Jamaican Corned Beef and Cabbage

Total Time 50 mins

Difficulty: Beginner

Servings: 4

Calories: 460

Description

Canned corned beef cooked down with onion, scallion, thyme and scotch bonnet, then finished with shredded cabbage and carrot and served over fluffy white rice. One small can stretches into a full dinner for five, and it comes together in a single skillet.

Ingredients

For the Rice

1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
2 1/4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Corned Beef and Cabbage

1 can corned beef (12 oz)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
3 scallions, sliced, whites and greens kept separate
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 scotch bonnet chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 red bell pepper, cored and finely chopped
1 large plum tomato, chopped
1 medium carrot, coarsely grated
1 small green cabbage, about 1 1/2 lb, cored and thinly sliced

For the Sauce

2 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt, if needed
2 tablespoons water, if needed

Instructions

Chill the Corned Beef

1
Place the unopened can of corned beef in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes before you start. Chilling firms the fat so the beef turns out in solid blocks that break into neat chunks, rather than softening into a paste. Overnight is fine if you want to prepare ahead.

Prepare the Vegetables

2
Core the cabbage and slice it thinly, around 1/4 inch, so it cooks quickly and stays tender rather than soft. Grate the carrot on the coarse side of a box grater and chop the onion, scallions, garlic, bell pepper, tomato and scotch bonnet. Keep everything in separate bowls, because once the pan is hot the steps move quickly.

Cook the Rice

3
Rinse the rice in a fine sieve under cold running water for about 30 seconds, until the water runs clear instead of milky. Tip it into a medium saucepan with the water and salt, bring to a boil over high heat, then cover with a tight lid and reduce to the lowest setting. Cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid, then remove from the heat and leave it covered while you make the rest. It will finish steaming on its own and the grains will be light and separate.

Soften the Seasonings

4
Heat the oil in a large deep skillet or sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, scallion whites, garlic, whole thyme sprigs, scotch bonnet and allspice, then cook gently for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. The onion should turn soft and translucent and the pan should smell warm and fragrant. Lower the heat if anything starts to brown, as you want softness rather than color at this stage.

Add the Pepper, Tomato and Carrot

5
Stir in the bell pepper, tomato and grated carrot and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. The tomato will collapse into a soft, jammy layer at the base of the pan while the carrot turns tender and the pepper keeps a slight bite. The mixture will look loose and chunky, which is exactly right.

Brown the Corned Beef

6
Raise the heat to medium-high and add the chilled corned beef in chunks. Break it apart with a wooden spoon, pressing it into the seasonings, then leave it undisturbed for a minute at a time so parts of it catch and brown against the pan. This takes about 3 to 4 minutes. Stop while some texture remains, as soft pieces give a better result than a smooth paste.

Wilt the Cabbage

7
Add the cabbage in two or three handfuls, stirring each batch until it drops in volume enough to fit the next. It will look like far too much for the pan at first, then collapse to around a third of its size, which is completely normal. Once it is all in, cover the pan and cook for 3 minutes so the trapped steam softens it.

Finish the Pan

8
Remove the lid, stir in the ketchup and black pepper, and cook uncovered for a further 3 to 4 minutes so the liquid released by the cabbage can cook away. The mixture should look glossy and just moist rather than sitting in liquid, and the cabbage should still be bright green with a little snap in the thicker ribs. Lift out and discard the thyme stems, stir in the vinegar and most of the scallion greens, then taste and add the salt only if needed. If the pan looks dry, add the reserved water a tablespoon at a time.

Serve

9
Fluff the rested rice with a fork and divide it between five bowls. Spoon the corned beef and cabbage over the top so the sauce runs down into the rice, then scatter over the remaining scallion greens and a few fresh thyme leaves. Serve immediately, while the cabbage still has some bite.

Note

Chilling the can is optional but genuinely helpful. Corned beef at room temperature breaks down into a much softer texture in the pan.

Taste before adding salt. Canned corned beef is high in sodium, but spreading one can across this much cabbage dilutes it, so a small pinch is often needed at the end.

Adjust the heat to suit your household. Use 1/4 scotch bonnet for a mild version, or leave it out and serve pepper sauce at the table.

If the finished pan looks watery, keep cooking uncovered for another 2 minutes with the heat up. Cabbage releases more liquid than you expect, and it needs somewhere to go.

Store the mixture and rice in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. The cabbage softens noticeably by day two, so this dish is best eaten fresh.

Freezing is not recommended, as cabbage turns limp and watery once thawed. If you want to freeze ahead, cook the beef base without the cabbage and add fresh cabbage when reheating.

To reheat, warm in a skillet over medium heat for about 4 minutes, adding a tablespoon of water only if it looks dry. The stovetop keeps the cabbage in better condition than the microwave. Reheat rice separately with a splash of water and a lid on to trap the steam.

Keywords: corned beef,

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