Grilled shrimp on pineapple chow

Something Smells Fishy...

A few weeks ago I was on facebook and I saw a friend post a pineapple in a plastic bag with some green ‘stuff’ on it, the tag read pineapple chow. I was like what’s that? A little bit of research led me to several Trinidadian sites detailing how to make the soaked or marinated pineapple. I thought it very interesting that they soak fruits in a marinade of garlic, pepper, salt and chadon beni. The next thought that crossed my mind was how awesome this would be with grilled shrimp….and that’s what I did.

 

One thing I didn't see online was people mixing thier chow with seafood. But it was too good of an adventure not to try out. If you know anything about me, you know I don’t draw within the lines when it comes to food. I’m always trying out new and different combinations and flavors.

I found a pineapple chow recipe on a website called Simply TriniCooking. The recipe calls for Chadon Beni leaves, which I heard was like cilantro on steroids. We don’t have those have in Jamaica, so I opted to use cilantro. The only thing I think I did wrong was blending the marinate into too much of a puree. It should be more of a fine chop than a puree (I think). In any case I decided to play on the herb element so the pineapples soaked in a cilantro marinade while the shrimp bathed in a parsley marinade before heading to the grill.

I think this make a really cool appetizer or snack. And you can serve them separately and allow persons to pick and choose either or either or both. As for the Chow…holy crap the flavor is intense. The garlic and the cilantro absorbed quickly into the sweet and tart pineapple. My mother loved it! I loved it with the shrimp, but I don’t think on its own I liked it as much. Maybe I just didn’t make it right. When its mango season I am definitely experimenting with mango maybe less cilantro next time.

Ingredients (Printable ingredient list)

1lb shrimp tail on

Small bunch Parsley

1 tablespoon Thyme

1 clove Garlic

1/2 cup Oil

3/4 teaspoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Black pepper

Pineapple chow recipe from Simply Trini Cooking

1 pineapple

15 leaves chadon beni I used cilantro

1 head of garlic (about 12 cloves)

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste I used half a scotch bonnet pepper

Greedy Tips:

• Make sure to soak you pineapples for 40 minutes and the shrimp for up to an hour.
• If you have blended the marinade the way I did, make sure to wipe of any excess puree from the pineapples before serving. Trust me they have soaked up all the flavors that you could even wash them clean and the flavor still be potent. 

Xoxo Greedy girl