Jamaican Shrimp
serves 6
ingredients
36 large shrimp, peeled, deveined, leave the tails on
1/2 pound unsalted butter, softened
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 c soy sauce
2 Tbsp fresh ginger root, chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 c. olive oil
1 tsp mace
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp kosher or sea salt
Create the marinade for the shrimp. In a food processor, puree the following, until smooth: red bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, lime juice, soy sauce, ginger, sugar, olive oil, mace, cinnamon, black pepper and salt.
After pureeing, add in the onion, garlic, scallions, thyme and cilantro to the mixture. Reserve 1/2 of the marinade in a separate bowl – refrigerate until ready to cook. Place the other half of the marinade in a bowl and add the shrimp to it. Toss to coat the shrimp. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
When ready to cook, lightly oil a large, heavy, cast iron skillet and get the skillet very hot. Toss in a few shrimp at a time and char them on both sides, until they are cooked and pink – a couple of minutes. Transfer these cooked shrimp to a warmed platter or one covered with foil.
Continue charring the shrimp in small batches and transferring them to the warmed platter when each batch is done. Turn down the heat on the skillet to medium high and add in the reserved 1/2 of the marinade and the butter. Remove from the heat and stir until a sauce forms.
Pour the sauce over the shrimp and serve immediately.
Adapted from Florida's Cooking Secrets by Kathleen DeVanna Fish
