. It’s definitely going to become one of my lunchtime staples.
Just wanted to say I made this recipe the other day and it was ah-may-zing! :) So amazing that I’m resorting to annoying phonetic spelling to express it. I made it for our game night and while everyone was skeptical at the ingredients, it blew us all away. I don’t think I’ve ever had black-eyed peas before, except maybe mixed up in a bean salad, but they are a new favourite, silky and creamy without being grainy or overly “health-food-y” tasting. I probably make a recipe a week from your blog and probably have yet to comment on one, but you routinely save our game night every Monday, and I thought it was time I said thanks :)
I just made this recipe and it’s very nice, however I would substitute mango salsa in lieu of pineapple next time.
I have heard people say they either like or dislike black eyed peas. I’ve never tried them. Are they really that different from other beans? Are they necessary here or would pintos work? (Somehow I bought lots and lots of dry pintos I need to use up)?
I don’t find them to be *that* different from other beans. Pintos might work, but I find that they have a much earthier flavor and they’re a bit larger than black eyed peas.
Wow! I made it with the black eyed peas. It was delicious! I used a pineapple I got on sale for $.97! It took the whole thing minus a taster or two and I made a jerk seasoning from a recipe at AllRecipes using all the options (so I used the two tablespoons you called for):http://allrecipes.com/recipe/239790/jerk-marinade-seasoning-rub/?internalSource=hub%20recipe&referringContentType=search%20results&clickId=cardslot%201#recipe-toolbar
I don’t know what is in your jerk seasoning you showed as I couldn’t find it but with this one, I had a delicious dinner. Will be taking the leftovers when I go to my daughter’s tomorrow as my son will be there and I want to try it out on him. He’s a vegan and I am always trying to find things we can both enjoy!
I am one of those unfortunate people that can’t eat cilantro without being overwhelmed with the taste of dish soap! Yes it is a real thing. Do you think I could use parsley? I’m sure it will change the taste so do you have any other suggestions? Thanks – many of my most favorite go-to dishes have come from your website. Thanks so much.
I don’t think I would use parsley. I think maybe I’d add some sliced green onions instead. And don’t worry, I totally believe you that the soap thing is real! :) It’s genetic!
In this case, I simply omitted the cilantro without substituting anything in and everyone eating it said it was delicious. Like you, I can’t stand the taste of cilantro so I’m not sure exactly what flavor it is supposed to add to a dish (since I’m guessing that recipe creators aren’t going for the taste of soapy grass ;) ). Sometimes I’ll sub in parsley for a fresh herbal note and some green color; however, for this particular dish, there looked like enough complexity in the other flavors, given the spices in the beans with the sweet tanginess of the other ingredients in the salsa providing a counterpoint, that nothing else seemed necessary and folks loved it with nothing else added. Thanks Beth for another keeper. :)
I think mint would be a yummy substitute for the cilantro in this specific dish!
Great recipe! A yummy dish that is healthy too! :)
This recipe looks so much up my street! Can I ask about re-heating it? Or would you warm up rice and beans and add cold salsa after?? My mouth is watering, off to make this tomorrow! :-) Thanks!
Yep, that’s exactly what I would do! Heat beans and rice together, then add the cold salsa on top. :)
THis is a really cool idea!! Pinning it for later =)
This sounds so good, I love jerk seasoning!
This looks insanely good!!! I have some left over grilled chicken I’m going to serve with it and use quinoa instead of rice.
I recommend the ingredients list should specify frozen peas. I read it first thinking it meant dry peas, and wondering why so little liquid. Didn’t figure it out until looking though the photos. BTW if a person has time to presoak them, dry peas are an even thriftier choice.
Great recipe! Thanks.
Oh thank you! I meant to go back and add that in and forgot. Fixing it now. :)
Hi Beth,
I live abroad where Jerk seasoning is unavailable, and online orders are a no-go. Do you recommend any homemade spice blends / substitutes? Those beans look delicious and I don’t want to miss out :)
OK I see you answered this question already in the post! Woops! Looking forward to the creamy bean-y goodness…
I’m so happy that you’ve started sharing more vegan and vegetarian recipes! I’ve recently started eating mostly vegan (some vegetarian) foods, but no meat. I was just thinking how I needed to find ways to convert some of my favorite recipes from your site into vegan/vegetarian so I could still eat them. Thanks for making this easier! Still love your blog!
I am a vegetarian too and have made many recipes on this site. Many of the chicken ones can use tofu or fake “chicken” instead with a few cooking tweaks. Quorn makes good fake chicken tenders. I love the sesame chicken recipe made with tofu from this site.
This is perfect! I received a large bunch of cilantro from my most recent farm share!
Could this be done with mango instead of pineapple? I have some pineapple-allergic people I wanna make this for and I don’t want them to die after eating my cooking :P
Yes, it sure can! Mango makes great salsa. :)