More Than Jerk: The Rousseau Sisters Want to Change The Way You Experience Jamaican Food

They’ve hosted royals, elevated island flavors, and now they’re letting you in on one of their signature dishes.

For Two Sisters offers bespoke experiences on the historic Rockfield estate. Take cooking and

“There were so many challenges, being young females in a third world country — from things like power outages, water being cut off, extra costs for generators and assisting with transportation for employees, to getting funding, as the early 90s were a difficult time financially in Jamaica. We started our business with debt, taught ourselves accounting and created our own standards and methods of doing business,” says Michelle.

“The food service space is divided, with the professional chefs in their jackets and domestics. Some people looked down on us, couldn’t understand why after going to university we would go into the food space,” Michelle adds. “We were going against the grain.” What people didn’t get, explains Suzanne, is “service isn’t servitude.” Their parents’ encouragement helped drown out the naysayers.

Now though, the buzz is about thesrc="https://www.essence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Grilled-Chicken-with-Spicy-West-Indian-Salsa-Verde.jpg" alt="More Than Jerk: The Rousseau Sisters Want to Change The Way You Experience Jamaican Food" width="400" height="532" /> Grilled Chicken With Spicy West Indian Salsa Verde

(Yields 8 to 10 servings)

4 pounds mixed chicken parts, cleaned

1/4 cup olive oil

1 bunch of scallions

8 cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger

1 bunch fresh thyme

1 bunch fresh cilantro

½ Scotch Bonnet pepper

¼ cup fresh lime juice (from about six limes)

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 pounds mixed chicken parts, cleaned

For the Spicy West Indian Salsa Verde

(Makes about 2 ½ cups)

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/3 cup chopped fresh chadon beni (culantro) or cilantro

1 tablespoon roughly chopped garlic

½ cup chopped scallions

1 bunch fresh thyme, chopped

1½ cup olive oil

½ cup water

6 tablespoons lime juice (from about eight limes)

1 Scotch Bonnet, cut in half without seeds

2 teaspoons lime zest

1 tablespoon sea salt

1 tablespoon peeled and chopped ginger

In a blender, combine the oil, scallion, garlic, ginger, thyme, cilantro, scotch bonnet, lime juice, salt and pepper and purée. Transfer to a baking dish or resealable plastic bag and add the chicken, tossing to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 12 hours or overnight. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

To make the spicy West Indian Salsa Verde, in a food processor or blender, combine the parsley, chadon beni, garlic, scallions, thyme, olive oil, water, lime juice, lime zest, scotch bonnet, salt and ginger, and blend well.

Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Grill the chicken for about 10 minutes per side, turning once until the outside is charred. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish and toss with some of the Salsa Verde, saving the remainder for garnish. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and an instant-read thermometer registers 165°F. Transfer the chicken into a platter. Drizzle with more Salsa Verde and serve.

The post More Than Jerk: The Rousseau Sisters Want to Change The Way You Experience Jamaican Food appeared first on Essence.