Garden Salads

• Salad provides a refreshing burst of moisture and flavor that helps wash down spicy jerk steak. It’s also easy enough to prepare while the steak is cooking. Add red cabbage, carrots, radishes and mushrooms to mixed baby greens for a classic garden salad. Toss tomatoes, onions, cucumbers and celery together for a juicy salad. Combine iceberg lettuce, green onions and mango pieces for a slightly sweet salad with a tropical touch. Mix cucumbers, celery, cilantro and scallions in a sesame-vinegar sauce for a revitalizing side dish with an Asian flavor.

Fruit Salads

• Juice and sweetness are the two assets that fruits bring to the table when you’re serving jerk steak. The sweet juice helps refresh your taste buds between bites of spicy steak. Like garden salad, fruit salad is easy enough to prepare while the steaks cook. Combine honeydew, cantaloupe and grapes for a melon-lovers fruit salad with a mellow flavor. Mix strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and parsley for a refreshing side salad that helps clear the spicy flavor from your mouth. Stir oranges and tangerines together to create an in-season fruit salad for a winter grilling party.

Cold Dishes

• Cold dishes, such as pasta salad, are easy to make ahead of time and chill until needed. This gives you more time to focus on grilling the jerk steak. Stir bowtie pasta with tomatoes, feta and mint for a flavorful, and breath-freshening, side dish. Toss cubed potatoes with green onions, celery, mayonnaise and mustard to create a filling dish with a mellow background flavor that blends well with the jerk beef. Mix black beans, kidney beans, onions, tomatoes, vinaigrette and pickled banana peppers for a Caribbean bean salad with a little bite.

Hot Dishes

• Hot dishes, such as mashed potatoes, are a tasty and filling way to round off grilled steak. The only drawback to hot dishes is that they need to be prepared right before, or while, the steaks cook. Mash potatoes with sour cream, salt and butter to provide a creamy dish that helps mellow the bold spiciness of the jerked steak. Mash sweet potatoes with butter for a sweet balance against the spicy meat. Bake three-cheese macaroni to add a cheesy taste to the jerk-spiced meal. Simmer black beans in tomato sauce for a lightly flavored, low-calorie pairing for the meat.