jerk fish

Traditionalists will argue (always) that if there’s no pimento wood and resulting smoke involved, it’s not truly Jamaican jerk. So with that in mind (they do have a point as the flavor of that open fire as it kisses the pimento wood is incredible) we’ll loosely call this “jerk” to avoid the hateful comments.

You’ll Need…

3 salmon fillets
1 tablespoon Jamaican Jerk Marinade
2 tablespoon olive oil (divided)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon golden brown sugar
1/8 cup rum
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon chilled butter
2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1/4 lemon (juice)

Notes! Please use the video below to follow along, especially since I have limited photos for the post as I usually do. I used a spicy jerk marinade, however you may use any you prefer. Even your own homemade Jerk Marinade.

With your clean (check for bones and remove) salmon fillets on your cutting board (or plate), season with the black pepper and salt. NOT THE SKIN SIDE!. Then mix the jerk marinade with one tablespoon of the olive oil and brush the salmon flesh (not the skin) with it.

Now preheat your oven to 450F as we’ll finish off the recipe in there.

Heat the remaining oil in an ovenproof saucepan (I used a cast-iron pan) on a medium heat and add the1 tablespoon of butter as the pan gets warm and then the salmon fillets (skin side down).

Try to spoon on some of the butter/oil combo over the salmon to help cook the top and to add some moisture to it.

About 4 minutes later, move the pan away from the heat source and add the run, then tip the pan towards the heat and allow the rum to catch on fire (Flambé). It will burn (flame) for 5 seconds and in doing so. burn off most of the alcohol, leaving that rich rum flavor.

After a minute, add the orange juice and top each salmon fillet with the brown sugar (evenly), bring back to a boil, then into the oven for 3 1/2 – 4 minutes on the middle rack.

As you take it out of the oven add the cold butter to the pan, along with the juice of 1/2 lemon and the parsley. Stir well to create a sort of lemon butter sauce (watch the video below) and top the salmon fillets with said sauce.

Seafood

Fried Snapper In A Zesty Orange Ginger Sauce.

April 21, 2016March 19, 20161 Comment

With all the requests I usually get this time of the year (Good Friday) for fish recipes, I thought I’d share one of my favorite recipes using fillets of Red Snapper. In my youth days on the islands it was ALWAYS fish on Good Friday (Catholic home) and though mom and dad never went to church they felt it necessary to stick with tradition. Usually it was fried, stewed or curry fish, served with ground provisions (Yam, Dasheen. Eddoes, Cassava and/or green bananas), a salad of some sort and I still recall dad drizzling olive oil (sweet-oil as he would call it) over the boiled ground provisions. Funny how me and my brother would copy him even though we disliked the taste of that oil!

You’ll Need…

2 Red Snapper fillets (about 1 lb)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch black pepper

2 scallions
3 sprigs thyme
zest 1 orange
1 cup orange juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
thick slice of ginger (julienne)
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon veg oil
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (no seeds / optional)
1 tablespoon brown sugar or honey (optional)
4 slices of orange

* You can use your fav fish for this recipe.. I much prefer ocean fish though. You’ll need about 1.5-2 cups of veg oil for frying the fish.

The fist thing we’ll do is season the fish to allow it time to marinate while we make the orange ginger sauce. Please note that this sauce will be a bit ‘hot’ with the scotch bonnet pepper and the natural heat from the ginger, but you can certainly tame it down by leaving out the scotch bonnet pepper. Wash the fish pieces with some lime or lemon juice and rinse with water (not mentioned in the ingredient list). Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Then season (mix well) with the salt, black pepper and Caribbean Green Seasoning. Allow this to marinate for 10-15 minutes.

Let’s now make the amazing sauce for topping the fish with. In a saucepan heat the oil on a low flame then add all the ingredients except the orange zest, orange juice and slices of orange. Cook on VERY low heat for 3-5 minutes. If you’re adding the honey or sugar, add it near the end. Remember to NOT use any of the seeds of the scotch bonnet pepper (unless you want it REALLY hot) and to wash your hands immediately after handling the pepper with soap and water.

It’s now time to add the zest, slices and orange juice to the pot and crank up the heat so it comes to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer and let the sauce reduce by about 1/2.

Heat the oil for frying the fish on a medium flame. Dredge the seasoned/marinated fillets in the flour (you can season the flour with some paprika and/or curry powder if you wish) and fry for about 5-7 minutes in total (depending on how thick the fish pieces are) flip so both sides get that lovely golden color. Set on paper towels to soak up the extra oil.

