Jamaican Jerk Shrimp

Long time readers know that I love mango's and am a long-time fan of mango salsa. I'm also a huge fan of grilled shrimp and I think I could have it for dinner 5 nights a week and be perfectly content! This recipe comes from David Bonom in Coastal Living's January edition and combines the grilled shrimp I crave with the mango salsa I love.


If you have Jamaican Jerk seasoning in your cupboard and shrimp in the refrigerator or freezer, consider this one for tonight.











Jamaican Jerk Grilled Shrimp

1 mango, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 avocado, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 pounds unpeeled large raw shrimp
1 red onion, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons Jamaican Jerk Rub

Combine the mango, avocado, bell pepper, cilantro, lime juice, sugar and salt to make the salsa and set aside in a bowl.

Peel shrimp, leaving tails on; devein. Toss shrimp and onion with oil in a large bowl, sprinkle with Jamaican Jerk Rub, and toss to coat. Grill shrimp and onion over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) 6 minutes, or just until shrimp turn pink, turning once. Chop onion and add to salsa mixture, stirring gently. Serve shrimp with salsa.

Mango Orange Roasted Chicken

This picture - before cooking

Boy did I get a wild hair this week! When preparing to make 2 whole roasted chickens I decided to use the onion/orange inside the birds as I've blogged about before. This always makes for good flavor and an incredibly moist bird but I wanted to go a step farther this time. With puree'd mangoes (for smoothies) in the refrigerator I grabbed the mix and poured some all over the bird. I then added minced garlic, lemon pepper, onion powder, thyme and just a touch of dried lemon and orange peel. Sprinkled with a bit of salt and pepper I crumpled some foil under the birds and put them in the roaster where I roasted them at 300 for a few hours while I had to run errands and then placed them under the broiler in the oven to brown and crisp them.

The end result was quite tasty and good while being moist as well. My only hesitation is that I used some of the drippings to make a gravy and served it all with homemade biscuits as well. I'm not sure I like the hint of citrus and mango in my gravy. I think that may just be me though... I'm such a southern girl at heart I don't want anything 'odd' in my gravy and biscuits! LOL.

In the end, if you like oranges and mangoes as well as chicken I think this is one you should play around with - give it a try and see what you get. I think a mango salsa spread over the chicken in place of the puree'd mangoes would work great too and yum - with those chilies and jalapeno's in the mango (or peach) salsa, that would be excellent! ( I don't think I'd make a gravy out of that one though... ha ha ha).

Peach and Mango Salsa

Last weekend we were invited to the house of my daughters boyfriend to spend the Fourth of July holiday with his family. Although we didn't have to bring anything I obviously wanted to so I whipped up a couple dishes of homemade salsas and brought those along with a big bag of chips and an assortment of non-alcoholic drinks like flavored waters, green tea and a few energy drinks for the kids.

The salsas I decided to make were based on whatever foods I had on hand - so I ended up making one traditional tomato based and another that was fruity based. Using the 2 peaches I had here in the house and then the mangoes I had previously diced and froze I had a delicious salsa that was raved about by their entire family.

Regular readers, you know I don't always measure things... I just throw them together at will, which is what I did here but I'll try to recreate it for you. Remember my rule though - have fun and change amounts based on your families likes and dislikes. Add more of something and less of something else if you choose! That's how new recipes are made!

Peach Mango Salsa

2 ripe peaches, peeled and diced
1-2 mangoes, peeled and diced
1/2 sweet onion (vidalia, washington, etc.) diced
1 T dried cilantro or parsley
1 T olive (olive, vegetable, canola)
juice of 1 lime
1 t salt
2 T diced green chilies (the mild kind you buy in a can)
1 jalapeno, diced incredibly tiny

Mix and chill 2 hours to let the flavors blend. Serve with tortilla chips or with cinnamon pita chips or even won ton chips.

Mango Cranberry Salsa

One of my favorite recipes is a feta and chicken stuffed anaheim pepper with mango salsa. I do however make the salsa a few times a year by itself because it is excellent with tortilla chips!

Adjust the ingredients and amounts to what you personally like.


Mango Salsa

2 mangoes, sliced and diced
1 papaya, diced (substitute 2 kiwi if you need to)
1/2 cup sweet onion, diced (only use about 1-2 T if you only have a strong white onion)
1-2 T fresh squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoons cilantro
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped fine (or use 1 T canned chilies for less heat)
1 T oil
1 tiny clove minced fresh garlic
salt to taste (about 1/4-1/2 t)

In large bowl, combine and chill before serving with tortilla chips or as a topping for grilled chicken. I LOVE this stuff.

*** Update ***
Mango Cranberry Salsa

Thanks to a heavy hand with the salt and lime I needed to improvise today. I had no papaya's or kiwi but I had to add something to cut the lime and salt I got a little crazy with. I found a can of whole cranberry sauce in the cupboard and added;

1/2 can (8 oz. of a 16 oz. can) whole cranberry sauce


YUM! A new recipe is born. Mango Cranberry Salsa.

Fresh Mango Pudding

This one is from Bon Appétit. Not tried yet....


Fresh Mango Pudding


1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
12-ounce mango, in chunks
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum
1 cup fresh raspberries

Mix citrus juices. Sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand 10 minutes. Stir over low heat until gelatin dissolves. Let stand until just cool but not set. Combine mango, cream, milk, sugar and rum in processor. Blend on high speed until smooth. Add gelatin mixture. Pour into six 6-ounce custard cups (or larger glass dish). Divide berries among dishes, pressing into puddings. Cover and chill until firm,

Mangoes and Rice

Mangoes and Rice

3 c cooked rice
1 cup canned coconut milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 t salt
Mango slices

Combine rice and milk and cook over medium heat until thick. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 2 minutes. Serve warm on a platter with chilled mango slices.

Grilled Chicken with Mango and Black Beans

Grilled Chicken with Mango and Black Bean Salad

1/2 c prepared vinaigrette dressing
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
2 t grated lime peel
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves or boneless pork chops, about 2 pounds
1 can (19 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 c chopped red onion
1/4 c finely chopped jalapeno peppers
2 ripe mangos

In a small bowl combine the salad dressing, cilantro and lime peel. In a resealable food storage bag place 1/4 cup of the dressing and the chicken breasts. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a medium bowl,combine black beans, onion and jalapeño with remaining dressing; set aside. On a board hold one of the mangos with one of the narrower sides facing up. Starting 1/4-inch from the stem, slice along each side of the pit to cut off the sides. Cut flesh criss-cross, taking care not to cut through the skin. Press skin so
fruit pops outward. With a spoon or knife, remove the mango cubes. Peel the center section of mango; cut off remaining fruit and chop. Repeat with remaining mango.

Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade.

Grill or broil chicken until cooked through. Toss mangos with bean mixture. Serve chicken with Mango and black bean salad.

Mango Key Lime Pie

I have three ripe mangoes to use up and I'm deciding the best way to do it. I'm going to hold this recipe here until I can try it. If you try it first, let me know!



Mango Key Lime Pie

1/4 c lime juice
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 c mango puree
2 egg whites
1 graham cracker crust

Mix lime juice, condensed milk, egg yolks and mango puree. Beat egg whites with dash of salt to stiff peaks. Fold in mango mixture. Add to crust and chill until firm.