Spicy jerk seasoning forms a delicate crust on beautifully cooked salmon accompanied by a fiery habanero dijon sauce and velvety parsnip puree. The bright acidic pickled raisins provide the perfect sweet and sour to the balance the spicy salmon.
I have been making my jerk seasoning for years and had yet to actually write it down! Now I am happy to share it with all of you and hope you love it as much as I do! The jerk seasoning is a the perfect way to add some interest to vedge, grilled meats, and even yogurt to make a killer sauce! The habanero sauce is spicy so watch out for the faint of heart but for the spice lovers slather it on everything! I love any and everything pickled and raisins are no exception. I often stir pickled raisins into chicken salad to liven it up and my kids are huge fans! A smooth puree is always welcome on my plates and the parsnips are a great alternative to mashed potatoes and actually have fooled my 5 year old a time or two 🙂
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1.5 teaspoons ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon ground thyme
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg fresh grated
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoons dried lime zest
- 1/2 cup champagne vinegar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1 Habanero chili chopped
- 1/4 cup dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1.5 lbs parsnips about 6 peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 6oz salmon fillets skin on and brought to room temp. (20 minutes)
- 2 tablespoons toasted coconut flakes divided
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To prepare rub put all jerk seasoning ingredients into a small bowl. Whisk to combine and store in a sealed container. Set aside.
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To prepare pickled raisins in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat bring vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seeds, and water to a boil. Stir to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and stir in raisins. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
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To prepare habanero dijon sauce place all sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
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To prepare parsnip puree add parsnips, milk and kosher salt to a medium sized sauce pan and and bring to a simmer. Cook covered for 20 minutes or until knife tender. Add butter to the mixture and blend using an or immersion blender until smooth. Cover and keep warm while salmon cooks.
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To cook salmon rub 1 teaspoon of jerk seasoning on each fillet. Heat olive oil in nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Cook salmon skin side down for 6 minutes. Flip fish over and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
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To serve spoon parsnip puree on 4 individual plates and top with salmon fillets. Drain pickled raisins and place desired amount on the fish. Add coconut flakes to top of salmon and finish with dots of habanero sauce.
You will have reserved jerk seasoning so place the remaining seasoning in a sealed container as you would your other spices and use on anything from sweet potato fries, to chicken wings.
To decrease the level of heat in the habanero sauce you can remove the seed and the ribs of the pepper before adding it to the sauce
Alternately you may use a regular blender to puree your parsnips just be careful when blending hot ingredients as you could get burned. To make sure this doesn't happen vent your blender lid and cover with a dish towel to allow steam to escape and decrease spraying of hot parsnips!
Make sure your salmon is patted dry before applying the jerk seasoning.