It’s just a matter of placing the fish pieces on a serving plate and straining on the finished orange ginger sauce on top of it. If you prefer your fish a bit more crispy , fry a bit longer and serve the sauce on the side. I used some of the cooked orange slices as a garnish, but since the scallions went discolored I used fresh chopped-scallions to brighten it up.

As I mentioned in the video, as kids we HATED fish, but as an adult I eat fish or some sort of seafood at least once a week. I hope you give this recipe a try and do leave me some feedback in the comment section below. HAPPY EASTER!

Gluten Free Jerk Marinade (for Chicken, Pork, Shrimp and Fish)

May 27, 2025July 28, 2015Leave a Comment

Over the years I’ve shared countless recipes for making jerk marinades, sauces, how to make finger-licking Jamaican jerk in the oven and classic jerk on your grill and bbq. As we continue our annual July Month Of Grilling I thought I’d shift focus and share a gluten friendly version of a classic Jamaican jerk marinade for our friends who deal with gluten intolerance. A jerk marinade which goes well with fish, shrimp, pork and in this case, some chicken legs which we’ll marinate before slowly cooking them over a moderate coals-fire in the back yard.

You’ll Need…

8 lbs chicken legs.

For the gluten free jerk marinade…

4 scallions
1 orange (juice)
1 lime (juice)
1/2 cup vinegar (white)
8-10 sprigs thyme
2 scotch bonnet peppers
4 slices ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8-12 pimento berries (allspice)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce
1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic

NOTE: It’s important that you go through the entire list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs – especially the Soy Sauce.

You’ll need a food processor or blender for making this marinade… or some knife skills as you’ll need to finely chop everything. Remember when handling scotch bonnet peppers to wear gloves and to wash your hands immediately after with soap and water. The “raw” heat will be in the seeds and white membrane surrounding the seeds, so trim and discard that area if your worried about such heat. Give everything a rough chop and place it in the food processor (or blender).

Here you have two options, you can puree until smooth, or do as I like – pulse so you get a sort of chunky consistency. You can now pour this over your desired protein or store it in a the fridge until you’re ready to use it. It will remain good for up to a week. The vinegar will act as a natural preservative.

In my case I was doing chicken legs with it, so I trimmed off all the fat and excess skin. You can remove the skin, but I like leaving the skin as it adds flavor as it cook and renders and it also helps to form a protective barrier as the chicken cooks so it does not go dry. I also like piercing the thick parts of the chicken so the marinade gets into the meat and really infuse it with maximum niceness. Pour in the marinade and massage the chicken pieces. Allow to marinate for at least 2 hrs in the fridge – overnight would be ideal. Then get ready to grill as you would normally.

I had a relatively hot fire going, so I placed the chicken pieces away from the direct heat (indirect grilling), lid on and allowed it to go until it was cooked to my likeness (about 50 mins to 1 hr). I used the remaining marinade in the bowl to baste it the first 30 minutes or so – remember raw chicken was in the bowl, so try to cook off the marinade. Flip the chicken pieces every 10 minutes or so and rotate around the grilling surface so you grill them evenly.

The final 5 minutes is when you can place the chicken pieces over the direct heat to allow for that sort of caramelized color you want to achieve – that comes from the heat and cooked sugars in the marinade. Remember if you put the chicken pieces too early over the direct heat, those same sugars will char or burn the outside of the chicken and the inside will be raw.

If you want, you can double the marinade recipe and reserve 1/2. That remaining 1/2 add a bit of honey, orange juice or apple and cook/reduce for a wicked sauce to serve with the cooked pieces of jerk chicken.

I like squeezing on some fresh lime juice as soon as I take it off the grill for that little blast of citrus, which I think awakens the jerk chicken even more. just my take though!

Gluten Free Seafood

Grilled Jamaican Escovitch Fish.

July 25, 2015July 25, 20153 Comments

One of the things I looked forward too the entire trip to Jamaica was the FISH. From the jerk, to them being steamed with okra and crackers to my favorite… escovitch! Red Snapper (or Parrot fish) seasoned, perfectly fried, then topped with the spicy pickled dressing known as escovitch sauce. For most the thin slices of Scotch Bonnet were to be avoided, but they were like little prizes between the sweet peppers, scallions, onions and other ingredients in the vinegar based sauce. Any trip to the Caribbean is more than just a homecoming, it’s a culinary extravaganza for me and Jamaica did not disappoint!

