Escape to the Caribbean with this grilled jerk shrimp and coconut rice recipe!
This post is sponsored by Grace Foods.
As much as I love jerk chicken, it’s not always practical for a weeknight meal. The meat needs to marinate for a while to really take on those bold flavours, and to be honest I’m not the greatest at planning my meals in advance. Luckily, these grilled jerk shrimp only need to marinate for about 30 minutes, and they’re super easy to cook too. These turned out so tasty that I was eating them piping hot off the grill!
What is Jerk?
The word jerk refers to a traditional Jamaican method of seasoning and cooking meat, seafood and veggies. Jerk foods are usually grilled or cooked in an oven. A jerk seasoning paste, or sauce, usually contains an exotic blend of ingredients like scallions, onions, thyme, allspice, and super-hot Scotch bonnet peppers.
Scotch. Bonnet.
“I was very disappointed when I found out that Scotch bonnet was a sort of pepper, and not a Celtic hat.”
Any Midsomer Murder fans out there? No? Moving on…
Why is it called Jerk?
According to Grace Foods, there are two possible theories:
1st theory: It originates from the Peruvian word Charqui, used to describe jerked or dried meat. Over time this term evolved from Charqui to Jerky to Jerk.
2nd theory: The name derives from the practice of jerking (poking) holes in the meat to fill with spices prior to cooking.
Whatever the reason, all I know for sure is that this grilled jerk shrimp recipe is a winner.
When I was creating this recipe, I wanted to add layers of flavours. In order to do this, I used two different kinds of Grace Foods jerk products: the Grace Jerk Marinade and the Grace Jerk BBQ Sauce.
The marinade is great for seafood because it contains both orange and lime juices. Usually, you would marinate meat in this product for about an hour. However, I didn’t want the acids from the fruit juices to start cooking my shrimp, so I only marinated them for about 30 minutes.
The marinade also contains brown sugar, hot peppers, onions, Dijon mustard and cocoa powder (and more!), all of which create a rich spicy flavour that is really delicious.
After I grilled the shrimp for a couple of minutes per side, I brushed on a thin layer of the Jerk BBQ sauce. It’s sweet and spicy, and has a strong clove flavour. I didn’t want to overwhelm the sweetness of the shrimp, but I thought the BBQ sauce would add another layer of jerk flavour – and it did! Just don’t be heavy-handed with it.
I was surprised at how mild the grilled jerk shrimp tasted. The sauces are really strong if you taste them straight out of the bottles (which most people wouldn’t do), but they mellow out in the cooking process. This is important to note, because I think a lot of people assume that jerk is always super hot and that’s not true. The Grace Foods line of jerk products have a variety of seasonings that range from mild to hot, so if you don’t like spicy food you can still enjoy the flavours of jerk.
I still wanted a side dish that would balance out all of the spices of the jerk, so I asked my mom to help me make coconut rice. I’ve never made it before myself, but I knew the sweetness of the coconut cream would be really tasty with the jerk shrimp.
Grilled Jerk Shrimp with Coconut Rice
Ingredients
For the Jerk Shrimp:
- 680 g raw shrimp , tails on (21-25 per pound, which are large)
- 1/2 cup Grace Jerk Marinade
- 1/3 cup Grace Jerk BBQ Sauce
- salt , to taste
- black pepper , to taste
For the Coconut Rice:
- 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 1/2 cups jasmine rice , washed and drained
- 1/2 tsp thyme , dried (use more if using fresh thyme)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white sugar
- 14 oz coconut cream , (1 can)
- 2 1/2 cups water , hot
Instructions
To Make the Grilled Shrimp:
- Add shrimp to a bowl with the jerk marinade. Leave in fridge for about 30 minutes to marinate.
- Meanwhile, clean and oil your grill. If you're using a full-size barbecue pit, you may want to use tin foil or a grill basket to cook your shrimp, so they don't fall into the pit.
- Heat your grill to medium heat, and add the BBQ sauce to a small bowl. You'll need this to glaze the shrimp as they barbecue.
- Shake off excess marinade from the shrimp as you remove them from the bowl.
- Use tongs to place the shrimp on the grill, and cook for 2-3 minutes per side. Then use a heat-proof silicone brush to apply the BBQ sauce to the shrimp.
- Once the shrimp has become pink, and a bit curled, remove them from the heat.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately with coconut rice, or side dish of your choice.
To Make the Coconut Rice:
- In a pot, melt the coconut oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the rice to the pot, and stir to coat grains with oil. Toast for about 3 minutes.
- Add thyme, salt, sugar, coconut cream and water. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil
- Place lid on the pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until all liquid is absorbed, about 8-10 minutes.
- Fluff cooked rice with a fork and serve warm
Tips & Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure:
This post is sponsored by Grace Foods.
I have been compensated both monetarily and with product for this post.
Please note that I only work with brands that I use at home and trust.
This post contains Amazon affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.
This looks delicious! I like the addition of coconut cream to the rice. I feel it will be perfect to bring some tropical flavour this summer
Thanks Julia! The coconut cream adds so much flavour and creaminess to the rice, although you do need that tiny bit of sugar to make it taste right.
I’ve never really thought about it before – “jerk” is a funny term for food 🙂 Love the sound of these shrimp! It’s getting hot where we live and the BBQ is getting into heavier rotation on the menu plans – need to add these!
I know, it’s so weird when you think about it 😛 If you do try making this recipe, let me know if you like it!
This sounds delicious. I especially like the way you adapted the marinade and sauce to the result you were looking for with the shrimp. I think people often use a one-size-fits-all approach to bottled products, which doesn’t let you make the best of them. And thanks for sharing the coconut rice recipe, too – my partner will love that.
It’s true, sometimes it’s best to get creative with bottled products to make it suit your tastes. I hope your partner enjoys the rice!
These shrimp look and sound amazing
Thanks so much Lyndsay!
My Indian taste buds love spicy food. The shrimps look awesome.
Thanks Sadaf!
Your recipe for coconut rice looks great! I’ve never thought to add thyme to it. Will try this next time!!
I thought thyme would be good in there, because my friend’s dad makes a peas and rice dish with coconut milk and thyme and it’s delicious!
I have a bottle of the barbecue sauce in my fridge and shrimp in the freezer. All I need is the marinade and I whip up my own batch of this delicious looking shrimp!
I hope you try the recipe Amanda! It would probably be yummy with just the BBQ sauce, but I really love the marinade too!
Oh my goodness, I think I would eat those straight off the grill too!
Just don’t be silly like me and burn your tongue on them 😛
These photos make me so hungry…love coconut rice and I must try these shrimps!
Let me know how the recipe turns out for you Wanda!
I LOVE coconut rice! This dish sounds so good!
Thanks Ashley, I hope you try making the shrimp!
I will have to look these sauces up, they sound great!
The Old Fat Guy
They are handy! I think you can find them at most major grocery stores like Loblaws and Metro.
I only tried Jerk chicken before but never ever heard of Jerk shrimp. What a wonderful idea! it’s really good to know I can get the sauce and cook a flavorful summer dish easily. Last time I saw a Jerk recipe, the ingredients list contains like 20 things!
Hey Maggie! Yeah, making jerk sauce from scratch is a lot of work! I don’t mind using good quality pre-made products because they really save me a lot of time. I hope you try making some Jerk shrimp for yourself!