I wasn’t born a master of jerk fried shrimp. In fact, for the majority of my youth, I was designated to two roles in the kitchen: the consumer and the cleaner.

When I went away for college, these roles drastically shifted. Quickly, I began to regret the decision I made to go away. Mommy and daddy would not be there any more to whip me up the delicious recipes I had come to love in my childhood. And even though home was only an hour and a half away from school, constantly paying a $30-40 fare did not match up with college student budget. Needless to say eating out every day of the week was out of the question.

By force, I had to learn how to cook. I started creating my own meals using some of the old recipes my parents used, but mainly a lot of my dishes were created out of curiosity (and trial and error) using whatever ingredients I could find in my pantry and fridge.

I did a lot of experimenting with different seasonings and stumbled across this delicious recipe for jerk fried shrimp. Now it’s your turn! With the help of my recipe and your creativity, you can create your own zesty seafood dish. Follow the steps below, adding your own favorite flavors along the way if you like, and you may just surprise yourself like I did.

 

Jerk Fried Shrimp

  • Prep Time:5 minutes
  • Cook Time:10- 15 minutes
  • Total Time:15-20 minutes
  • Servings:2-3
  • Easy

    Ingredients

  • 1 bag cooked shrimp
  • 3 tablespoon old bay seasoning
  • 3 teaspoon parsley flakes
  • 1 teaspoon powdered garlic
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 teaspoon traditional Jamaican jerk seasoning
  • 2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup flour
Photo by Jamelia Thompson
  • Step 1

    Clean the portion of shrimp you are going to be using. (I recommend using lemon juice or fresh lemons instead of just rinsing with water.) Then add your seasonings.

    Photo by Jamelia Thompson
  • Step 2

    Bread your seasoned shrimps with flour in a separate container. Using a container with a lid helps to make sure that the shrimps are fully coated. Just cap and shake!

    Photo by Jamelia Thompson
  • Step 3

    Pour some olive oil into a pan and put the stove on medium temperature. Carefully, place each shrimp into the pan. Wait about 1-2 minutes to flip the shrimps over to the other side. Check to make sure that each side has a nice golden color. For ten minutes, gradually toss the shrimp around in the pan so that the inside meat can get fully cooked.

    Photo by Jamelia Thompson
  • Step 4

    Drain the oil and plate the shrimps on top of a paper towel to help soaking up any remaining grease.

    Photo by Jamelia Thompson
  • Step 5

    Serve as a snack with any preferred tartar sauce or serve as a meal with any precooked boxed rice.

    Photo by Jamelia Thompson
  • Step 6

    Eat up! You just became a chef.

    Photo by Jamelia Thompson