Oven Roasted BBQ Jerk Shrimp

When I go out to eat, my favorite bites of food always tend to be seafood. Shrimp, catfish, oysters, crab: the lists just goes on and on. I am in pure heaven when I can sink my teeth into a grilled shrimp po’boy with oven roasted ranch potatoes. Since we are all close to home as of late, I am really missing happy hour at my favorite restaurants. One dish that I love so much while going out to eat is the fire roasted jerk shrimp at Bahama Breeze. So I went into the lab (aka the kitchen) and did the best I could do at recreating the recipe. I knocked the ball out the park with this recipe, even my little on loved it.

Cooking with a Habanero Pepper

Traditionally, jerk Caribbean cuisine includes a scotch bonnet pepper. When you can’t find that, a habanero pepper will do just fine. One thing you want to be particularly mindful of is the seeds in the pepper. A habanero pepper registers between 100,000 and 350,000 Scoville heat units or SHU. That is one hot chili!! 🌶 When slicing this pepper remember to use gloves and wash your hands after handling it. It can burn pretty intensely so watch out.

How to Make Oven Roasted BBQ Jerk Shrimp

The great thing about this recipe is how incredibly simple it is to make. Literally, take the ingredients in the recipe card below, throw it all in a baking dish and roast, uncovered in the oven. 5 MINUTES! That’s it! You can substitute the habanero pepper for jalapeño or scotch bonnet if you prefer. The most important ingredient is the dry jerk seasoning.

What to Serve With This Appetizer

At the restaurant, I enjoy eating this appetizer with toasted bread points or even potato wedges. As this appetizer roasts in the oven, a nice and luscious sauce is developing while the shrimp are cooking. Sop it up with some bread. A nice cold beverage nearby is an absolute MUST!