Cook This: 3 recipes from My Jamaican Table, including Solomon Gundy with fish from the Bay of Fundy

Our cookbook of the week is My Jamaican Table by Andre Fowles.

Sign In or Create an Account

Jump to the recipes:Solomon Gundy, coconut steamed red snapper and chocolate-dipped ice cream bars.

It’s not every day that you open a cookbook to see a foreword by Bruce Springsteen. “That’s my badge of honour right now, to have that foreword by the legend himself, and he’s even a better person,” says Andre Fowles, who cooked for Springsteen as a private chef and now calls him a friend.

In Fowles’s cookbook debut, My Jamaican Table (Artisan Books, 2026), the three-time Chopped champion charts his career — from growing up in Kingston, Jamaica, where “food was our North Star,” to professional kitchens in New York City.

Join Laura Brehaut on a weekly food adventure with mouth-watering reads delivered Fridays.

By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.

A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.

The next issue of Cook This will soon be in your inbox.

We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again

“You see some traditional dishes that pay homage to Jamaica, but also some more modern takes that show my style of cooking as well.”

A classically trained chef, Fowles incorporates twists, traditional dishes and techniques but above all, keeps recipes true to how he likes to eat. He offers the example of steamed red snapper, which is traditionally done on the bone. Since he prefers fillets poached in coconut milk with allspice berries and Scotch bonnet pepper, he presents it that way in the book.

“That’s why I thought of the name, My Jamaican Table,” says Fowles. “I really wanted to make it my own, to talk about stuff that I personally love to eat, because everyone has their own take on what Jamaican cuisine means to them.”

He highlights the history and context of classic dishes, such as the “Patty Wars” sparked by the Jamaican beef patty in Toronto in 1985. Vendors contested the government’s attempt to define a “beef patty” strictly as seasoned meat. They ultimately found a compromise, and the iconic street food was allowed to be sold as a “Jamaican patty” — a victory celebrated as Patty Day every Feb. 23 in Toronto.

“It was a big deal to fight for your culture, and food is just a major part of that. So I really wanted to touch on those bits and pieces, and to really do my best to do right by Jamaica, because firstly, this is a cultural book that happens to have fun recipes in it.”

Fowles has always considered himself a proud Jamaican, and writing the book gave him an even deeper admiration for his country. He says that he wanted to capture its positivity and hopes that readers put on some reggae or dancehall music and invite friends over for rum punch and coconut shrimp. “Or you can do the Solomon Gundy, and talk about the history of how that made it to Nova Scotia,” he says of another Jamaican dish with a Canadian connection featured in the book.

“If you’re lucky enough to have a grill outside, let’s put some jerk chicken on, and then you immediately feel like you’ve been transported to somewhere else outside of your four walls. That’s really the essence of the book — to make it your own. Make it your Jamaican experience, which is always fun.”

Serves: 6

1 lb (450 g) salted smoked herring fillets (see Note)
5 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
Leaves from 3 thyme sprigs
2 scallions, chopped
2 Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, chopped
1 shallot or 1/2 small red onion, chopped
1/2 cup (125 mL) distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup (60 mL) vegetable oil or other neutral oil
1 tbsp molasses
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp allspice berries
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Crackers, for serving

Place the herring in a large heatproof bowl and add enough boiling water to cover the fish. Soak the fish in the hot water for 10 minutes to get rid of excess salt. Drain the fish, then use your hands to shred the herring, removing as many of the fine bones as you can.

In a food processor or blender, combine the garlic, thyme, scallions, Scotch bonnets, shallot, vinegar, oil, molasses, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, allspice berries, and nutmeg and pulse to form a paste. Add the shredded herring and pulse once more to combine.

Serve with crackers. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. This dish gets better as it ages.

Note: This recipe calls for salted smoked herring fillets, not the canned variety. Smoked herring can be found near the meat and seafood section of many supermarkets (especially Latin American and Caribbean stores).

