Spicy Shrimp and Cheddar Grits

“He can never leave well enough alone.” I heard this pretty much constantly throughout my childhood. (They were talking about me!) I love shrimp! I love grits! Shrimp and grits? Of course, but sometimes in its most basic traditional form it’s not really boring but maybe a canvas to be... adorned.  

Shrimp, well good shrimp, is wonderful simply heated until just no longer raw. But shrimp with proper embellishments can elevate that “wonderful” to almost nirvana. (If there were a way to combine shrimp and dark chocolate, that would be true nirvana but I’m afraid it would also be quite disgusting!) So here we’ve added the “holy trinity” of Creole cooking (onion, sweet pepper and celery) along with a garlicky and spicy marinade brought together at the end with a little bit of bourbon. Okay, so maybe “embellishments” is an understatement!

Grits, while not as nearly perfect a food as are shrimp, are pretty close to wonderful as a side for breakfast, lunch, supper or dinner. (I love that grits is plural just because one grit would not sound nearly as appetizing nor be very filling for that matter!) Grits, like shrimp can be lofted to other heights with very simple additions. In our recipe here we enlist the assistance of sharp cheddar. Please refrain from calling these “cheesy grits”, I have it on good Southern authority that the proper designation is simply “cheese grits”. For some reason “cheesy” is found to be somewhat derogatory. Go figure. We just call them Cheddar Grits, because that’s pretty much what they are.

This dish is perfect for two as a main course served along with a simple green salad or as a side accompaniment with your Cajun, Creole or just plain Southern favorites.

Spicy Shrimp and Cheddar Grits

Serves: 2 as Main Course; 4 as Side Dish  Preparation Time: 2 Hours  Cooking Time: 25  Minutes

Ingredients

• 1 Pound Shrimp peeled, deveined and rinsed (31 – 40 count)

• 2 Cloves Garlic mashed with ¼ Teaspoon Kosher salt

• 1 Teaspoon Sambal Oelek (Asian Chili Paste)

• 2 Teaspoons Creole Seasoning (see Tips and Trending)

• 1 Tablespoon Salsa (any kind, it’s only 1T.)

• 2 Cups Whole Milk

• 2 Cups Water

• 1½ Teaspoons Kosher Salt

• 1 Cup Quick Cooking Grits 

• 1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

• 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

• 4 Ounces Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated

• 4 Ounces Applewood Smoked Bacon, cut strips into lardons (½” pieces)

• ¼ Cup Whole Scallion, finely chopped 

• ¼ Cup Red Sweet Pepper, finely chopped 

• ¼ Cup Celery, finely chopped

• 2 Ounces Bourbon

• 2 Whole Scallions, cut on bias, in ½” lengths - for garnish

Preparation Steps

Step 1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine mashed garlic, Sambal Oelek, creole seasoning and salsa. Add shrimp and stir to coat with marinade. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Step 2. Bring milk, water and salt to a boil in a 4-quart saucepan, set over medium-high heat. Whisk in grits, reduce heat to low and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, whisking occasionally, until thick and creamy.

Step 3. Remove grits from the heat, add pepper and butter and whisk to combine. Once the butter is melted, gradually stir in the cheese. Cover and set aside off heat until the shrimp is ready.

Step 4. Set a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and cook bacon until lightly browned but not crisp. Add chopped scallions, green pepper and celery and continue to cook until vegetable are soft.

Step 5. Add shrimp and marinade and stir just to combine everything then immediately remove pan from heat. Add bourbon and stir again, then ignite the dish and return to the heat cooking until the shrimp are done (2 to 4 minutes per side) and the flames are completely extinguished.

Plate grits in a shallow casserole dish and spoon shrimp mixture over the top, garnishing with scallions.

Tips and Trending

~ I use quick cooking grits in this recipe. If you prefer to use another variety, or even make your own, simply follow the cooking directions for the kind of grits you use then continue with Step 3 to add the additional ingredients.

~ You can make your own Creole Seasoning with ingredients found in most every cook’s spice rack:

• 2½ Tablespoons Sweet Hungarian Paprika
• 2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Dried Thyme
• 1 Tablespoon Ground Cayenne Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper 

• 1 Teaspoon Ground Oregano

Put all the ingredients in an airtight container and shake to combine. Yields: ⅓ Cup

~ When flaming the dish, you may have to reignite the dish several times to burn off the alcohol. The initial ignition should always take place away from the flame of your range or cooktop. Additional ignitions may be done over the burner. 

~ If consuming alcohol is an issue, please note that no amount of cooking or flaming will remove 100% of the alcohol in any dish. For the Bourbon you can substitute 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract added to enough apple juice to total 2 ounces liquid.