Welcome to Jamaican week!🏝 Kicking off our Caribbean feast with Jerk Fish – pan-fried fish coated with Jamaican jerk seasoning that adds a stack of flavour and makes it crispy. Thin white fish fillets cook in 3 minutes which makes Jerk Fish a super fast dinner!
Every now and then, I like to do a week of recipes for a themed menu. This week, it’s Jamaican week so you can make your very own Caribbean feast at home! Who’s in the mood for some tropical vibes??
🌴 Jamaican menu 🌴
Main – this Jerk Fish
Side salad – Jamaican Slaw
Side – Jamaican Coconut Rice and Peas (beans)
Dessert – rum and raisin ice cream without an ice cream maker!
Kicking off Jamaican week with the main – Jerk Fish!
Why you need Jerk Fish in your life
🌴 It’s Jamaican – so it’s cool. (Just ask Dozer, below).
🌴 Big, bold, Caribbean flavours using everyday spices: garlic, onion, thyme, paprika, all spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne.
🌴 It’s fine if you’re missing one or two spices cause there’s so many spices in it anyway.
🌴 Takes 3 minutes on the stove.
Don’t have fish? Use the jerk seasoning on chicken, shrimp/prawns or vegetables. Tips in the recipe.
What goes in jerk seasoning
Here are the spices you need for jerk seasoning. The perfect blend of savoury flavour, a hint of spiciness with the signature touch of sweetness. The smell when it hits the pan is intoxicating!
There’s so many spices in Jerk seasoning, if you’re missing one (or two…) it’s not the end of the world, you’ll still end up with a terrific Jamaican-(ish) spice blend. Here are substitution suggestions:
Garlic powder – more onion powder, and vice versa
Dried thyme – oregano
Brown sugar – 2 tsp caster sugar / superfine sugar
Cayenne pepper – Pure ground chilli, red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper or omit if you want not spicy
Smoked paprika – ordinary paprika
Allspice powder – Mixed spice
Cinnamon powder – Try not to leave this out! It adds an irreplaceable special touch.
Nutmeg powder – More cinnamon
Fish for jerk fish
The fish pictured throughout this post is snapper, pictured below, but jerk seasoning will work with any type of fish fillet that’s suitable for pan frying as long as it is a thin fillet no thicker than 1.5 cm / 0/6″ at the thickest point. It needs to be thin so it cooks through within 3 – 4 minutes else the jerk seasoning will burn.
Snapper is a very popular fish here in Australia, beloved for the mild, sweet, delicate flavour, which is not “fishy” at all. The flesh is moderately firm and moist, and fillets are easy to cook evenly because they are flat with an even thickness (as opposed to, say, salmon, when some fillets have a very thick “hump” (the loin) though you can find thin salmon fillets (the tail end).
Don’t have fish? You can the jerk seasoning on chicken, shrimp/prawns or vegetables. Tips in the recipe.
How to make jerk fish
In a nutshell: coat fish in the jerk seasoning then pan fry for 2 minutes on the first side and 1 minute on the second side. That’s a 3 minute dinner – we need more of these in our life!!!
Jerk seasoning – Mix the jerk seasoning spices in a bowl.
Coat – Spread the jerk seasoning in a tray or plate just large enough to fit the fish fillets. Then coat each piece of fish with the seasoning, pressing to adhere. Shake off excess and put on a plate. Repeat with remaining fish.
Pan fry 3 minutes – Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over high heat. As soon as you see the first small wisps of smoke, place 2 fillets in the pan presentation side down. Cook for 2 minutes on the first side until the surface is a deep bronze colour with a reddish tinge (don’t let it burn!), carefully flip then cook the other side for 1 minute.
CHEFFY TIP: How to flip fish properly
Fish is delicate so you have to flip carefully. I used to use a spatula plus a butter knife or my free hand to control the flip so the fish wouldn’t break.
Forget that! Here’s how chefs do it:
Tilt the pan slightly so the oil pools on one side and won’t splatter on you.
Flip the fish with a spatula “uphill” so you have the help of gravity slowing down the flip so the delicate fish will not break.
GAME-CHANGER! (See video at 33 seconds for a demo)
Rest 2 minutes – Transfer the fish to a rack and rest for 2 minutes. It’s best to use a rack to preserve the crispiness of the jerk-crust. If you use a plate, the underside will sweat and compromise the crispiness. Not the end of the world… but a rack is better!
Once rested, transfer the fish to a plate and serve!
Jamaican week sides for Jerk fish!
To serve with your Jerk fish, two fabulous sides! Jamaican Slaw (shockingly delicious) and Jamaican Coconut Rice and Peas. And to complete your Jamaican feast, rum and raisin ice cream without an ice cream maker! This is one of those recipes I deem to be something money-can’t-buy because it has real rum flavour that you just won’t get in tubs from the shops.
This is a spread of seriously good food. I hope you enjoy Jamaican week as much as I have creating the recipes!!! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Jamaican Jerk Fish
Ingredients
Jerk seasoning (Note 1):
- 3 tsp garlic powder
- 3 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (reduce to 1 1/2 tsp for table salt)
- 3 tsp dried thyme
- 2 1/2 tsp brown sugar , lightly packed (Note 2)
- 2 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (it's spicy! See SPICE NOTE)
- 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (sub ordinary paprika)
- 1 1/4 tsp allspice powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
Fish:
- 4 x 160g/6 oz thin snapper or other white fish fillets , skinless, boneless (up to 1.5cm / 0.6″ thick, Note 3)
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Jerk Spice Blend – Mix the Jerk Seasoning spices together in a bowl then spread in a small tray that is just large enough to fit one fish fillet.