Solomon Gundy Dip: For a delicious dip, mix some prepared Solomon Gundy with cream cheese, starting with a 1:2 ratio of Solomon Gundy to cream cheese. Add more or less cream cheese to taste. You can add sour cream, fresh thyme leaves, extra garlic, chopped shallots and/or lime juice to boost the flavour. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve with your favourite crackers for a quick appetizer.

Serves: 4

4 red snapper fillets, skin on or off (about 6 oz/170 g each)
1 tbsp all-purpose seasoning, homemade or store-bought
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, cut into thin strips
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 Scotch bonnet pepper, seeds removed and sliced
Leaves from 2 thyme sprigs
1 tsp allspice berries
One 14-oz (400 mL) can coconut milk (1 3/4 cups)
8 okra pods, cut on a bias into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp (2 oz/60 g) cold salted butter, cubed
2 scallions, thinly sliced on a bias, for garnish
Bammy, for serving (optional; see Note)

Sprinkle the snapper fillets with the all-purpose seasoning and set aside.

Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, garlic, Scotch bonnet, thyme and allspice and cook, stirring constantly, until the onions have softened, about 3 minutes.

Add the coconut milk, okra, bell pepper, salt and black pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.

Gently place the fish in the pan and spoon some of the sauce over the fillets. Place a tablespoon of the butter on top of each piece of fish, cover the pan, and cook until the fish is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes.

Discard the allspice berries. Serve immediately in a shallow bowl. Ladle the sauce and vegetables over the fish and garnish with the scallions. If desired, serve with bammy.

Note: If serving with bammy (cassava flatbread), poach the bammy in the sauce for 15 minutes before adding the fish to the pan. If your pan is big enough, you can cut the bammy and arrange them in the pan alongside the fish.

Makes: 8 ice cream bars

1 cup (160 g) raisins
1/2 cup (125 mL) dark rum
2 cups (500 mL) cold heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup (180 mL) sweetened condensed milk
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 cups (about 480 g) dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup (60 mL) coconut oil
Optional toppings: flaky sea salt, sweetened shredded coconut or chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, peanuts, etc.)

In a small saucepan, combine the raisins and dark rum and bring to a low simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat and let the raisins soak in the rum for 30 to 60 minutes. Drain the raisins, reserving 1/4 cup (60 mL) of the rum.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk (see Notes), beat the whipping cream on high speed until stiff peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the condensed milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add the condensed milk mixture to the whipped cream, along with the raisins and the reserved 1/4 cup (60 mL) rum, and gently fold in with a silicone spatula until just combined, being careful not to deflate the whipped cream.

Pour the mixture into a silicone ice cream bar mould (see Notes), then insert ice pop sticks into each of the bars. Freeze until solid, at least 8 hours.

In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave (see Notes) the chocolate and coconut oil in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until melted. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a tall glass that’s just wide enough to fit the ice cream bars.

Line a tray with parchment paper. Remove the ice cream bars from the mould and dip each one into the melted chocolate, working quickly so the ice cream doesn’t melt. Place the chocolate-coated bars on the lined tray. Sprinkle the tops with any optional toppings and freeze again for at least 1 hour, until the chocolate is hard and the ice cream has firmed up again. Enjoy straight out of the freezer.

Wrap any leftover ice cream bars with parchment paper and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Notes:

• You can also use a hand mixer to whip the cream, but it will take a bit longer to reach stiff peaks, 5 to 6 minutes.
• If you don’t have an ice cream bar mould, you can pour the mixture into an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking pan lined with parchment paper. Top the mixture with another sheet of parchment paper and freeze for 8 to 12 hours before cutting the ice cream into 8 rectangles. Insert ice pop sticks into the bottom of each bar once cut. You’ll need to freeze the bars again before dipping them in chocolate so they don’t melt.
• If you don’t have a microwave, place the chocolate and coconut oil in a heatproof bowl over a large saucepan of simmering water and stir until melted, 3 to 4 minutes.

Recipes and images excerpted from My Jamaican Table by Andre Fowles (Artisan Books). Copyright ©2026. Photographs by Michael Condran.

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our cookbook and recipe newsletter, Cook This, here.

This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.