Jerk cooking is becoming popular day by day. This is because of its amazing ingredients. It is not easy to find always. If you are stuck in the same situation and don’t find jerk seasoning in any nearby store, you should use its substitutes. Using a jerk seasoning substitute in a recipe won’t also give a similar flavor but a similar color to the recipe/dish. Mainly, it’s used in jerk cuisines, but due to its flavorful contents, you can use it in other recipes too.
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What is Jerk Seasoning?
Jerk Seasoning belongs to Jamaica. It’s a fusion of everyday spices and herbs such as allspice, thyme, nutmeg, onion, and scotch bonnet pepper. This seasoning works well with meat dishes such as goat and lamb. You can also marinate your fish, poultry, and meat by adding some olive oil to make it hydrate and marinate.
Jerk Seasoning Nutrient Profile:
- Total Fat: 0.4g. 1%
- Saturated Fat: 0g. 0%
- Cholesterol: 0mg. 0%
- Sodium: 66mg. 3%
- Potassium: 2.5mg. 0%
- Total Carbohydrates: 0.8g. 0%
- Dietary Fiber: 0g. 0%
- Sugars: 0.8g.
What can I Substitute for Jerk Seasoning?
If you are preparing a meat dish and you run out of jerk seasoning, you don’t need to worry now. We have a list of the best substitute for jerk seasoning. You can choose the best suitable substitute for your recipe and make it flavorful like jerk seasoning. Using a substitute instead gives almost similar flavor along with a similar texture to a recipe.
1. Jerk Seasoning Sauce:
Jerk seasoning sauce is also known as Jerk Marinade Seasoning Sauce. This is a saucy version of seasoning powder. This seasoning sauce is available in various consistencies. Generally, it’s a thick consistency sauce, but you may find virtually a paste and contain no liquid.
Jerk seasoning sauce is easily available in stores or online. You can also make your own at home. You just have to add some chopped scallions, bonnet peppers, fresh scotch, and soy sauce. You can also add olive oil to hydrate the dry spice mixture.
2. Ras el Hanout:
Ras el Hanout is another great spice mix that you can use in a recipe as a good jerk seasoning replacement. This spice mix contains many different ingredients that you may not have at home. So, it is not recommended to make it at home. Ras el Hanout contains allspice and ginger similar to jerk seasoning which makes it a perfect substitute.
It’s a more flavorful seasoning that works pretty well in place of jerk seasoning. You can adjust the spiciness of Ras el Hanout by adding more scotch bonnet peppers. Otherwise, you can also use this spice mix for marinade by adding olive oil to hydrate it.
3. Baharat:
Baharat is very a popular spice mix in Middle Eastern cuisines. This spice mix contains various ingredients such as nutmeg, cardamom, black pepper, allspice, salt, cumin, and cinnamon. This combination of winter spices makes it more flavorful as well as resembles the flavor of jerk seasoning.
You may miss the smoky flavor until you add smoked paprika to this spice mix to get a similar smoky flavor as jerk seasoning.
4. Rogan Josh Seasoning:
Rogan Josh is an Indian spice blend that is prepared by adding cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, garlic, onion, and ginger in butter. It’s an ideal jerk seasoning alternative for marinating meat dishes/recipes. As you know that ground clove is the key ingredient in Rogan Josh that gives a similar hint of allspice in jerk seasoning. This closeness of spices in Rogan Josh makes it a good jerk seasoning replacement.
5. Berbere:
Berbere belongs to Ethiopian cuisine and this spice blend holds on exotic flavors and a rich aroma. The spiciness is usually maintained by the chili powder. Therefore, Berbere can be used in recipes that call for Jerk Seasoning. You can add some dried oregano, dried thyme, sugar, garlic, and onion powder to the Berbere to get a very close flavor to jerk seasoning.
6. Tandoori Masala Powder:
Tandoori Masala Powder is also an Indian condiment. You may find many flavorful options in this spice mix. The allspice flavor is recognized by the usage of cloves in this spice blend and the hotness is obtained with Kashmere red chili powder. If you want to add that authentic allspice flavor of jerk seasoning, you can add some allspice with this spice blend. This seasoning goes well with meat, fish, poultry, or seafood dishes.
7. Allspice:
Allspice is a base ingredient that is added to every type of jerk seasoning. Allspice has a hint of some other spices such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and pepper which are also a part of jerk seasoning ingredients. Using only allspice to substitute Jamaican jerk seasoning will not resemble the depth of a similar flavor. It may become overpowering very quickly so it’s better to use 1/2 amount of allspice in a recipe that calls for jerk seasoning.
8. Homemade Jerk Seasoning:
If you have enough time and resources, you can make your own at home. You just need:
=> 1 tbsp of red pepper flakes, ground nutmeg, ground cumin, and ground cinnamon
=> 2 tbsp of garlic and onion powder
=> 2 tbsp of ground black pepper, and ground allspice
=> 4 tbsp of smoked paprika and cayenne pepper
=> 2 tbsp of dried thyme
=> 2 tbsp of dried parsley or oregano
=>Β 4 tbsp of salt
=>Β 2 tbsp of brown sugar
Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl until well mixed together. Use immediately or store in an air-tight glass spice jar for later use.
FAQ:
What flavor does jerk have?
Jerk seasoning has a smoky, fiery, savory flavor with a hint of sweetness. It refers to any spice mix incorporating peppers, garlic, onion, and other spices.
Is jerk seasoning the same as cajun?
No, both are different seasonings. Cajun seasoning is rustic as compared to the jerk seasoning. The taste of cajun might differ person to person and their preparation method.
How long can I store jerk seasoning?
If your jerk seasoning begins to lose its color, you'll know it is going bad. The shelf life of jerk seasoning is for one year. It can be exceeded for about two years when stored correctly.
Now, you know the bestΒ Jerk Seasoning Substitute. You can choose according to what you have in the kitchen or you can also purchase from Amazon. Please! comment down below your questions, and let us know how much informative is this article for you. π