How do you improve a classic? I shared my version of Pig Poot Souse, just over 12 years ago, and while that version remains a classic (according to fans), I thought it was time to give it a refresh. In that recipe I spoke about how Souse is more of a cure for hangovers and something you also enjoyed at local watering holes (rum shops). However, I learned (social media again) that it’s just as popular, removed from the adult beverages scene.
You’ll Need…
2- 4 pig feet (cut into pieces)
1 heaping tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
6-8 cloves garlic (smashed)
3 scallions (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
water
2 medium cucumber (sliced thin)
1/2 large onion (sliced thin)
2 stalks celery (diced fine)
2 scotch bonnet peppers (diced fine)
4 cloves garlic (sliced or crushed)
2-4 limes (juice)
3 tablespoon chopped shado beni (culantro) (chopped fine)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
water
Notes! I like my Souse spicy so I used 2 whole scotch bonnet pepper (including seeds), but you can tailor it to your heat tolerance level. Remember to wash your hands with soap and water after handling such spicy peppers.
Important. As mentioned in the previous 2 recipe posts, my camera for stills is not functioning properly so I could not take step by step pics as I normally do. Should you run into any questions the post doesn’t explain, please refer to the video below.
Get your butcher to cut the pig feet. Wash with the juice of a lime or lemon (not mentioned in the ingredient list above) and cool water. Watch my tip on getting rid of any remaining hairs on the feet, in the video below.
Place the cleaned pig feet pieces (I got 10 pieces from 2 feet) in a deep pot covered with water and cook for 2 hours or until tender. As it comes to a boil (high heat) add the items mentioned in the first part of the ingredient list.
After 2 hours on a simmer (lower your heat) they should be tender, drain and rinse with cool water and place in a deep bowl to assemble. The water in the pot will reduce over the cooking time, so add more when necessary.
While they boil, it’s a great time to prep the other ingredients.
Try to get the onion sliced as thin as you can and while a lot of people like to crush the garlic, I’m a HUGE fan of garlic, so I sliced mine to get pieces as I enjoyed a bowl of this Souse.
Place all the ingredients (mentioned in the 2nd part of the ingredient list) along with the cooked/cooled pig feet pieces and cover with cool water. This is served by the cup-full, so add a lot of water (I had about a liter and 1/2 of water in this batch).
Taste and adjust the salt to your liking. I’d recommend allowing this to marinate in the fridge for a couple hours before serving and when you do serve a bowl or cup.. make sure you have a wedge of lime to juice on fresh.
It’s probably the only soup-like dish we have in the Caribbean that we serve cold. TIP! Should you have a pressure cooker, you can cook the pig feet for about 25-30 minutes, instead of the 2 hours I did. Personally I like low and slow.
Pork not your thing? I got you – Chicken Foot Souse!
If you cannot source the Shado Beni, cilantro is an excellent substitute. Not traditional, but I also like adding trimmed branches of watercress to the mix, so it’s a bit more filling and for the added crunch and flavor.
Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/
