A traditional Jamaican dish — Pepper Pot Soup is a thick, leafy soup of callaloo and okra simmered with salt beef or pork and coconut milk, with a whole scotch bonnet keeping watch over the pot. It descends from the Arawak people’s pepper pots, which were kept simmering and added to for days. Warming, silky and faintly fiery, it is Sunday lunch in a bowl.
Pepper Pot Soup
A traditional Jamaican dish — Pepper Pot Soup is a thick, leafy soup of callaloo and okra simmered with salt beef or pork and coconut milk, with a whole scotch bonnet keeping watch over the pot.

Step by stepInstructions
- Soak the salt beef or pork in cold water for 1 hour, then drain; put it in a large pot with the water and simmer for 45 minutes.
- Add the yam, pimento, garlic, scallions, thyme and the whole scotch bonnet, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the callaloo, okra and coconut milk, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Mix the flour with the cold water into a firm dough and pinch off small dumplings, or spinners, dropping them into the soup.
- Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes more, until the dumplings are cooked and the soup is thick and silky; season with salt to taste.
- Serve very hot, removing the whole pepper for a milder bowl.
💡 Chef tips & storage
The soup should be thick enough to coat a spoon — that is the pepper pot way. If salt beef is unavailable, a smoked ham hock makes an excellent substitute.

Join the conversation
Only members can comment — it takes a few seconds to create a free account.
Log in Create an account