Jerk Shrimp Recipe

Our jerk shrimp recipe uses a selection of fresh and pantry ingredients to make an exotic summer party right in your own kitchen. The dish contains everything you could want: it’s juicy, smoky, spicy, earthy, tart, and is great served along with mango salad.

A marinade of olive oil and homemade jerk seasonings creates a symphony of flavors. The great news is that this Jamaican jerk seasoning can easily be prepared at home. Save some money by creating your own blend with cayenne pepper, black pepper, thyme, and more.

What Exactly Is Jamaican Jerk?

In a culinary context, jerk refers to a Jamaican method of cooking consisting of rubbing a jerk spice mixture into meat, and letting it marinate. Then the food is grilled over coals in a pit to perfection.

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Jamaican jerk is the ideal combination of numerous seasonings and spices. It provides a complex mix of fiery, earthy, and sweet flavors. 

The seasoning can be used as a dry rub for meats or as a spice blend for your favorite dishes such as braised meats, poultry, fish, rice, pasta, and tofu. It also works with various methods including smoking, grilling, baking, and frying.

This mostly authentic spice blend is simple to prepare. Most of the ingredients are easy to find pantry staples that you can get at your local grocery store. They includes:

• Aromatics - onion and garlic powder. 
• Spices - nutmeg, allspice, smoked paprika, and cinnamon. 
• Heat - cayenne pepper, red chili flakes, or, if desired, a combination of the two. 
• Sugar - just a touch of brown sugar for a well-rounded flavor. 
• Seasoning - salt and black pepper. 
• Herbs - parsley and thyme.

Many jerk seasonings sold in stores contain powdered habanero, which is particularly spicy for many people. If you make your own Jamaican jerk spice, you can adjust the level of heat by reducing the amount of pepper added.

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What You’ll Need for Jerk Shrimp

We're excited to bring you one of the easiest yet tastiest recipes from our shrimp collection. You can make this jerk shrimp at any time as long as you have some raw shrimp, fresh fruits, and other simple seasonings.

1. Shrimp

This recipe is quite versatile since you can go with raw, frozen, tails on or tails off shrimp. However, we don’t suggest using precooked shrimp since the process of cooking and freezing often makes the seafood overcooked, and it won’t absorb the spices in the same way.

Raw shrimp, on the other hand, are fresh and easy to prepare. They are always our preference.

2. Jerk Seasoning

To prepare our Jamaican jerk seasoning, we used some traditional components and a bit of creativity. Our blend includes onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, thyme, paprika, cayenne pepper, allspice, and Cajun seasoning.

If you do not enjoy spicy foods, omit cayenne peppers. The dish will be less spicy, but the other flavors will remain.

Once stored in an airtight container, this jerk seasoning can last for one to two years, or until one of the ingredients in the seasoning mix expires. Obviously, check it each time you use it and observe the hue. If the color begins to fade, you should discard the spice. 

3. Mango Salad

The freshly cubed mango is mixed with red bell pepper and red onion, then tossed with fresh cilantro. The dressing is bright and refreshing due to an abundance of lime juice, salt, olive oil, and black pepper.

This fresh and fruity mango salad can be prepared while the shrimp are in the oven. And it’s perfect for this and any other summer roasted seafood dishes.

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Is Our Recipe Healthy?

First, thanks to the shrimp, our jerk shrimp is protein-packed. One serving of the dish provides around 40.8 g of protein, about 70% of the USDA's recommendation for daily intake based on a 2000 calorie diet.

In addition, the dish has a decent calorie profile of only 498 calories per serving, including the rice and mango salad. This leaves plenty of room for a side dish and a fresh juice drink, boosting both the nutrient content and interest of the whole meal. Such diversity gives you an assortment of micronutrients and a good deal of fiber.

Due to the variety of seasonings, this dish could potentially contain an excessive amount of sodium. Our chef adjusted the recipe to ensure that it has less than 600 mg per serving while still being flavorful.

What to Serve With

Packed with flavor and texture, we love to serve our jerk shrimp over hot steamed rice, pasta, salad, or even make it a filling for tacos and lettuce wraps. The only limit is your imagination!

To make a hearty and complete meal, we recommend adding a side and a drink, such as guacamole and lemon water. The rich and tangy guacamole complements the summer flavors from the shrimp main, while the fresh drink cleanses your palate and pleasantly rounds off the meal.

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You May Also Like

• Tequila Lime Shrimp Recipe
• Shrimp Kabobs Recipe
• Blackened Shrimp Recipe
• Pineapple Shrimp Recipe

Jerk Shrimp Recipe

5 from 1 vote

With 20 minutes, minimal work, and easy to obtain ingredients, you will always be ready for this delicious and wholesome jerk shrimp recipe.

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• cook TIME 10 mins
• prep TIME 10 mins
• total TIME 20 mins

• COURSE Main Course
• CUISINE Caribbean, Jamaican
• SERVINGS
  4

  servings
• CALORIES 492 kcal

INGREDIENTS

1x2x3x

• 13 oz peeled and deveined shrimp (equal to 25 oz raw shrimp)
• 12 oz mango (cubed)
• 2 oz red bell pepper (chopped)
• 1 oz red onion (finely chopped)
• 3 1/2 cups cooked medium-grain rice
• 2 tbsp olive oil (divided)
• 1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)
• 1/2 tsp salt (divided)
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper (divided)
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp Cajun seasoning

INSTRUCTIONS

Image instructions

1

In a large bowl, combine 13 oz peeled shrimp, 1 tbsp olive oil, and the spice blend of 1 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground allspice, and 1 tsp Cajun seasoning. Gently toss to coat.

2

Use aluminum foil to line a baking tray and arrange the shrimp on it. Roast for 10 minutes at 400 °F.

3

Meanwhile, prepare the mango salad: In a medium bowl, add 12 oz mango, 1 oz red onion, 2 oz red bell pepper, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 cup cilantro, 1/2 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp olive oil, and 1/4 tsp ground black pepper. Gently toss until well combined.

4

Serve the roasted shrimp with 3 1/2 cups of steamed rice and the mango salad.

NUTRITION

Nutrition Facts

Jerk Shrimp Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 492Calories from Fat 81

% Daily Value*

Fat 9g

14%

Saturated Fat 1g

6%

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 5g

Cholesterol 285mg

95%

Sodium 585mg

25%

Potassium 744mg

21%

Carbohydrate 64g

21%

Fiber 3g

13%

Sugar 14g

16%

Protein 41g

82%

Vitamin A 1790IU

36%

Vitamin C 52mg

63%

Calcium 141mg

14%

Iron 4mg

22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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