Caribbean Jerk Shrimp

This recipe originally came from the Runner’s World Cookbook which I highly recommend. It is healthy, extremely tasty and easy to prepare. The key is the jerk seasoning which is often sold as Jamaican Jerk and these days is widely available at most supermarkets. Jerk is made from a variety of spices including allspice, cloves, cinnamon, thyme and a generous amount of hot peppers. It is a veritable flavor explosion. You can control the spicy heat but using more or less jerk. A half pound of shrimp is perfect for two people, a pound for four. I’m rarely measure ingredients so the rest of the proportions can be adjusted as needed.

1/2lb to 1lb of jumbo cleaned and deveined shrimp
Jerk seasoning
1 or 2 thinly sliced sweet potatoes
1 can of drained and rinsed black beans
3 cloves of diced garlic
2 sliced scallions
Half a cup or more of orange juice
Olive oil

Coat your skillet with olive oil and lightly brown the diced garlic. Add some orange juice and put in the sliced sweet potatoes. Sauté on medium high heat for 12 to 15 minutes; the trick is to soften the potatoes without getting them mushy. You may need to add more OJ as the potatoes absorb it and the mix gets to dry and starts sticking to the pan. You will need to stir vigorously and often.

When the potatoes are the right texture put the beans in and then the jerk coated shrimp a couple minutes later. If you like spicy dishes you may want to add some more jerk to the whole dish. If the beans go in too early, they get squishy and mashed from the stirring. Shrimp only take about four minutes in a hot skillet, don’t overcook them. Keep in mind that they will continue to cook in the heat of the mix after it comes off the stove. It is far better to under cook than overcook shrimp… and it is very easy to overcook them.

The scallions go in at the very end and don’t really need to be cooked. I like to serve this dish with rice although it is not necessary. This meal can be easily prepared in thirty minutes. Simple to prepare, healthy and super tasty… what more can you ask for?

Enjoy!

~David