Last father’s day, I prepared a feast for my hubbie. A feast which included these Caribbean pepper jerk shrimp.
I did not post pics or provide details of that day because I was overwhelmed to say the least. What we intended to be only a few minutes at my cousin’s house the day before lasted several hours and I didn’t get the opportunity to shop for ingredients or marinate meats/seafood, as I had planned.
Everything was done the day of, including spending one hour on the kitchen floor grieving for my father, whom we lost 21 years ago. Some heartaches never go away. As I said, I was overwhelmed that day. I could have eliminated half of the items on the menu, but I don’t give up easily. Plus, cooking is therapeutic (so is shopping and eating but couldn’t do both until I survived the present hurdle). I endured till the end as if my life depended on it. [p.s. I secretly love a good challenge]. After all, he made Mother’s days extra special and I felt compelled to reciprocate with even more grandeur.
He loves shrimp, and I planned to make “Trini pepper shrimps” for him, but I wanted to prepare the shrimp on the grill. I took inspiration from our Trini pepper shrimp recipe as well as the Jerk marinade from our sister island, Jamaica, mon….and I created this recipe replicating some of the ingredients from both. It would have been another one of my elusive recipes, you know, the ones that are forgotten as quickly as they are digested, but when my sister proclaimed that she would pay mucho dinero for these shrimps (ok, I lied, she didn’t say mucho…just dinero), I thought that I should probably document it to share with the blogosphere (it’s a year late….but better late than never).
Are you dribbling yet???? Good……
Cook’s notes
For a more rustic/down-home-liming-by-the-river-presentation, I use the whole shrimp, head to tail, no deveining. If you wish to do this, ensure that the shrimp is of the highest and freshest quality. I grill or pan fry it until it is crisp and well cooked.
When serving those who don’t share, or who aren’t particularly fond of, the exceptionally bizarre and adventurous appetites of Andrew Zimmern and/or Anthony Bourdain, I remove the heads, devein the shrimp and skewer them for a more elegant presentation. Decide which direction will work for you and your crowd.
Ingredients You Will Need for Caribbean Pepper-Jerk Shrimp
- 1 ½ pounds shrimp, shell on
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 4-6 cloves of garlic
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 4 cherry peppers or 1 habanero or scotch bonnet pepper
- 1 tablespoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons organic ketchup
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Himalayan salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
How to make these amazing jerk shrimp?
Wash shrimp briefly with the juice of half a lemon. Drain.
In a food processor, add the lemon juice, scallions, garlic, onion, hot peppers, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, honey, ketchup, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and blend until smooth.
Add 1/2 of the mixture to shrimp. Combine well. Reserve the other half for serving.
Cover shrimp with plastic wrap and marinate for 15 minutes.
If using wood skewers, soak them in cold water for 15 minutes.
Thread 4 shrimp onto each skewer so the shrimp lie flat.
Heat grill to high for direct grilling.
Grill shrimp until beautifully done, golden brown and slightly charred, about 2-3 minutes on each side.
Alternatively, you may sauté shrimp (not skewered of course) in a pan on the stove (over high heat) using a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil..
Remove the shrimp to a platter. Mix reserved marinade into shrimp or serve with extra marinade for dipping.
Other favorites you will love:
Jerk Chicken Recipe (Oven or Grill)
Leftover Jerk Chicken Fried Rice
Best Fresh Berry Cobbler Recipe
Caribbean Pepper-Jerk Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds shrimp shell on
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 scallions chopped
- 4-6 cloves of garlic
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 4 cherry peppers or 1 habanero or scotch bonnet pepper
- 1 tablespoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons organic ketchup
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Himalayan salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash shrimp briefly with the juice of half a lemon. Drain.
- In a food processor, add the lemon juice, scallions, garlic, onion, hot peppers, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, honey, ketchup, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and blend until smooth.
- Add 1/2 of the mixture to shrimp. Combine well. Reserve the other half for serving.
- Cover shrimp with plastic wrap and marinate for 15 minutes.
- If using wood skewers, soak them in cold water for 15 minutes.
- Thread 4 shrimps onto each skewer so the shrimp lie flat.
- Heat grill to high for direct grilling.
- Grill shrimp until beautifully done, golden brown and slightly charred, about 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Alternatively, you may sauté shrimps (not skewered of course) in a pan on the stove (over high heat) using a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil..
- Remove the shrimp to a platter. Mix reserved marinade into shrimp or serve with extra marinade for dipping.
Notes
For a more rustic/down-home-liming-by-the-river-presentation, I use the whole shrimp, head to tail, no deveining. If you wish to do this, ensure that the shrimp is of the highest and freshest quality. I grill or pan fry it until it is crisp and well cooked.
When serving those who don't share, or who aren't particularly fond of, the exceptionally bizarre and adventurous appetites of Andrew Zimmern and/or Anthony Bourdain, I remove the heads, devein the shrimp and skewer them for a more elegant presentation. Decide which direction will work for you and your crowd.
Nutrition
I tried this recipe and the flavor was divine! I also pan friend and then popped it into the broiler for a couple minutes. I was hoping to achieve that rustic look, do you have any tips that you could provide?