Despite quarantine being a perfect time to tend a garden, I did not plant a garden this year, first time in probably 15 years. We attempted to start a few vegetables from seed. We had quick success that led to epic failure. In summary, I don’t have the energy to be responsible for keeping anything else alive this pandemic.
Luckily though a few items from last year sprouted in my garden and grew with no effort from me. Quickly I had overwhelming amounts of mint and cilantro. Homegrown cilantro is the best, I used what I could before it went to seed seemingly overnight. I sent a large amount of mint and cilantro to my friend to use. Lucky for me, he sent it back in the form of an amazing chutney. It was delicious on this salmon and beet salad, and well just about everything – chicken, steak, watermelon, eggs.
Last summer we were lucky enough to spend our summer vacation in the Cayman Islands. I fell in love with their beautiful water and jerk seasoning.
I am so grateful for all the travel I did in the last few years. The inability to travel is hardly the worst thing of this pandemic, but being home bound has me dreaming of travel destinations to come. At any rate, this unassuming roadside restaurant won us over with their jerk, check out the Czech Inn should you ever head to the Caymans.
I’ve been on the look out for recipes to use the abundance of mint. This one caught my eye for an evening of snacks on the porch. #porchlife
Served hot or cold, this is sure to please. I used a mild pepper to keep the heat level mild. While the spices in the jerk marinade will warm you thru and thru, the melon and mint will cool you back down. Perfect team work.
Great recipe to add to you list this summer!
Jerk Shrimp with Minted Melon Salad
Notes
- Adapted from a recipe in Farm to Chef by Lynn Crawford
- Heat level is mild, replace Jalapeno with pepper of desired spice level
- Alternative is to grill shrimp
- Serve hot or chilled
Ingredients
- 1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 6 green onions, rough chopped
- 1/2 jalapeno
- 2 t. ground allspice
- 2 t. cinnamon
- 1 t. nutmeg
- 1 T. brown sugar
- 2 t. kosher salt
- 2 t. black pepper
- 1/4 c. white vinegar
- 2 T. olive oil
- 2 cups honeydew melon, diced
- 1 T. mint, chopped
- 1 t. jalapeno, minced
- 2 T. lime juice,
- 1 T. honey
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- Tortilla chips, hearty enough to pick up shrimp
Instructions
- Combine green onion thru olive oil in a blender and process until combined.
- Place shrimp in a bowl cover with jerk seasoning and toss to coat. Let marinate at least 30 minutes.
- For minted melon salad, combine melon, mint, jalapeno, lime juice, and honey in a bowl. Stir to combine then set aside.
- Preheat over to 400°.
- Prepare cooking sheet with parchment.
- Place shrimp on prepared cooking sheet, ensure single layer.
- Bake in oven for 6-8 minutes.
- To serve, spread a layer of minted melon salad, top with shrimp and server with tortilla chips.
Oh my gosh, this sounds amazing! I wonder if it would work with chicken or pork since I can’t eat shrimp. Looking at those blue waters really gives me wanderlust and makes me want to get away!
I think any protein would be work with the marinade. So looking forward to future travel.