Jamaican pepper shrimp
Pepa swimps: Middle Quarters-style scotch bonnet shrimp
Drive through Middle Quarters in St Elizabeth and women by the roadside will lean into the car window holding bags of bright red pepper shrimp, calling "pepa swimps!" The river shrimp are boiled whole in a fiery brine of scotch bonnet, pimento, garlic and salt, then left to soak up the heat, and eaten with the fingers, shells and all sucked clean. Large shell-on prawns make a fine substitute. The usual mistake is overboiling, which leaves the shrimp rubbery; they need only a few minutes before steeping off the heat. Discard any shrimp that smell of ammonia or have soft, slimy shells before cooking. Chef's tip: a teaspoon of annatto or paprika gives the deep red colour of the roadside bags.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ lb shell-on raw shrimp or prawnsrinsed
- 1 litre water
- 3 scotch bonnet pepperschopped (wear gloves)
- 5 cloves garliccrushed
- 1 tbsp allspice berries (pimento)
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 spring onions (scallion)chopped
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp paprikaor annatto powder, for colour
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Look over 1 ¾ lb shell-on raw shrimp or prawns and throw away any that smell sour or of ammonia or feel slimy.
Step 2: Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a pot and fry 3 scotch bonnet peppers, 5 cloves garlic and 1 tbsp allspice berries (pimento) over a medium heat for 1 minute until fragrant.
1 minStep 3: Add 1 litre water, 4 sprigs fresh thyme, 2 spring onions (scallion), 1 tbsp salt and 1 tsp paprika and boil for 5 minutes to make a fiery brine.
5 minStep 4: Add the shrimp and bring back to the boil. Cook for 2–3 minutes, until the shells are bright red-orange and the flesh is opaque all the way through.
3 minStep 5: Turn off the heat and leave the shrimp to steep in the hot brine for 5 minutes to soak up the pepper. Lift out and serve warm or at room temperature; eat within 2 hours or chill.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 170 kcal
- Protein
- 28 g
- Carbs
- 4 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does jamaican pepper shrimp take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of spring onions (scallion)?
- Chives, or a little finely sliced onion.
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