Juicy, bold Jamaican Pepper Steak made fast with a rich marinade and vibrant peppers. A quick weeknight dinner packed with island flavor your whole family will love.
Have you been to a Jamaican restaurant and loved what you had? I gotta be honest with you, I never have, but after making this Quick & Delicious Jamaican Pepper Steak, I now need to go to one! Typically, I recommend going out to eat at new cultural restaurants to inspire you to try new recipes as I outline in my Make Cooking Fun!! free motivational guide to spark your creativity in the kitchen, but for me personally my home cooking actually made me want to go out to eat! This tip can definitely work both ways, but if you are stuck in a rut in the kitchen, then certainly treat yourself and come back refreshed and full of creative juices!
That being said, if you ever have been to a Jamaican restaurant, I bet you really would love to recreate a wonderful meal at home for a quick weeknight dinner! The best part of this recipe is that every bite is loaded with flavors, making you not believe how fast it is to get this together! You may be a little intimidated by a long list of ingredients, but I’m sure you’ve got most of these on hand already to make a fantastic Jerk Seasoning. Additionally, you can make one big batch to have Jerk seasoning on hand for whenever you feel like making any Jamaican classics!
If Jamaica is a destination unseen for you, then this pepper steak recipe is an excellent starting point! Be sure to make this Jamaican Pepper Steak as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! Start your cooking journey for free and get all the tools you need for success by signing up to my newsletter - plus you’ll get all of my new recipes from the blog delivered right to your inbox!
Check out the video to follow along as I demonstrate all the steps to make our awesome Pepper Steak! Please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already, and don’t forget to hit the bell button so you’re notified when all of my video recipes go live! Let’s get cooking!
What is Jamaican-Style Pepper Steak?▼
Pepper Steak is actually a dish that originated in China, specifically, it comes from the province of Fujian. Originally, pork was used as the protein source instead of beef. Now, beef is the primary protein source and it’s combined with a thick sauce, accompanied with sliced onions and bell peppers. It can be served as either an appetizer or main dish, served with rice or noodles. The dish became Americanized in the 1940s, where the Americans added a lot more seasonings in the Chinese version.
As you’ll see, to add a Jamaican flair to Jerk Seasoning is where a lot of the flavour in our steak comes from. This is a Jamaican sweet and warm spice blend with the main ground spices: as cinnamon, allspice, thyme and nutmeg. Other variations can include a mix of different hot spices, herbs, and seasonings. You can have Jerk seasoning either as a dry rub or as a paste. In my Air Fryer Jerk Chicken Wings, I made a paste, but today I’ll be using a dry rub.
What Kind of Steak Should I use for Pepper Steak?▼
I’ll be using flank steak for this Jamaican pepper steak. You want to use a lean and thin steak that’s intended for fast frying. That being said, any prime cut of steak will be excellent here, such as top sirloin or round steak.
How Long Should I Marinate the Steak?▼
I marinated my steak overnight. If you’re really in a pinch and want to make this a quick meal, you certainly can marinate the steak just for a couple of minutes or for a few hours to have even more flavourful meat. However, with a prime cut like flank steak, I think it wouldn’t do it justice to marinate it for a short period of time, and I do recommend marinating overnight to even 24 hours if possible! Typically, the longer you marinate the meat, the better, so in my opinion I think you should do your best to plan this dish out!
Ingredients Needed for Jamaican Pepper Steak
Scroll to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD to see all ingredient quantities and to save the recipe for later. You can also scale the recipe based on how much steak you’ve got on hand so that you have just the right amount of seasoning and other veggies to pair - no mental math on the ratio is needed!
For the Jerk Marinade
This is made with a combination of warm island spices. Let’s review:
Tomato paste: Adds lots of depth and richness to bring the dish together.
Beef broth: To make the sauce and to add even more flavor.
Corn starch: This will be used to thicken the gravy.
How to Make Tender Jamaican Pepper Steak
For the Marinade
Prepare the Jerk seasoning by combining all the ingredients for it.
Thinly slice the flank steak, making sure to cut perpendicular to the lines of the muscle fibers in the steak.
In a bowl, combine the Jamaican jerk seasoning, cumin, smoked paprika, and chili powder. Add the sliced flank steak to a large bowl and add and a drizzle of olive oil.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate for at least 30 minutes, but ideally overnight for best results.
For the Pepper Steak
Heat 1 1/2 Tbsp of the olive oil in a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat and prepare the veggies, ginger and garlic.
Add the marinated strips of meat and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until browned. Remove the steak from the pan and set aside.
Add the rest of the 1 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil with the sliced bell peppers, onions, white parts of the green onions, and chopped ginger & garlic to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are slightly softened.