- Coat fish – Pat fish dry with a paper towel. Then coat both sides of each fillet with the jerk seasoning, pressing to adhere. Shake off excess, place on a clean plate and coat remaining fish.
- Cook fish – Heat half the oil in a large non-stick pan over high heat. When you see small wisps of smoke, place 2 fillets presentation side down and cook for 2 minutes.
- Flip – the spice crust should be a deep bronze colour with a reddish tinge. Cook the other side for 1 minute until the target internal temperature is 55°C/130°F, or the fish flakes easily at the thickest point.
- Rest on a rack for 2 minutes (to preserve crispy spice crust). Then serve! Recipes for pictured Jamaican sides coming on Tuesday – stay tuned!
Recipe Notes:
- Garlic powder – more onion powder, and vice versa
- Dried thyme – oregano
- Brown sugar – 1 3/4 tsp caster sugar / superfine sugar
- Cayenne pepper – Pure ground chilli, red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper or omit if you want not spicy
- Smoked paprika – ordinary paprika
- Allspice powder – Mixed spice
- Cinnamon powder – Try not to leave this out! It adds an irreplaceable special touch.
- Nutmeg powder – More cinnamon
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Jamaican Dozer. Ya mon!
PS It’s totally photoshopped. Just couldn’t find a Jamaican dog costume, strangely. 😂
Would like to try your Jamaican jerk fish recipes
I’d like to know if I can cook this with chicken in the oven? Or even Pork Tenderloin?? Thanx Nagi – love your posts. Hi Dozer!
I was going to run up to the store right now to buy some snapper but I want to make the whole meal as shown!!! 🤤
so I guess I have to wait for the coconut rice and beans recipe and slaw!!😳😬😣
I will survive!!!😩
You are the best!!! 🥰
I’ll be patiently waiting for the rest of the meal as well.
Nagi
already planned your Honey Garlic Salmon for dinner, however I have checked and have all the spices and some basa fillets in the freezer so our mid week fish dish is sorted
Thanks for this one Nagi, we both love jerk fish and cant wait to try this with the sides and maybe some rum cocktails
Andie
LOL. Now I understand why Dozier wouldn’t talk to you without a bribe!
In your video, is that just parsley that you sprinkle on the fish just prior to serving?
This had my mouth watering at 6:00 am in the morning! I would really like to make this for some friends who recently travelled to Jamaica. How would you suggest keeping a couple of fillets warm while I cook the other two? Thanks Nagi!
Absolutely love all your recipes, definitely going to try Jamaican week & Poppy dog loves Dozer. Always looking for fish recipes & wish we had snapper in UK!!!
Thank you for your inspiration
My sister-in-law caught some whitting whilst at streaky bay (SA) and gave us 3 beautiful pieces so I can’t wait to make this, only need to wait for your Caribbean coconut rice and beans and Jamaican Slaw recipes and dinner will be made. Oh made your Salisbury steak mushroom sauce the other night , was to die for 😊
Looks amazing – always a big fans of big favour profile! Can’t wait to try it out along with your other Jamaican recipes coming later this week!
May I have one quick question: do you think I can bake it in the oven with some oil spray on top of the fish fillet? Any advice would be appreciated!
Great recipe and great Dozer pic. Surprised he let you dress him up.
PS have just seen it was photoshop. Silly me.
Really wish we had smelly vision, this Jerk Fish dinner looks delicious!! Are healthy + CRISPY sweet potato wedges (oven cooked) possible Nagi? Mine are always soft.
Looking soooo yummy
Would this work for either baking or grilling the fish ? We would use either snapper of basa here in the UK.
I absolutely love seeing and reading your recipes. It all looks so delicious. I recently lost my darling husband who was the amazing cook in the house, so admit to only using ready made microwave meals and no vegetables. I know, I’m really bad. I love looking at your meals and my mouth waters as though I am actually eating them. It’s the usual story, oh it looks too much for one person but I know I could half the ingredients. Another excuse is, I’m waiting to get your book when it comes out here in the UK ( Scotland actually), but no reason to wait as your recipes are so well explained and demonstrated on video. Watch this space! I’ll let you know when I take the plunge and actually cook something!
My late husband was also the cook in the house, but with two children in the house I had to learn how to cook.
I’m still not a very confident cook but all of the recipes that I have tried of Nagi’s always turn out beautifully.
Hi Sarah, it’s hard but even harder for you. Well done. Makes mews t to try harder. Lindsey x
I agree with Lynn. I have made many of Nagi’s recipes and every one is delish! I can’t imagine what you are going through, but maybe you could be good to yourself by making something that tastes wonderful that you may want, at some point, to share with a friend. Sending good thoughts your way! If you like to make bread, I would recommend her easy, no knead rustic bread. It IMPRESSES!!!!
Thank you so much for your kind reply. A very good idea to make something that I could share with a friend. I might even try that bread! Thanks again
Give something a go Lindsey. All Nagi’s recipes work so if you follow the instructions, you’ll be making delicious meals in no time.
Thanks Lynn. I will definitely be making one of these delicious recipes
The fish looks so yummy!! I also want to know how to make the rice too. Do you have the recipe?
Dozer is definitely “NOT AMUSED”. So funny!
I’m so excited to cook this recipe for my husband! He is half Jamaican and originally from the UK and really misses Jamaican food since moving to Australia. Will there be a recipe for Jamaican dumplings too??
ooh looks amazing, i will try this one. I love all those fried spices too. Can’t wait for the “sides” email on Tuesday, that coleslaw looks delish
Dozer is so cute. Had a little chuckle with the photoshopped Jamaican outfit. Will grill the fish in the oven – see if it turns out OK. xo