For the Best Jerk Tofu, Freeze, Then Grill

Jerk chicken is commonly associated with Jamaica, but the spicy grilled dish is found throughout the Caribbean. If you ask my grandmother, she will say jerk originated with the Jamaican Maroons (Africans who escaped from slavery on the colony of Jamaica and established free communities in the mountains). If you ask my best friend's grandmother, she would say jerk was created by the Taíno people, who inhabited Jamaica prior to European colonization. If you ask Google, you will find loads of conflicting information, but one thing we know for certain is that jerk, however it came about and shifted with the intermingling of cultures, is positively delicious.

What makes the jerk marinade so special is the blend of allspice (otherwise known as pimento, which tastes like a mix of clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg) alongside thyme, scallions, garlic, brown sugar, and the heat of Scotch bonnet peppers. When you blend all of those flavors together, you get an aromatic sauce that is spicy, warm, and gently sweet.

I was lucky enough to visit Port Antonio, Jamaica—the jerk capital of the world, where the tantalizing smell of jerked meats constantly permeates the air. At the edge of town is the Portland Jerk Centre—an absolute destination spot for anyone keen to learn more about Jamaican food culture. Tucked away beside the cerulean blue waters of the Caribbean sea, a small community of chefs man their stations at jerk pits all day, wooing tourists and local customers alike.

My jerk tofu recipe shares familiar flavors with Jamaican jerk chicken, while cutting out all animal products. Tofu is something of a blank canvas—like chicken, it doesn’t have an overpowering flavor on its own, and it often makes its mark by reflecting the other ingredients that you use.

While it’s possible to skip this step and still make a very tasty meal, to achieve the ultimate flavor and texture in this recipe—or almost any tofu recipe—I’ve included a tip. If you have time, drain and press your tofu, then freeze the block in a resealable bag, thawing at room temperature before you start cooking. That might seem like a lot of prep, but there’s some food science at play here. In a 2016 study published in the Journal of Food Engineering, researchers found that when tofu is treated with this freeze-thaw method, the tofu loses some of its water content—which is a good thing for firm tofu.

Here’s the TL;DR version: When you freeze tofu, the water in it turns into ice and that ice expands, transforming the tofu’s texture. This process creates a spongy and highly absorbent interior (perfect for soaking up sauces) that has a very pleasant, chewy, and almost meat-like consistency—more similar to seitan than your average block of tofu. As a result, when you marinate the tofu, it takes on a whole lot more flavor. For this recipe, the freezing step helps the jerk marinade truly shine through.

Jerk chicken or vegetables are traditionally slow-cooked over a fire or grill composed of green pimento wood positioned over burning coals; while the resulting smoke is integral to the flavor of the dish as it’s traditionally prepared, the combination of jerk spice and char from your grill achieves nearly equally delicious results. Jerk is commonly served with rice and beans, plantains, sweet potatoes, or festival (a fried dumpling of sorts). To recreate more of the flavors of Port Antonio, I pair my grilled tofu with sweet, ripe plantains that are brushed in a brown sugar glaze to help them caramelize on the grill grates. I also serve it with a mango salsa, which comes together quickly in a food processor. The slaw complements the warm spice of the jerk tofu and brings a nicely cooling element into the dish.

This jerk recipe is fun, bold, and easily scalable—which makes it a perfect main course for a backyard dinner party. You can make the sauce several weeks in advance and stash it in the fridge until you need it. If you press and freeze your tofu when you make the marinade, half of the work will be done well before you’re ready to grill—and that gives you a little more time to figure out dessert. My recipe for dairy-free coconut crisp sundaes topped with rum-soaked fruit is an excellent contender, but even a simple cocktail of rum with a coconut water ice cube would be the perfect finisher for the warm, spicy-sweet flavors of Jamaican jerk.

Grilled Jerk Tofu and Plantains With Mango Salsa

Originally Appeared on Epicurious