I recently had shrimp in grits at a local restaurant that was absolutely delicious and wanted to see if I could make it at home. The creole seasoning is the key ingredient here to get that classic New Orleans flavor! The sweet corn grits is a perfect balance for the well seasoned sauce (you can control how spicy you like it). I decided to ditch the cheese in this recipe, but for you cheese lovers feel free to add cheese to the grits and give it that extra oomph. Recipe adapted from Kevin is Cooking.
Cook & Prep Time: 40 minutes
Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆
INGREDIENTS
1 lb Jumbo Shrimp (I used peeled, deveined, tail on, but the OGs use shell on)
1½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 orange bell pepper, diced
½ of one yellow onion, diced
Corn Kernels (canned or fresh/frozen)
5 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tbsp Creole seasoning
1 tsp Smoked paprika
1 cup of grits
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
8 oz creamed corn (canned)
4 cups chicken stock (unsalted)
1 - 2 tbsp cornstarch
Olive oil or butter
Water
Garnish
Green Onions, chopped
Parsley, chopped
RECIPE
First start the grits. Add 1 cup grits to 3 cups chicken stock or water and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. After, remove from heat and add creamed corn and shredded cheese. Mix and let cool.
While grits are simmering, we'll make the shrimp sauce. Combine raw shrimp, creole seasoning, smoked paprika, and dash of black pepper in a bowl and mix. No need to salt since creole seasoning is already salted.
3. Heat pot and add one-two tablespoons olive oil or butter. Once melted or hot, add the chopped onions and minced garlic. Once browned, add the shrimp and let sit for 1 minute.
4. Next add the tomatoes, bell peppers, corn kernels, and handful of chopped green onions and cook for 3 minutes
5. Add 1/4 cup of chicken stock and stir.
6. Then add cornstarch. Mix the cornstarch with the minimum amount of water
necessary to make a liquid and add to the sauce. Let simmer and taste for salt.
7. Plate grits first, then spoon shrimp and sauce on top. Add sprinkles of chopped green onions and parsley for garnish.
CONCLUSION
This was a quick and easy dinner and makes about 4 servings! Even works well for meal prepping. I kept the grits unsalted since the shrimp sauce had enough salt. I imagine if you add cheese to the grits you wouldn't need extra salt. If you are more advanced, you can grill the shrimp on a skillet and deglaze with white wine instead of chicken stock before adding to the pot to give that extra grilled/blackened flavor! Try it with some Louisiana hot sauce if you want more spice! The number of aprons we give this recipe is
8/10
