Guyanese Green Seasoning (Caribbean Green Seasoning)

Green seasoning is a staple in Guyanese kitchens. For years, I listed the fresh herbs for it inside each of my recipes, but you kept asking for my blend. So here it is: my all-purpose green seasoning, with a little of every herb, the way most Guyanese cooks make it.

Growing up in Guyana, my mom made it every Sunday as soon as she came home from the market. She called it grind seasoning. She’d season all her meats, portion them off and freeze them for the week. I still do the same, with one change: I freeze the extra seasoning in ice cube trays, so I always have some on hand.

Why You’ll Love This Green Seasoning

• Easy: it takes about 10 minutes, and most of that is prepping the herbs.
• Versatile: it works across Caribbean cooking, from marinades and stews to rice dishes and curries.
• Mild or spicy, your call: the base blend has all the wiri wiri flavor without the heat. Keep the seeds in if you like it spicy, or leave out any herb you don’t like.
• Save it for later: freeze the extra in ice cube trays, and you’ll have small portions ready whenever a recipe needs a boost.

What is Green Seasoning?

Green seasoning is an all-purpose herb blend used as a base for cooking across the Caribbean, especially in Guyana and Trinidad. It’s a fresh blend of herbs and aromatics, typically used as a marinade for meat and sometimes as the base for sauces, stews and curries. In Guyana, many people call it grind seasoning. Other islands have similar blends, like sofrito in Puerto Rico and epis in Haiti.

Green Seasoning Ingredients

Each ingredient has a job, and together they make a seasoning that’s bold but not overpowering.

• Onion and garlic: the savory base.
• Scallions: fresh, mild onion flavor.
• Cilantro: bright and herby. It’s not traditional in Guyanese green seasoning, but I love the flavor. Culantro (shado beni), a Trinidadian herb, works too and is stronger.
• Italian parsley: fresh and green, and it balances the stronger herbs.
• Thyme: earthy, and a must in Guyanese cooking.
• Celery: use mostly the leaves for a strong celery flavor.
• Ginger: a little warmth.
• Wiri wiri peppers: fruity pepper flavor. Remove the seeds and veins for no heat, or keep them for a spicy blend.
• Marrid-man poke (or Thai basil): a mild sweetness.
• Broad leaf thyme (Cuban oregano): big, fuzzy leaves with a deep herbal flavor.

See recipe card for quantities.

Traditional Guyanese Herbs (and What I Use Instead)

True Guyanese green seasoning gets its flavor from three herbs that are common in Guyana but harder to find in the US: marrid-man poke, broad leaf thyme and Guyanese celery. Marrid-man poke adds a mild sweetness; if you can’t find it, Thai basil is the closest swap. Broad leaf thyme is sold as Cuban oregano in many US stores; its thick, fuzzy leaves can grow about 3 inches long, so a few go a long way. Guyanese celery is the same as Chinese celery: more leaves and a smaller stalk. If you can’t find it, buy loose celery with the leaves still on and use mostly the leaves and less of the thick stalk. That’s what I do. Look for them at Caribbean, West Indian or Latin markets.

How to Make Green Seasoning

Before I start, I wash and prep all the herbs and vegetables so everything blends smoothly. I roughly chop the onion and celery (mostly the leaves), trim the scallions, peel the garlic and ginger, and strip the thyme leaves from the hard stems. For the wiri wiri peppers, I remove the seeds and veins to keep all the flavor and none of the heat. This small bit of prep makes a big difference and helps the food processor work quickly without overprocessing.

Once everything is ready, I add all the herbs and vegetables to the food processor and pulse about 10 times, until it’s finely chopped but still a little chunky, not a smooth paste. I like the texture it gives meat. If you want a smoother seasoning for rice, soups or curries, blend it a little longer.

My Grandmother’s Grind Seasoning

My grandmother made her grind seasoning on a large stone mortar and pestle called a sil and lorha. The sil was a flat, square stone, and the lorha was a rounded stone she rolled over it. Over time, the sil wore a groove in the center where she did most of her grinding.

Grinding green seasoning this way gives it a deeper flavor. I think it’s because the herbs get pressed, which releases their natural oils and brings them together, while a food processor just chops them into tiny pieces. When I’m making a small batch, this is the method I use!

Storing and Freezing Green Seasoning

Green seasoning is best fresh. Many Caribbean cooks keep a jar in the fridge and scoop from it all week, but it loses its potency the longer it sits. So I season all the meat I have on hand the same day and freeze the rest.

• Fridge: in an airtight container or glass jar for up to 1 week.

