This is one of those meals that takes you back to a beach vacation somewhere in the Caribbean with all the spicy, sweet and savory flavors. Jerk seasoning is one of those nostalgic flavors for me from a trip I took to Jamaica. I had it on chicken, but today, we used swordfish which knocked my socks off. It's spicy so beware, but paired with fresh pineapple salsa to cool it down makes it a little less so.
If you haven't discovered jerk seasoning paste at the grocery store and love spicy foods, then RUN to the store and grab a jar, then slather it on a swordfish steak, grill it to perfection and serve it with Mexican rice and my quick, fresh and delicious pineapple salsa.
Making Pineapple Salsa
Making my own fruit salsas is something I love to do in the summer, because not only is it good for dishes such as this one, but leftovers can be mixed with rice, topped on a salad, served with chips or used on tacos. It's versatile, super easy to make and totally delicious.
For my pineapple salsa, you will need:
This is optional to use, and if you don't have access to a Trader Joes, you can always use a sprinkle of chili powder and cumin to add more flavor to your salsa
Mix all of these ingredients together in a bowl and it will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Jerk Seasoned Swordfish
Next you'll want to marinate your swordfish in the jerk paste. You can find jerk seasoning in a powder form as well, but I like to tangy/spicy concentration of flavor in the paste. I found the one shown below at Whole Foods.
As you can, Izzy the cat was very excited about the prep of this meal
Pat your swordfish dry to prepare it for the marinade
Marinate the swordfish with the jerk paste in the fridge for up to one hour
Once the swordfish has marinated, fire up the grill and throw that sucker on! You'll want to grill each side until you see char marks, then flip it, waiting for the marks on the other side. Depending on the thickness of your swordfish steak, you'll grill each side for 5-6 minutes on the thicker side, or more like 3-5 minutes on the thinner side. Regardless, you'll want a well-done steak to be 140 degrees.
Feel free to slather on some extra seasoning paste while it's grilling too!
Serving your Grilled Jerk Swordfish with Pineapple Salsa
I like to serve this with a Spanish-style rice to add even more flavor, however plain white rice or even Jasmine rice would be perfect too. Start with the rice, then the swordfish then a heaping spoonful or three of the pineapple salsa.
The flavors in this dish are out of this world! I hope you give this one a try, but beware, jerk seasoning is on the spicy side! I think I've made this regularly every week this summer July-September so far.
Let me know if you make this yummy dish, and happy cooking!
sounds great
Let us know if you give it a shot Greg! Just be warned….the jerk sauce is SPICY so I’d start by going light on it.