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Jamaican Jerk Marinade

Jamaican Jerk Marinade is a traditional Jamaican recipe for a classic wet spice mix required for making proper jerked meats or vegetables. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Jamaican version of: Jamaican Jerk Marinade.

prep time

5 minutes

cook time

5 minutes

Total Time:

10 minutes

Makes:

1 small jar

Rating:

Tags : CurryChilli RecipesSauce RecipesSpice RecipesHerb RecipesJamaica Recipes

This is the classic ‘wet’ blend of spices that makes a Jamaican jerk marinade. This is the classic Jamaican spice blend and should contain allspice (pimenton) and dried hot chillies (Scotch Bonnet and/or habanero to be authentic).

In terms of the origin of the word, Jerking is a traditional Jamaican way of spicing or marinading meat (depending on whether you are using a dry or ‘wet’ mix) prior to cooking. Originally the process of ‘jerking’ was that of poking holes in the meat so that the marinade could penetrate further, providing more flavour to the meat. Eventually the term ‘jerk’ came to refer to the particular spice/marinade blend that was typically used for the meat (always containing hot chillies and the native allspice (pimenton) berry).

I like to add smoked chipotle flakes to my marinade mix as it gives a nice smoky flavour. You could also use smoked paprika for the same purpose. Unlike many blends I add dried sage to my mix as I was shown this by a Jamaican friend many years ago.

Recently I was able to procure some ghost chilli powder. I normally add a pinch of this to the ingredients below to lift both the heat and the flavour.

Ingredients:

4-6 Scotch Bonnet or Habanero chillies (or a mix) chopped
1 small red onion chopped
4-6 garlic cloves, chopped
4 spring onions, ends trimmed
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp vinegar (I usually use 2 tbsp red wine vinegar and 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, but white wine vinegar or cider vinegar also work)
2 tbsp olive oil
Juice from 1 large orange (about 180ml, ¾ cup)
Juice from 1 lime
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp smoked chipotle flakes
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp dried sage
1 tsp dried thyme (use fresh if available)
Stalks from 1 bunch coriander (keep the leaves for garnish)
Salt and black pepper to taste (eg ½ tsp sea salt, 1 tbsp black pepper)

For the Meat:
2 chicken thighs
2 hake fillets

Method:

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and render to a smooth paste.

If using chicken or whole fish poke then several times with a sharp knife to ‘jerk’ them. Pour over the jerk marinade and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 3 hours before cooking.

For the chicken, they were removed from the marinade and placed in a hot frying pan where 2 tbsp olive oil and a knob of butter had already been heated. The chicken was fried for 2 minutes per side and then transferred to an oven pre-heated to 180C and cooked for 20 minutes, or until done through.

The pan was re-heated 5 minutes before the chicken was due to be ready. The fish was placed, skin side down in the pan and fried for about 2 minutes, or until crispy. The fish was turned over and cooked for about 90 seconds on the other side, or until done through.

The chicken and fish were served with Jamaican Sweet Potato and Black Bean curry.