JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Catch Chef Robinson from Pink Salt make these delicious Jamaican dishes Thursday on Good Morning Jacksonville, starting at 6 a.m.!
The next time you’re in need of a Caribbean fix, you can't go wrong with The Pink Salt restaurant on the Southside. Its where you’ll find chef and owner Richard Robinson cooking up some of the best tasting island and soul food cuisines.
Each dish is prepared fresh and made with pink salt. Richard says pink salt is considered to be a healthier alternative to regular table salt.
"The Himalayan salt, it has better value when you cook with it it makes the food taste different and it’s low sodium salt it’s good for people that have health issues," Robinson said.
Robinson got his start in the business by catering for friends and family. He then graduated from culinary school at Johnson and Wales University. However, his passion for pleasing your palette was all inspired by his mother, who once owned a restaurant in Jamaica.
"Growing up and seeing her in the kitchen, it’s like when she cooks everything out, just want to eat everything when she cooks, when she bakes, you're like 'Who can lick the pans first?'" Robinson said.
On the menu at his eatery, you’ll find tender marinated oxtails, rice, and peas which comes packed with flavor and sauteed cabbage.
"When we get our oxtail we cut them, trim them, marinate them in our Jamaican sauce, which is our jerk sauce," Robinson said. "It’s called 'jerk from the heart' so you know it’s made in house. We make our own jerk sauce we don’t buy it anymore."
Richard also caters to vegan diets with a dish called Polenta. Think of it as refined grits that are seasoned to perfection
“Once the eggplants and everything is seasoned and cooked, we add the polenta to it, Robinson said. "But it’s a very delicate process each time you’re adding the polenta you have to keep stirring or else it starts getting clumpy, so you don’t want a lumpy polenta, you want it nice and smooth."
If you’re a fan of soul food southern classics then you have to try the shrimp and grits. Robinson uses local fresh Mayport shrimp and he says the secret is all in the sauce.
“We make our sauce in-house for the shrimp and grits," he said. "We use a tomato-based sauce for our shrimp and grits and we also have the sausage that we put In which has our jerk sauce in our sausage and it gives it a lot of flavor."
Pink Salt is located at 6082 St Augustine Rd. in Jacksonville.
The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday. For more information click here