Mid-week Simple Jerk Marinade Recipe
 
Preparation time
Cooking time
Total time
 
A wonderful way to make a mid-week meal taste delicious. Versatile for all dietary requirements and it is a taste sensation. The marinade can be doubled or trebled for larger gatherings.
Marissa:
Recipe type: Marinade
Cuisine: Caribean
Servings: 4
Ingredients
  • 4 pieces of protein See Notes*
  • For the marinade
  • 2 teaspoons ground allspice berries
  • 1 teaspoon ground black peppercorns
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • 2 level teaspoons of dried thyme leaves
  • 3 spring onions, roughly chopped
  • Chilli to taste ( I used 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes) you could use ½ teaspoon scotch bonnet pepper or to taste
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 3 dried bay leaves
  • ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • ¼ of a thumb-sized piece of ginger peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon demerara sugar
  • ½ teaspoon honey
  • ½ lime juiced
  • ¼ teaspoon soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sunflower oil
  • 4 tablespoons orange juice
Method
  1. Let's release the oils from the spices which will make the marinade more aromatic.
  2. Add the dry herbs and spices to a frying pan and toast until the spices release a lovely aroma.
  3. Keep a watchful and constant eye as the spices burn easily.
  4. Add the toasted spices and the remaining marinade ingredients into a blender and pulse or grind using a pestle and motor, to a smooth paste consistency.
  5. Using a plastic food bag or a lidded tub, add the marinade followed by the veg, tofu or meat to the marinade and move and massage the marinade all over your chosen protein.
  6. The marinade will work its way over all the surfaces, it does look like a small amount but keep going, it does cover everything.
  7. Ideally overnight for meat and two hours for vegetables and tofu * see note.
  8. At this point you can freeze the meat in the marinade, ready for another day.
  9. Cook the meat, tofu or aubergine on the BBQ, indoor griddle or in a frying pan and for chicken on the bone pieces fry the meat to get a deep golden colour and then pop it into the oven to ensure it has been cooked through.
  10. Serve with rice and peas (black-eyed peas and long-grain rice) and collard greens or a green salad.
Tips
Protein & Vegetable Ideas and amounts
2 blocks of firm tofu cut into 4 pieces (one block sliced into 4 pieces lengthways)
4 pork steaks, chops or loin steaks
4 pieces of chicken skin on and bone-in
You can get creative and use butternut slices or chop a tray of roasting vegetables (aubergine, courgettes, peppers and sweet potato).
Marinating tip:
Overnight marinating is always best for meat proteins.
If you are using vegetables or tofu marinade for a maximum of 2 hours as the lemon juice can break the tofu or vegetables.
Recipe by Marissa's Recipes & Ideas at https://www.marissa.co/mid-week-jerk-marinade-recipe/