Freezer: spoon it into ice cube trays or scoop it into 1½-tablespoon portions. Once frozen, move them to a sealed freezer bag, where they’ll keep their flavor for up to 3 months. Add them straight to a dish as needed.

Recipe Variations

• Spicy green seasoning: keep the seeds and veins in the wiri wiri peppers, or add a scotch bonnet. This works especially well for meats and heartier stews, where you want a little extra bite.
• Make it your own: this is my baseline. Leave out any herb you don’t love, or add more of your favorite.

Tips for the Best Green Seasoning

• Prep everything before blending. Washing the herbs, peeling the garlic and ginger, and roughly chopping the vegetables helps the food processor chop everything evenly.
• Dry the herbs well. Extra water makes the seasoning watery.
• Pulse, don’t overprocess. Pulse just until it’s finely chopped but still a little chunky. Overblending can heat the herbs and dull the fresh flavor you want in green seasoning.
• Mild or spicy, your call. Removing the wiri wiri seeds and veins keeps the flavor without the heat.
• Freeze in small portions. Spoon the seasoning into ice cube trays so you can grab only what you need, without thawing a whole batch.

How to Use Green Seasoning

• Caribbean roast chicken: I rub about 3 tablespoons all over a whole chicken and marinate it overnight, so the flavor goes all the way through, not just the skin.
• Oxtail: green seasoning builds the base flavor before the long simmer and layers into the sauce as the oxtail cooks down.
• Yellow rice: a spoonful adds a subtle herby flavor without overpowering the rice.
• Curries (duck curry, lamb curry, chicken curry): I start my curries with green seasoning to lay the foundation before adding the spices. It balances the richness of the meat as everything cooks together.
• Soups: stir a spoonful into soups like my Caribbean oxtail soup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Guyanese Green Seasoning Recipe

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A fresh blend of scallion, thyme, garlic, cilantro and hot pepper, the herb marinade at the heart of Guyanese cooking. Use it on chicken, fish, stews and curries.

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Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2 Cups

Calories 75

Course Condiment

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Equipment

• ▢
  Food Processor
• ▢
  cutting board
• ▢
  sharp knife
• ▢
  Airtight container
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  Ice cube tray (optional)
• ▢
  mortar and pestle (optional)

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 large yellow onion (roughly chopped)
• ▢ 4 scallions
• ▢ 1 head garlic (peeled)
• ▢ 1 bunch cilantro
• ▢ ½ cup Italian parsley
• ▢ 1 bunch thyme (leaves removed from the stems)
• ▢ 2 celery stalks with leaves (mostly the leaves; or use Guyanese or Chinese celery)
• ▢ 2 inches ginger (peeled)
• ▢ 3 wiri wiri peppers (seeds and veins removed)
• ▢ 5 marrid-man poke leaves (or Thai basil)
• ▢ 3 large Guyanese broad leaf thyme leaves (about 3 inches long, Cuban oregano)

Instructions 

• Roughly chop the onion, scallions and celery. Remove the seeds and veins from the wiri wiri peppers.
• Add everything to a food processor and pulse about 10 times, until finely chopped but still a little chunky. For a smooth paste, blend a little longer. Scrape down the sides as needed.
• Use it right away, refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 1 week, or freeze it in ice cube trays for up to 3 months.

Notes

• Mild by design: removing the seeds and veins keeps the wiri wiri flavor without the heat. For a spicy blend, leave them in.
• Need less? Halve the recipe for about 1 cup.
• Freeze in portions: freeze it in 1½-tablespoon portions. 2 portions season a whole chicken.
• How much to use: about 3 tablespoons per whole chicken (Caribbean roast chicken).
• Best fresh: season your meat the same day, and freeze the rest.
• Small batches: a mortar and pestle gives the deepest flavor, the way my grandmother made it.
• More ways to use it: want to learn how I use green seasoning in other dishes? See page 131 in my cookbook, Caribbean Paleo.

Nutrition

Calories: 75kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 3gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 23mgPotassium: 515mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 2321IUVitamin C: 128mgCalcium: 93mgIron: 3mg

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Keywords: caribbean green seasoning, green seasoning, green seasoning recipe, grind seasoning, guyanese green seasoning, metemgee

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The information listed in the recipe card is an estimate provided by an online nutrition tool. The tool evaluates ingredient names and amounts then makes calculations based on the number of servings listed for the recipe. It is provided as a general guideline and not as a precise calculation. For precise nutrition information please feel free to add the ingredients to your preferred nutrition calculator or consult a doctor or licensed nutritionist.

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