London Loy’s Amazing Jerk Mushrooms

London Loy is a Dutch chef who helped put street food on the map here. These days he’s best known for being one of the chef’s working bringing flavor to the masses (and we need it) on Dutch day-time TV show Koffietijd as well as being the personal chef for kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven.

Mix it up

I bought his book Mijn Recepten (‘My Recipes’) last year because I really like his style. London has a Surinamese background and a really exciting way of bringing together the flavors of Suriname (which are already quite extensive) with other classics from around the world.

Think bakkeljauw (dried and salted cod) brandade, spicy pesto made with Madame Jeannette (similar to Scotch bonnet) chilies and suviche (a Surinamese take on ceviche). If you’ve been following me for a while you’ll know that’s that is entirely in my weelhouse of flavors. Except I grew up with Indonesian, Indisch and Chinese food and use those influences in ehr… I guess everything I do.

Other than that Mijn Recepten is wonderfully to the point. No lengthy stories, no extensive recipe introductions. Just, how do you make it and where did it come from. With very short bits of background about London himself and fantastic photography by Stacii Samidin.

God hates me

I really wanted to make the banana blossom fritters from London’s book but because God hates me I couldn’t find banana blossom at any toko near me to save my life.

The other recipe that grabbed my eye is this recipe for jerk portobellos. I had my first taste of jerk in London at Cummin’ Up (more on that here) and it’s been a favorite of mine ever since. Because chicken is such a shit show I’m always looking to cut back on my chicken so this shroom jerk had my name written all over it.

Of course, because God hates me, I couldn’t find portobello mushrooms either. I said “fuck you God” and went with shiitakes instead, which was fine. They turned out tangy, earthy, moist and delicious and will also do nicely on a barbecue.

London serves his with toast, I stuck mine on a burger bun (ideally you’ll want some coco bread for this but I didn’t have the energy to make them) and topped them with mayo, just like that first jerk chicken sandwich at Cummin’ Up all those years ago.

Note: there is parsley in the pictures to offer a little bit of contrast and because that’s what I had laying around, but if you want to put some green on your jerk bun I’d roll with coriander or cilantro instead. Apologies for being so shallow.

Jerk mushroom recipe

Dorothy Porker

This is a recipe for jerk mushrooms from London Loy's book Mijn Recepten (my recipes). Tangy, earthy and moist, this recipe works with both portabellos and shiitakes and can be made on a hot grill either on the barbecue or on the stove.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Marinade 4 hours hrs

Course Barbecue, Dinner, Lunch, Main course

Cuisine Caribbean, Jamaican

Servings 4

Equipment

• Small food processor
• Citrus press or fork to juice oranges
• Zester or fine grater to zest oranges
• Sealable bowl or bag to marinade the mushrooms in
• Griddle pan or barbecue

Ingredients

  

For the marinade

• 2 shallots peeled and cut in half
• 2 cloves garlic peeled - double if you're nasty
• 15 sprigs thyme leaves removed, stalks discarded
• 4 fresh bay leaves
• 1/2 t - 2.5 g ground cloves
• 1/2 t - 2.5 g ground nutmeg
• 1/2 t - 2.5 g allspice
• 6 T - 90 ml rum ideally try and find Borgoe, a Surinamese rum
• 6 T - 90 ml sushi vinegar or add 1 t - 5 g of sugar and a pinch of salt to rice vinegar
• 1 T - 15 ml honey or maple or golden syrup if you want to keep it vegan
• 1/4 Madame Jeanette chili seeds and pith removed - again, more if you're nasty
• 1 t - 5 g salt + extra for finishing
• 6 T - 90 ml olive oil + extra
• 3 oranges juiced and zested - avoid the white pith the skin, it's bitter and nasty

To make the jerk mushrooms

• 6 portabello mushrooms or 16 oz - 450 g - shiitake, gently brush off any dirt and debris, remove the stems and cut into threes
• black pepper to taste, for finishing
• bread of choice be sure to toast it no matter whether you're going buns or regular toast
• mayo optional

Instructions

 

• Blend all the marinade ingredients together in a small food processor. If the marinade is thick rather than liquid, add more orange juice.
• Place 6 cleaned and cut portabellos or 16 oz - 450 g of shiitake in a sealable bowl or bag with the marinade and leave to infuse for 3-4 hours or overnight.
• Heat a griddle on a high heat. I like to brush my griddle with a little bit of oil before I start. Shake off any excess marinade from the shrooms before you place them in the griddle. Grill until golden, starting to caramelize and cooked through. Don't let them go too long so they retain some bite.
• Season with additional salt and black pepper to taste and serve with toast or on a (coco) bun with a slightly tangier mayonaise.

Notes

After grilling them you can keep the cooked mushrooms in the fridge for up to 3 days and simply warm through in a frying pan with some oil to reheat them. 

Keyword cookbook recipe, jamaican food, jamaican recipe, london loy, vegan, vegetarian