Nothing brings cultures together quite like food. To celebrate the black men and women who are using food and flavors to connect cultures and communities, we’re sharing some of our favorite recipes from professional chefs, at-home cooks and foodies who know that great flavors can bring us all together. Temitayo Ola (@tayoscreation) of Dinner with Tayo knows his way around the kitchen and today he’ll show you how to make one of his island-inspired recipes for Coconut Jerk Shrimp and Plantains that you can make in no time.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
1 pound extra-large shrimp tail on, deveined and cleaned
1 coconut
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon coarsely ground pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion coarsely chopped
3 medium scallions chopped
2 Scotch bonnet chilies chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 tablespoon Jamaican allspice powder
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INSTRUCTIONS
1). Finely chop onions, sweet chili pepper, scallions, and garlic; set aside.
2). Peel shrimp, devein and clean in a bath of vinegar or lemon with water.
3). Drain and dry with paper towel. Place in a large bowl. Season with allspice, pepper, nutmeg, and pour soy sauce over shrimp and mix well. Let marinate for about 10 minutes.
4). Here’s a trick on how to open the coconut at home with a hammer. Once you crack open the coconut, scrap some of the coconut out and set aside.
5). Heat tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in pepper, onions, garlic, scallions, coconut and thyme. Cook for 5 minutes. Add shrimp and cook while stirring occasionally. Remove the shrimp from heat, cover and set aside so it stays hot while you prepare your plantain or side of your choice.
6). Cut the sweet plantains, and in a separate skillet, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Fry the plantains until they are golden. Remove the plantains from the skillet once ready. Place in a paper towel to remove excessive oil.
7). Once the plantains are ready, serve immediately with shrimp.
This recipe originally appeared on Cooking with Tayo.