Honey Free Caribbean Jerk-Style Compound Butter
This compound butter is bold, fragrant, and packed with everything that makes Caribbean cooking so irresistible — scotch bonnet heat, warm allspice, cinnamon, and a bright hit of lime zest all swirled into creamy, softened butter. Many jerk-inspired recipes lean on honey for that touch of sweetness, but this one uses maple syrup instead, so you get the same depth and balance without any bee-derived ingredients. Fresh ginger and scallion greens add a lively, aromatic punch, while smoked paprika and dried thyme round out that signature jerk flavor profile. The technique is as simple as it gets: beat everything together, roll it into a log, and let the fridge do the rest. Once it's firm, you just slice off rounds and let them melt over hot grilled chicken, fish, or roasted vegetables — the butter does all the work from there. It keeps beautifully in the refrigerator and can be made well ahead of time, making it a seriously impressive finishing touch with almost zero effort at the stove.
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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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