Most recipes you find online will be for jerk chicken and although jerk chicken is delicious. I like using jerk on seafood such as mild white fish and shrimp because they have a tendency to have a slight sweetness. That sweetness comes in handy because scotch bonnets are no joke. As far as spiciness goes, scotch bonnets compare to habanero chilies because they are in the same family, so watch out!
If you can’t find scotch bonnets at your grocery store you can swap them for habaneros, just remember scotch bonnets are a bit sweeter and this flavor characteristic is important for the overall flavor of the jerk marinade.
For the recipe below you will be using shrimp instead of chicken because as mentioned before the flavor characteristics of the jerk work really nicely with the shrimp. The finishing touch for this recipe are chunks of pineapple which help cool your mouth between bites.
As to what to serve your Jerk Shrimp And Pineapple Kabobs with, you can always serve them with steamed rice, Mexican rice, or a side of yucca potatoes.
Ingredients
Jerk Marinade
- 2 1⁄2 teaspoons allspice
- 1-2 scotch bonnet chilies (or habanero)
- 1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
- 3 green onions
- 1 1⁄2 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (use grapeseed oil for other jerk recipes)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1⁄4 cup pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark rum
Shrimp and Pineapple Kabobs
- 1-1⁄2 pounds of 20-25 count raw shrimp (peeled and deveined)
- 2-3 1⁄2″ pineapple slices (preferably fresh)
- 1⁄4 cup jerk marinade above
- Wooden skewers
Instructions
Jerk Marinade
- Place all ingredients in the food processor, and blend until you have a paste. **Side note** If you are sensitive to spicy food, remove seeds and veins from the chili then add a little of the seeds and veins back into the food processor until the desired spiciness is reached. For no spiciness remove seeds and veins entirely.
Shrimp and Pineapple Kabobs
- Marinate shrimp along with a 1⁄4 cup of marinade for at least 1 hour (preferably overnight).
- Soak 4-6 wooden skewers in a large container for 5-10 minutes (prevents them from burning during cooking)
- Cut pineapple into bite sized pieces. Remove shrimp from marinade (toss marinade) Assemble alternating between shrimp and pineapple chunks until shrimp and pineapple chunks are gone.
- Grill over hot coals (not roaring flames) for 2-3 minutes on each side. Brush leftover marinade (this was the remaining marinade not soaked with shrimp).
Recipe adapted from: Closet Cooking
Image source: Season With Spice
