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During the last week of January, I joined many of you on The Globe and Mail Caribbean Odyssey cruise. We visited several islands and the food varied in style according to the island's historical influences. On St. Barts, we found strong French influences; on St. Martin, the French cuisine with Creole and Dutch overtones. Jerk dishes could be found on all the islands we visited. It was the spiciness that varied. Here are three Caribbean-inspired recipes to make you think of spring break and sunnier climates.

BITTER END JERK CHICKEN

The jerk method of cooking dates back more than 300 years and many different variations have developed during that time. The following recipe is from Chef Lee Evans at the Bitter End Yacht Club on the island of Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands. The chicken is at its finest grilled, but because it's winter here I roasted mine. If you can't find Scotch bonnet peppers, which are very hot, use jalapeno or even dried chili flakes instead.

What you need

Jerk Spice:

¼ cup dark rum

½ cup chopped green onions

1 teaspoon or more chopped, seeded scotch bonnet pepper

2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground allspice

¼ cup cider vinegar

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

2 teaspoons dried ginger

1 teaspoons ground cardamom

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons dried thyme

½ teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons chopped, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

1 tablespoon fresh cracked black pepper

Salt to taste

1 1.5 to 2 kilograms (3 to 4 pounds) chicken, cut into 8 pieces

What you do

Combine rum, onions, pepper, sugar, allspice, vinegar, garlic, ginger, cardamom, coriander, thyme, rosemary, oregano, sun-dried tomatoes, pepper and salt in a food processor or mini-chop.

Place chicken pieces in a plastic bag, pour in jerk paste and rub well into the chicken. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Bring chicken back to room temperature. Place chicken on a rack over a roasting pan and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 40 to 50 minutes or until chicken juice runs clear.

Serve chicken with rice, beans and pineapple salsa.

PINEAPPLE SALSA

Buy half of an already peeled fresh pineapple to speed up the process.

What you need

2 cups finely diced pineapple

3 tablespoons finely chopped dill pickle

½ cup diced red onion

½ cup diced yellow pepper

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon chopped jalapeno pepper

¼ cup chopped fresh mint

2 tablespoons lime juice or to taste

Salt to taste

What you do

Combine pineapple, pickle, red onion, yellow pepper and grated ginger in a small bowl. Stir in jalapeno, mint and lime juice and season with salt. Serves 4.

CARIBBEAN PAELLA

This recipe was the combined effort of all the chefs on the Caribbean Odyssey and here is my take on it. The French merguez sausage comes closest to the Caribbean version of chorizo, a spicy, fresh sausage that is not smoked. If you cannot find merguez, use any spicy Italian sausage.

what you need

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup chicken stock

½ teaspoon saffron threads

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped red or yellow pepper

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

½ cup chopped spicy sausage

1 teaspoon chopped jalapeno pepper

1 cup long-grain rice

2 tomatoes, fresh or canned, diced

12 large shrimp

3 squid, thinly sliced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons chopped coriander

what you do

Heat coconut milk, chicken stock and saffron together until warm. Reserve.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, peppers, garlic and sausage and sauté for 2 minutes. Add jalapeno pepper and sauté 1 minute longer.

Stir in rice and toss together cooking for about 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, cook another 1 minute, then add reserved coconut milk and stock, and bring to boil.

Reduce heat to medium and simmer rice, uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally or until quite al dente, adding more stock if needed. Stir in shrimps and continue to cook 5 minutes longer.

Add squid and cook another 2 to 3 minutes or until shrimp is cooked and rice is tender. Season well with salt and pepper. Garnish with coriander.

COCONUT-MILK PANCAKES WITH RUM-RAISIN ICE CREAM

We had these on Virgin Gorda. Buy rum-raisin or banana ice cream and sprinkle with a few extra drops of rum before adding it to the pancake.

We tried the pancake with regular rice flour, but the texture was heavier. The Asian flour gave a lacier, crisper effect.

What you need

12/3 cups light coconut milk

1 cup Asian rice flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Salt to taste

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

What you do

Gently whisk together coconut milk and rice flour. Add sugar and season with salt.

Heat oil in small skillet over medium heat. Add ¼ cup batter and swirl around skillet to make a thin pancake. Cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes, then with your fingertips or a spatula gently flip and cook another minute.

Repeat with remaining batter. Place on a plate and cover with a tea towel. Alternatively cool and reheat in a 300 F. oven for 5 minutes.

Place a single pancake on an individual serving plate. Top with a dollop of rum-raisin ice cream and fold over. Serves 4.