Hello Dustin,

Jamaican flavors and USVI flavors are a bit different. Perhaps you should eat at a local food restaurant to sample some; while you are here. When you are visiting- Food Fair would be an excellent oppurtunity to do that. That happens during Carnival.

You can get spices here; in a grocery store you can get seasonings in shakers; dried seasonings. You can also get fresh seasonings like thyme from perhaps Fruit Bowl or from a fruit stand (there is one in Tutu next to Fort Milliner; there is also two fruit stands in Smith Bay but they are fruit stands - dont recall them having veges and seasonings; also there is one along just passed Cost U Less along the roadside; also the Fishermen that sell in Hospital Ground Fish Market would have fresh caught fish and perhaps lobsters and conch if they are in season during your visit that you can cook; they might also have local seasonings to sell). You might spend one day visiting the different stores to round up the ingredients you want. The fish market is open in the early am.... not all day. Early 6:30-7am get a good pick, otherwise at Fort Millner they will sell during the am until its all done. Not sure you want to spend everyday going to look for food stuff 🙂 many other things to enjoy in the islands.

You can get hot sauces from the grocery store, you can see if any of the side street vendors I mentioned have any locally made stuff - really hot in most cases; some of the tourist shops in havensight have hot sauces also. Marina Market in Havensight also has a good selection.

Closest (forget cheapest - the islands don't offer that many stores to have a large difference in prices; one store might have one item less then the other, and then the other store has some other item cheper then the first; so its not like one store has all the products cheaper. Marina Market as it carries some more specialty brands is often more pricey then the others) so closest would be in Tutu; where you will find Pueblo, Plaza Extra, Kmart then you have to bulk stores Cost U Less and Pricesmart. That area is about 15 minutes from Magens Bay by car.

--Islander

The Virgin Islands has a totally different style of cooking than Jamaica.
I know Scott Bonnets are the same as Habanero peppers, and those arent used all that frequently in USVI cooking that i have seen. The USVI is a cultural mixture in cooking. Lots of French, American, Asian, Mexican, and Italian influences on local food.
Fusion cooking. To get true Carribean Style cooking, talk to a local chef or look at menus. Some of those cook books are only one point of view. Personally, I think one of the attractions to the islands for tourists(and locals alike) is the fine restaurants to dine at. Obviously, you arent going to learn the cuisine by reading one cook book.
From what I have heard because I have never been to Jamaica, is that cuisine is much more intensely flavored spice wise than USVI cuisine(Jamaicans love hot SPICE). Rotis are a local favorite, here, but they arent hot. We use lots of tropical fruit(Mangos, key lime, catus fruit ,key limes,bananas, coconuts), fresh greens/herbs and local caught seafood, . We love to use tuna, mahi mahi, and carribean lobster. Have fun with your trip and go to the farmers markets and ask tons of questions. Just as all Asian cooking can't be lumped together, Carribean cooking can't be, either. (Cuban, Lesser Antilles, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and everthing in between) Locals go by what is fresh and what is available at each season of the year, this varies from island to island to some extent.

Thanks Chris - figured you should have some input on this. 🙂

--Islander

Thanks for all your suggestions! I am excited to learn how to prepare something new and different. I plan to go around on my first day exploring and checking out the markets. I would assume this would probably be a little cheaper than buying everything at the grocery too--definitely fresher, I would assume.

Yeah, being in Jamaica raised my tolerance for all things SPICY. I do plan on making my jerk chicken for the crowd--I'll even give out my now-not-so-secret recipe for the jerk (see below). But I very much look forward to expanding my horizons, especially with regard to fish.

Thank you for all the input! 1 month and counting!

T=tablespoon
Makes enough for 8-12 servings of chicken/pork

Combine all dry spices and mix well. Chop peppers, garlic, scallions finely. Combine veggies with wet ingredients in bowl or mixer and slowly add spices. Let stand overnight in refrigerator. Keeps for 2-3 weeks in fridge.

1/3 cup all spice (use slightly less if using fresher crushed pimento berries)

3T ginger

6 cloves garlic

3T dark brown sugar

2T cinnamon

5 Jalapeno peppers (or scotch bonnet) (vary to make hotter or mild--this is "medium/mild")

1T ground hot red pepper

2T black pepper

2T salt

2 cups olive or peanut oil

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup soy sauce

11/2 cup chopped green onion

1/3 cup lime juice

1T nutmeg

3 scallions

4 bay leaves

1T celery seed

(For the following, if using fresh, cut measurements in half)

1T oregano

1T thyme

1T rosemary

1T tarragon