You’ll Need…

3 red snapper
pinch sea salt
pinch black pepper
3 sprigs thyme
2 scallions
celery leaves (optional)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup vinegar
1 lemon
1/2 large shallot
1/4 red onion sliced thin
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
2 scallions
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (no seeds)
sea salt
black pepper
6 pimento berries (allspice)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 sprig thyme

Note: If doing this recipe gluten free, be sure to go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

Wash, clean and pat dry the Red Snapper (I used relatively small fish – on sale). Then I gave then a couple shallow cuts along the belly to allow for the dressing to penetrate after grilling and to help cook faster while grilling as well. Open up the belly cavity and stuff with a sprig of thyme, a piece of scallion and the leaves of the celery (if you have any). Then sprinkle some black pepper and salt on the surface (you can do the same with the cavity if you want, but I’m trying to cut back on my salt intake) of the fish. The final step is to drizzle on some olive oil on the fish (evenly on both sides) so they don’t stick onto the grill.

I would recommend making the escovitch dressing (sauce) about and hour or two in advance so it can marinate in it’s own juices and all the flavors can come together. Basically all you’re doing is slicing all the ingredients very thinly (add the celery and shallot though they’re not traditional – great texture and flavor), add it to a bowl, then go in with the sugar, salt, pimento berries, lemon juice and vinegar. Give it a god mix and place in the fridge. Optionally you can add some thinly sliced bell peppers to the mix if you want.

Remove the dressing out of the fridge about 1/2 hr before you start grilling the fish so it comes back to room temperature (you can also place it in a pan and warm in on the grill if you really want). Brush your grill grates with a bit of veg oil so the fish does not stick (no matter it may still stick) and grill as you would normally do. I did mine directly over a medium flame (coals fire) as I wanted some charred bits and I gave it about 4-5 minutes on each side. Have the escovitch dressing next to your grill as you’ll need it as soon as you take the grilled fish off the fire.

Have a platter ready and as soon as the cooked fish come off the grill, pour the escovitch dressing directly over the fish! The warm fish will brighten-up the flavors of the sauce and really heighten what I believe is the best way to dress grilled fish!

Gluten Free Seafood

Simple Oven Jerk Fish Recipe.

November 8, 2014April 14, 20149 Comments

With Easter around the corner I’ve had several requests for fish recipes, so I thought I’d share a simple technique for making Jamaican style jerk snapper (fish), but with store bought jerk marinade and in your oven. I agree that making your own jerk marinade is much better and using a grill with coals and pimento wood is what true Jamaican jerk is all about. However this is all about convenience and exciting flavors.

You’ll Need…

2-4 lbs Red Snapper
1/2 lime or lemon (for washing the fish)
1 heaping tablespoon of jerk marinade (use gluten free for the gluten free version)
1 tablespoon orange juice
pinch salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon veg oil

* Use your favorite store purchased jerk marinade.

Scale, trim (gut) and wash the fish with the juice of 1/2 lime or lemon.. rinse with cool water and pat dry. Cut two slits on the back (both sides) of each fish to allow for the jerk marinade to penetrate and do all-kinda good things. Stuff the cavity of each fish with a bit of thyme and scallions (bruise or crush with your knife to release the flavors) and sprinkle a bit of salt and black pepper.

In a small bowl mix the jerk marinade (use your fav) and orange juice, then brush it onto both sides of each fish. Try to get some in the cuts we made. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate in the fridge for about 1/2 hour (max 1 hr as the marinade will start to cook the fish after that).

Now preheat your oven to 400 F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Drizzle on the veg oil so the fish won’t stick as it does it’s thing in the oven. Set the baking tray on the middle rack in your oven and let it go for about 15 minutes. Then flip over and cook for another 8-10 minutes. This depends on how thick your fish are and how well done you like your fish.

There you go, a simple but exciting jerk fish done in your oven.. no need for an outdoor grill. Remember if you’re serving this to kids be mindful of the bones of the fish. If you decide to use fish fillets, try to get some with the skin still on and reduce the cooking time (again, depending on the thickness of the fillets) by about 1/2.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. Oh yea! Leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated! Important, do read the label of the jerk marinade you use to ensure it meets with your gluten free dietary needs.

Incredible Jerk Salmon.

Fried Snapper In A Zesty Orange Ginger Sauce.

Gluten Free Jerk Marinade (for Chicken, Pork, Shrimp and Fish)

Grilled Jamaican Escovitch Fish.

Simple Oven Jerk Fish Recipe.

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