Artificial Food Coloring Free Caribbean Jerk-Style Compound Butter
Few things upgrade a weeknight dinner faster than a well-made compound butter, and this jerk-spiced version is genuinely special. Softened butter gets loaded with scotch bonnet or habanero, fresh ginger, lime zest, scallion greens, and a warm cascade of allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and smoked paprika — all real, whole ingredients with nothing artificial hiding in the mix. That matters more than you might think, since many store-bought spice blends and flavored butters sneak in synthetic dyes to boost their color or visual appeal. Here, the gorgeous amber-orange hue comes entirely from the spices themselves, so what you see is exactly what you're eating. A touch of maple syrup rounds out the heat from the pepper without dulling it, and a squeeze of fresh lime keeps everything bright. Once you roll it into a log and chill it, you've got a ready-to-slice flavor bomb that melts dramatically over grilled chicken, fish, or roasted vegetables. Make a double batch — it disappears fast.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 tbsp scallion greens, finely sliced (green tops only)
- 1 tsp fresh scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, seeded and minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 tsp lime zest (from about 1 lime)
- 1 tsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- ¾ tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, scallion greens, scotch bonnet pepper, ginger, lime zest, lime juice, and maple syrup. Beat with a fork or hand mixer until the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the butter.
- 2
Add the allspice, cinnamon, thyme, black pepper, nutmeg, smoked paprika, and salt. Beat again until the spices are fully incorporated and the butter is uniform in color with no dry pockets of spice visible. Fold in the cilantro, if using.
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