Caribbean Marinated Skewers and Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

One of my favorite ways to experiment with new flavor combinations is by making a marinade.When I started thinking of a meal to go with one of my favorite movies, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, I came up with my Caribbean marinade recipe. The idea of this food and flick parring was actually the first idea that came to me when I thought of starting this blog. Flavored with pineapple juice, rum, and a ton of spices this marinade will infuse everything it touches with the key flavors of the Caribbean islands. I used boneless chicken and shrimp for mine but this marinade would also be great with pork. Meant to be grilled over an open flame, its a perfect dinner for a warm summer night. A plate of freshly grilled skewers, a refreshing drink, and Pirates of the Caribbean is one movie night the whole family will love. Yo ho, Yo ho! A pirates life for me!

1 and 1/2 pounds of boneless skinless Chicken breast (Cut into cubes)
1 pound of raw peeled and deveined shrimp
1 large Red onion
1 Mango
Fresh Pineapple
Bell Peppers

For the Marinade
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 cup of pineapple juice
1/4 cup of dark rum
3 tablespoons of brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon of ginger
A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of Cayenne pepper
Juice and zest of one lime
2 cloves of minced or grated garlic
3 chopped scallions

In a medium sized mixing bowl - whisk together the oil, rum, pineapple juice, and the lime juice. Separately combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt and pepper, nutmeg, lime zest, and cayenne pepper together until the spices have been mixed together. Whisk into the liquids until the the combined and finally add the grated garlic and chopped scallions.

Place the chicken breast in a baking dish or a large Ziploc bag and pour just enough marinade over top to cover the meat. Toss together lightly to make sure the meat is mixed in with the marinade and allow the meat to soak up the flavors for at least 2 to 3 hours.

In a separate dish or Ziploc bag, pour the same amount of marinade over top of the shrimp. Again, cover and allow the shrimp to marinate for 2 to 3 hours.

Once the chicken and shrimp are soaking up our marinade, time to infuse our fruit and veggies as well. Peel the outer layer of the red onion and cut off both ends. To get nice big pieces for skewers - cut the onion in half, then into quarters, and then cut the quarters in halves.

You'll want to cut your bell pepper into pieces that are about the same size as your onion to help insure an even cooking time. Do the same with your Mango and pineapple. Once the tropical fruit and vegetables have been cut to size, allow them to soak up the Caribbean flavors using the remaining marinade.

Before we take a break and let our meat, fruit, and veggies marinate it's time to do one very quick but important step. If you're going to be grilling with bamboo skewers, we have to soak them in water so they don't burn on the grill. Lay the skewers in a flat dish and pour water over top for them to soak in. You really only have to let them soak for about 30 minutes but I find the longer they soak the better. Your bamboo skewers will burn on the grill if you forget this step so make sure you take the time to do so.

Once marinated, it's time to skewer the meat and veggies to get ready for the grill. The chicken, shrimp, and fruit and vegetables will all have slightly different cooking times so even though it looks nice for presentation, it's best to not mix the vegetables with the meat. Skewer the pineapple, mango, onions and peppers together, the shrimp on it's own, and skewer the chicken separately also.

Prepare either your gas or charcoal grill - if you're using gas turn your burners to about medium heat. The shrimp will only take a few minutes to cook so we'll place them on the grill last. Place the chicken and vegetable and fruit skewers on first. Cook the chicken and veggie skewers for about 5 to 7 minutes on each side until grill marks start to appear. Flip and cook for an additional 5 to 7 minutes.

Once the chicken is just about done cooking and the vegetable and fruit has become tender, place the shrimp skewers onto the grill. They will cook very fast, about 3 minutes on each side until the shrimp turns pink. Once the shrimp is done, remove the skewers from the grill and serve. I like to serve these with just a side of white rice with some freshly chopped scallions mixed in at the end. Eat up me hearties, it's time to start our movie of the week.

The Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise has become one of the most popular movies series over the last decade. Originally created from the attraction by the same name at Disney World, we have now seen four Pirate movies since the 2003 release of first installment, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and a fifth movie set to start filming next year. It's safe to say the world simply can't get enough of the outrageous Captain Jack Sparrow.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl came out the gates with a bang. Being an instant hit with critics and fans, Johnny Depp brought the character of Jack Sparrow to life, earning an Oscar nomination for best actor in 2004 in the process. When the notorious pirate Captain Jack Sparrow arrives at the island town of Port Royal, it doesn't take him long to find his way into trouble. While trying to escape capture, Sparrow meets and duels with a young blacksmith named William Turner (Orlando Bloom) who hates all pirates. William is especially aggressive towards Jack when he learns that Jack threatened harm to his childhood friend and secret love Elisabeth Swan (Keira Knightly).

The same night that Sparrow arrives in town, a ghostly ship called The Black Pearl arrives off shore of Port royal and begins attacking. The crew of the Pearl have searched the entire Caribbean Sea for the final missing piece to their stolen treasure and their search finally comes to a conclusion. The last piece of Aztec gold they seek is in the hands of the governor's daughter, Elisabeth. Elisabeth is captured by the attacking pirates and soon comes face to face with Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush).

Now desperate to rescue Elisabeth from Barbossa, William goes off on his own and turns to Jack for help. Though William's hatred towards pirates couldn't be greater, he knows his only chance to find Barbossa and rescue Elisabeth is with Jack Sparrow's help. Of course, Jack Sparrow isn't just along to help save the day as he has his own personal vendetta for Barbossa and his crew. The two will soon discover that rescuing Elisabeth and defeating Barbossa will be more difficult than they had expected.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is really just a fun movie to watch and can be enjoyed by movie fans of all ages. It's a solid film that's filled with action, humor, and romance from start to finish. While Johnny Depp and his larger than life character are the star of the film, I think Geoffrey Rush's performance was widely underrated. One of the most talented actors in the industry, he brings his A game in this movie. Playing the evil Captain Barbossa, he excels at the part and makes you believe you're actually seeing a real life pirate lord carrying out his plans. Though all of the films in the series are enjoyable, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is far and away to best of the bunch. If by some chance you overlooked this film, I can't urge you enough to get a hold of a copy as soon as possible. Click here to watch the trailer and catch a glimpse of the excitement.