Add the tomato paste and sauté for about one minute. Then, pour the beef broth into the cast iron pan and mix well to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.
In a small bowl, whisk together the corn starch and 1/4 cup of water. Add the cornstarch mixture to the skillet and stir to combine. Continue cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and appears shiny.
Return the steak to the pan and use a wooden spoon to completely coat it in the sauce and to combine with the veggies. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the steak is completely warmed through.
Garnish with the green parts of the green onions and the sliced scotch bonnet peppers.
Serve the pepper steak with cooked quinoa, rice, or couscous and enjoy!
How Do I Know When the Steak is Ready?▼
The meat should no longer be pink and each side should have a golden brown sear.
How to Store Jamaican-Style Pepper Steak▼
While I think that the texture of this dish will be best served fresh, if there are leftovers or you want to make this recipe for meal prepping, simply transfer the contents into an airtight container and place in the refrigerator. Your Jamaican-style Pepper Steak will stay fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can easily reheat this in the microwave for a minute or two or until fully warm. Keep in mind that the veggies may get a little soft when reheating.
Make sure to thinly slice the steak against the grain, perpendicular to the grain and keep the pieces as even as you can.
While preparing the peppers, make sure you remove any white bits from the peppers as these can be bitter.
Take care while preparing the sliced scotch bonnet peppers and clean your hands well before proceeding with the rest of the spices.
Fry the meat in batches if needed to ensure there is no overcrowding in the pan. This will help to reduce the cook time and get a great sear to the meat at the same time.
Seasoning is key and after the gravy has thickened and the meat has been added back to the pan, ensure to taste and adjust for seasoning.
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!
Recipe by Anadi Misra
Sizzling Jamaican Pepper Steak in Minutes
Juicy, bold Jamaican Pepper Steak made fast with a rich marinade and vibrant peppers. A quick weeknight dinner packed with island flavor your whole family will love.
Prepare the Jerk seasoning by combining all the ingredients for it.
Prepare the Jerk seasoning by combining all the ingredients for it.
2
Thinly slice the flank steak, making sure to cut perpendicular to the lines of the muscle fibres in the steak.
Thinly slice the flank steak, making sure to cut perpendicular to the lines of the muscle fibres in the steak.
3
In a bowl, combine the Jamaican jerk seasoning, cumin, smoked paprika, and chili powder. Add the sliced flank steak to a large bowl and add and a drizzle of olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate for at least 30 minutes, but ideally overnight for best results.
In a bowl, combine the Jamaican jerk seasoning, cumin, smoked paprika, and chili powder. Add the sliced flank steak to a large bowl and add and a drizzle of olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate for at least 30 minutes, but ideally overnight for best results.
For the pepper steak
1
Heat 1 ½ tbsp of the olive oil in a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat and prepare the veggies, ginger and garlic.
Heat 1 ½ tbsp of the olive oil in a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat and prepare the veggies, ginger and garlic.
2
Add the marinated steak and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until browned. Remove the steak from the pan and set aside.
Add the marinated steak and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until browned. Remove the steak from the pan and set aside.
3
Add the rest of the 1 ½ tbsp of olive oil with the sliced bell peppers, onions, white parts of the green onions, and chopped ginger & garlic to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are slightly softened.
Add the rest of the 1 ½ tbsp of olive oil with the sliced bell peppers, onions, white parts of the green onions, and chopped ginger & garlic to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are slightly softened.
4
Add the tomato paste and sauté for about one minute. Then, pour the beef broth into the cast iron pan and mix well to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.
Add the tomato paste and sauté for about one minute. Then, pour the beef broth into the cast iron pan and mix well to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.
5
In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and ¼ cup of water. Add the cornstarch mixture to the skillet and stir to combine. Continue cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and appears shiny.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and ¼ cup of water. Add the cornstarch mixture to the skillet and stir to combine. Continue cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and appears shiny.
6
Return the steak to the pan and use a wooden spoon to completely coat it in the sauce and to combine with the veggies. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the steak is completely warmed through.
Return the steak to the pan and use a wooden spoon to completely coat it in the sauce and to combine with the veggies. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the steak is completely warmed through.
7
Garnish with the green parts of the green onions and the sliced scotch bonnet peppers.
Garnish with the green parts of the green onions and the sliced scotch bonnet peppers.
8
Serve the pepper steak with cooked quinoa, rice, or couscous and enjoy!
Serve the pepper steak with cooked quinoa, rice, or couscous and enjoy!
Nutrition per serving
669
Calories
22g
Protein
19g
Carbs
57g
Fat
2g
Fiber
8g
Sugar
1483mg
Sodium
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Tested & written in Anadi’s kitchen
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