Caribbean Flavors at Sea

It hard not to think about tropical islands, fresh fish and pina coladas while staring at the beautiful blue water offshore. The feelings those things conjure up are synonymous with Caribbean flavors, which is how I came up with this jerk seared wahoo.

The Art of Jerk Cuisine

Jerk is a style of cooking and spicing that is native to the island of Jamaica. Traditionally, Jamaican jerk involves the process of using a dry rub or wet marinade on a hot smoking meat. While it not a traditional dish in our region, the jerk seared wahoo has become a favorite for our guests and crew during sushi hour, which is a daily occurrence aboard the Wrapped Up.

Discovering the Wahoo

Wahoo can be caught year-round worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. From late November through March wahoo are plentiful around the Garden Banks here in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. We spend our winter months specifically targeting these at the Flower Garden Banks offshore of Galveston.

Crafting the Jerk Seared Wahoo

Wahoo is an incredibly lean fish with a mild taste. Despite being closely related to mackerel, wahoo has much less red muscle meat than the mackerel. The firm texture of the wahoo makes it an ideal fish to use for quick searing sushi and raw consumption. The light color of the wahoo filets provides a beautiful contrast between the jerk spice rub and meat. The sweet honey mango combined with the cilantro balances the spicy complexity of the jerk seasoning.

A Recipe for Adventure

This recipe is easily replicated, which makes it a great dish to make at home or at-sea.

Ingredients for the Perfect Marinade

• 3-4 Tbsp Sunflower oil
• 4 tsp Allspice
• 2 Tbsp Brown sugar
• ½ tsp Cayenne pepper
• 2 Tbsp Garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp Onion powder
• ½ Tbsp Smoked paprika
• 2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp Dried thyme
• ½ tsp Nutmeg
• 1 Tbsp Ginger
• 1 tsp White pepper
• ½ Tbsp Dried parsley
• Cilantro and diced honey mango for garnish
• Sea salt to taste
• Optional: Red pepper flake to taste

Preparing Your Jerk Wahoo

Add spices to a bowl and mix thoroughly. Youll definitely have plenty leftover to use again, so find a small airtight container to store the leftovers!

The Final Touch: Searing and Serving

In a small bowl or small glass baking dish, mix 3 Tbsp of your jerk blend with 3 Tbsp of your high temp oil, salt your fish to taste and place in the oil and jerk spice mixture. Generously coat the wahoo filet with the mix.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until max temp is reached. This is very contingent upon your range!

Once the pan is to temp quickly sear your wahoo filet on each side for 30-45 seconds. Be careful not to overdo it, the sugar in the spice blend can easily burn.

Slice thinly with a sharp knife and garnish with a piece of cilantro and honey mango.