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Fiery Jerk Marinade: Bold, Spicy Heat with Herbal Depth and a Smooth, Smoky Finish
Okay, okay, okay! What's up cool cats and heat chasers, we got a flavor forecast comin’ in hot and rhythmic — it’s that bold, smoky, island soul we call jerk marinade!
This ain’t your everyday seasoning; this is a groove of allspice, fresh thyme, scotch bonnet pepper, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, and fresh nutmeg, blended into a paste that hits like a horn section on fire. Let it do its thing on chicken, pork, or tofu for at least 4 hours—overnight if you're serious—then grill, roast, or sear for maximum flavor explosion. You want great jerk chicken, this is your recipe.
Beats and Eats (music to pair wih jerk seasoning)
Cue up Corto Alto’s song “Pt. II” while it marinates — just like the song, it’s layered, spicy, complex, and full of unexpected soul.
Got no scotch bonnet? Habanero peppers work in a pinch. No fresh nutmeg? Use a few pinches of the ground stuff, but don’t skip it—it gives the mix its warm, back-end hum. Now you can make your own jerk marinade to enjoy delicious Jamaican cuisine!
Flavor Notes
The allspice brings warmth, thyme adds herby herbal lift, the chili pepper brings that slow-building flame, and nutmeg drops in like a secret harmony—unexpected, unforgettable, and oh-so-right.
Use this Jamaican jerk marinade recipe to make dishes like grilled jerk shrimp, smoked jerk chicken, or grilled whole snapper.
Keep up with my food exploits on Instagram and YouTube. If you like any of the music you find on the site, visit me at Spotify to find curated playlists.
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Allspice Berries ground
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Thyme 10 sprigs
- 2 whole Scotch Bonnet Peppers
- 4 green onions Scallions whites and green parts chopped
- 2 tablespoon Fresh Ginger
- 6 Garlic
- ½ Whole Nutmeg grated
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon Brown sugar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup Soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon Red wine vinegar
- 1 medium Onion
- 1 tablespoon Salt
- 2 teaspoon Pepper
- 2 limes juiced
Instructions
- Grind pimento berries in coffee grounder and place in mixing bowl.
- Grate the nutmeg directly into same mixing. Set aside
- Add remaining ingredients to blender starting with liquid ingredients first.
- Add ground pimento and grated nutmeg to blender. Pulse to paste consistency
Video
Notes
- Where possible use fresh ingredients for more clean and natural flavor
- To dial heat up or down adjust for seeds and veins. For milder jerk paste remove seeds and veins
- Habanero is a good substitute for scotch bonnet
- Texture can be tweaked based on liquids (oil, soy, vinegar) to solids (thyme, onions, scallions) ratio. For more of a paste consistency dial down the liquids
- Use a coffee grinder to grind the pimento seeds into all-spice. If no grinder available then use a quality ground all-spice mix.
Mary Kielb
Saturday 29th of April 2023
Can I marinate shrimps with this and if so for how long , I want to make jerk shrimp and then grill them , thanks
Marwin Brown
Sunday 30th of April 2023
Yes you can make jerk shrimp with this marinade. I'd let them marinate no more than 30 minutes; I'd aim for 15.Shrimp is a bit delicate and the acidity in the marinade will eventually start to break the shrimp's texture down making them a bit more on the mushy side.
Mick
Monday 20th of December 2021
Thanks a lot for this. For allspice - do you take a 1/4 cup of berries and grind them, or do you grind them and then add 1/4 cup of ground allspice?
Marwin Brown
Monday 20th of December 2021
I take a 1/4 cup of berries then grind them. If using ground allspice it is about just a little more than 1 tbsp. You can adjust up or down depending on your preference.