With August at our doorsteps, November is just around the corner. In short, the holiday season is upon us, and it starts with the harvest celebration of Thanksgiving. Think of the fest, and the first thing that pops in mind is its delicious dinner. The thought of turkey and pumpkin pie makes one salivate!

During Thanksgiving dinner, chatter and togetherness surround the food. When the ambiance is so cheerful and memorable, it is only fair to ensure the dishes are equally unforgettable. While you let traditional turkey and pumpkin pie take the centerpiece, you could replace typical Thanksgiving side dishes with delicious Caribbean flavors for an island twist.

The fest may not exactly be a Caribbean holiday but, many from the US territories of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, in addition to them who have Caribbean roots, celebrate it with their own special menus. Here are the top 5 of those Caribbean Thanksgiving side dishes that will help you enjoy the dinner with an island flare.

A Little About Caribbean Cuisine

It is a yummy fusion of cuisines from around the world. In it, you will find flavors influenced by Africa, Creole, Cajun, Latin America, Europe, Amerindian, India/South Asia, Middle East, and China. This gastronomic mingling happened when travelers from these countries came to the Caribbean and brought with them their unique traditions.

The Caribbean dishes have a distinct flavor, added to them by the most vital ingredients of the cuisine: beans, rice, plantains, cassava, chickpeas, bell peppers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, cilantro (coriander), and coconut. To put it simply, the food in the islands is a giant melting pot of flavors. Making it even more moreish is the bold spicy and fresh taste offered by ingredients like allspice, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. 

Sounds delicious, doesn’t it? Without wasting another jiffy, let’s dive into the 5 scrummy dishes you could add to the thanksgiving dinner table this year.

Cuban Black Beans

Made with two of the main ingredients - rice and beans - this dish is exemplary Caribbean homestyle cooking. Being homely, it is also not overly fussy. In fact, the Cuban black beans is among the easy-to-follow Caribbean thanksgiving recipes.

Loaded with onions, green pepper, and bay leaf, sofrito, wine, oregano, and tomato paste, the dish boasts mucho sabor(lots of flavors). It adds to the table, the perfect Latin groove that you may be seeking. Plus, the dish is super easy to prep and cook and takes less than 30 minutes to reach from kitchen slab to dinner table. Low in fat, gluten-free, inexpensive, super high in fiber, and delicioso, Cuban black beans make a great contender among healthy Thanksgiving side dishes.

Salt Fish Cakes

This Caribbean dish comes in variety – some cook it with potatoes and some without them. Either way, it uses a fusion of onions, hot pepper, and shallots for a bold taste. Putting bread crumbs help the cakes become crunchier and more delicious.

The ingredients used in this are readily available in all home kitchens, making it is one of the easy Thanksgiving side dishes to cook. All you require is boneless salt cods, chopped onions, unsalted butter, potatoes (optional), hot pepper, eggs, dry bread crumbs, and veggie oil.

But if you want the dish to be truly unforgettable, consider investing time in prepping the cod. Soak them in a large bowl with cold freshwater by 2 inches. Change the water thrice a day for up to three days, depending on how salty they are. 

Note that sods of different brands differ in their degree of saltiness. If your sod is less salty, it may need only a day of soaking. Test it by sampling the sod with a small piece; you want it to be pleasantly salty, not overwhelmingly. 

Trinidad Callaloo

Callaloo is a type of soup that hails from eponymous Trinidad and Tobago but, many Trinidadians consider it as a side dish. Even if you look at it as soup, it still makes one of the best Thanksgiving sides or appetizers. Let’s face it - no grand meal is ever complete without yummy soup. Callaloo, being a part of the Caribbean’s traditional Sunday meal, is a satiating addition to a table that is cherishing the archipelago’s cuisine. It is so common that every island has its unique version of Callaloo. 

Trinidad Callaloo is a concoction of crab, okra, onions, salt meat, green onions, thyme, scotch bonnet peppers, and pimento peppers. These ingredients are all cooked in fresh coconut milk with dasheen. 

Once prepared, Callaloo can be served with rice or dumplings. Even if you make extra, the leftovers can be safely preserved in the fridge for up to two days.

Fried Green Plantains

Simple yet scrummy, fried green plantains, or tostones, is a healthy Thanksgiving side dish for all epicures. But what are tostones? They are round slices of unripe, green plantains that are fried, smashed, and fried again until crisp. Despite the resemblance, the dish tastes nothing like unripe bananas. It is savory with a salty crunch and starchy inside – more like potatoes.

You can gauge the yumminess of this dish by the fact that, in the Latin American countries, it is as popular as the French fries are here. Just by sampling its salty crispy crust and tender insides, you will understand why the plantains are so loved.

Another great thing about this Caribbean food is that anyone – honestly, anyone – can make tostones. Even if you haven’t tried your hand at making Latin dishes or any dish for that matter, you will still be surprised how easy it is to make these golden-brown nibbles.

Caribbean Coleslaw

Look into the varieties of Caribbean coleslaw, and you will see no end to the list. From spicy to hot and fruity, the dish comes in different flavors. However, what remains consistent is the fact that how delicious it tastes. The coleslaw combines carrots, cabbage, and nuts to create a satiating taste worth serving as one of the Thanksgiving vegetable side dishes.

If this guide were to list all five recipes chronologically based on which one is the easiest and quickest to make, Caribbean coleslaw would top it with flying colors. The dish only takes 15 minutes to cook. All you need to do is mix all ingredients. Then, season it with preferred condiments (mayonnaise, garlic, pepper), dress it with vinaigrette (or not), toss, chill, and serve. You can choose to get as creative as you want with this one. 

Let’s Wrap It Up

Make your Thanksgiving dinner even more special and unforgettable with these Caribbean side dishes. From healthy veggie salads to finger-licking good soup, this guide lists the tastiest (and easiest) options to consider.

Comment below the dish you would be adding this year.