Thursday, September 1, 2011

Shrimp and Grits

Southern cooking.  Not something I'm very familiar with. I've done the pan fried chicken with so-so results and that about covers it until I tried this recipe for Shrimp and Grits.  Spectacular!  Normally served in the South as a breakfast meal, I made this for dinner and it was very satisfying.  For an added boost of protein, a fried egg could be the topper.
We have a local company in Oregon called Bob's Red Mill and they make a huge array of grains and one of their wonderful products is various sizes of cornmeal.  For this recipe I used fine ground and the end results were the most fantastic, smooth and creamy grits.  Think of grits as Cream of Wheat only with a corn flavor and amazingly rich and delicious because of the cheese, butter, and cream.  Topped with the spicy shrimp and sausage bits; a perfect compliment to the grits.  This recipe will definitely be on the cooking rotation.
Shrimp and Grits

Grits
1 cup yellow grits (not instant)
1 cup grated sharp white cheddar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 jalapeño, seeded, diced
1/4 cup heavy cream
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

Shrimp
1/2 cup 1/3" cubes andouille sausage
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (optional)
3 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, divided
16 large shrimp (about 1 pound), peeled, deveined
1/4 cup (or more) beer
1/4 cup low-salt chicken stock
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

Preparation

Grits

Bring 3 cups water to a simmer in a large saucepan. Gradually whisk in grits. Turn heat to low; gently simmer until grits begin to thicken. Continue cooking, stirring often and adding water by 1/4 cupfuls if too thick, until tender, about 1 hour. Stir in cheese, butter, and jalapeño, then cream. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Shrimp

Meanwhile, heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add sausage; sauté until fat begins to render, about 5 minutes (if sausage is very lean, add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet). Add garlic and 1 tablespoon butter; stir until butter melts. Add shrimp. When garlic begins to brown, add beer and chicken stock. Simmer until shrimp is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; set aside.
Divide grits among bowls, forming a well in center. Spoon shrimp mixture into center of grits. Sprinkle tarragon over.

2 comments:

Ms. Divina Loca said...

Dear sweet mother of pearl, that looks GOOD!

Anonymous said...

Shrimp and grits looks great but your lack of experience with fried chicken surprises me. Didn't I give you "my" recipe for pan roasted chicken thighs? (Bon Appetit, June 11, pg. 41/42). Definitely worth trying. The clean-up is best left to someone else (your sis). There is an interesting recipe on the st. jude fishing vessel website for tuna burgers. I am ordering more tuna, that is how I saw it. If you try it let me know what you think about it. Your fair pics were fun but weren't you annoyed that one of the "colorful fair goers" was wearing the same outfit that you were? One of life's pleasures is a really good corn dog/w mustard (fair pics). Any ideas on how to make one without so annoying the kitchen help that they (she/he) will never clean up after you again?