Jerk Fish For Jamaican Week

Every now and then, I like to do a week of recipes for a themed menu. This week, it’s Jamaican week so you can make your very own Caribbean feast at home! Who’s in the mood for some tropical vibes?? Kicking off Jamaican week with the main – Jerk Fish!

Why you need Jerk Fish in your life

🌴 It’s Jamaican – so it’s cool. (Just ask Dozer, below).🌴 Big, bold, Caribbean flavours using everyday spices: garlic, onion, thyme, paprika, all spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne.🌴 It’s fine if you’re missing one or two spices cause there’s so many spices in it anyway.🌴 Takes 3 minutes on the stove. Don’t have fish? Use the jerk seasoning on chicken, shrimp/prawns or vegetables. Tips in the recipe.

What goes in jerk seasoning

Here are the spices you need for jerk seasoning. The perfect blend of savoury flavour, a hint of spiciness with the signature touch of sweetness. The smell when it hits the pan is intoxicating! There’s so many spices in Jerk seasoning, if you’re missing one (or two…) it’s not the end of the world, you’ll still end up with a terrific Jamaican-(ish) spice blend. Here are substitution suggestions:

Garlic powder – more onion powder, and vice versa Dried thyme – oregano Brown sugar – 2 tsp caster sugar / superfine sugar Cayenne pepper – Pure ground chilli, red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper or omit if you want not spicy Smoked paprika – ordinary paprika Allspice powder – Mixed spice Cinnamon powder – Try not to leave this out! It adds an irreplaceable special touch. Nutmeg powder – More cinnamon

Fish for jerk fish

The fish pictured throughout this post is snapper, pictured below, but jerk seasoning will work with any type of fish fillet that’s suitable for pan frying as long as it is a thin fillet no thicker than 1.5 cm / 0/6″ at the thickest point. It needs to be thin so it cooks through within 3 – 4 minutes else the jerk seasoning will burn. Snapper is a very popular fish here in Australia, beloved for the mild, sweet, delicate flavour, which is not “fishy” at all. The flesh is moderately firm and moist, and fillets are easy to cook evenly because they are flat with an even thickness (as opposed to, say, salmon, when some fillets have a very thick “hump” (the loin) though you can find thin salmon fillets (the tail end). Don’t have fish? You can the jerk seasoning on chicken, shrimp/prawns or vegetables. Tips in the recipe.

How to make jerk fish

In a nutshell: coat fish in the jerk seasoning then pan fry for 2 minutes on the first side and 1 minute on the second side. That’s a 3 minute dinner – we need more of these in our life!!! Once rested, transfer the fish to a plate and serve! Forget that! Here’s how chefs do it: GAME-CHANGER! (See video at 33 seconds for a demo)

Jamaican week sides for Jerk fish!

To serve with your Jerk fish, two fabulous sides! Jamaican Slaw (shockingly delicious) and Jamaican Coconut Rice and Peas. Plus, a surprise dessert! This is a spread of seriously good food. I hope you enjoy Jamaican week as much as I have creating the recipes!!! – Nagi x