My shrimp and grits is based on Bobby Flay's recipe. I had eaten some at a local restaurant one day and then I'll be darned if that night on Throw Down with Bobby Flay that they didn't have a Shrimp and Grits throw down.
<h1 ="recipe-title">Bar Americain's Gulf Shrimp and Grits</h1>
Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay
<div ="recipe-summary clrfix">
<dl ="times"><dt>Prep Time:</dt><dd ="prep-time">20 min</dd><dt>Inactive Prep Time:</dt><dd ="wait-time">--</dd><dt>Cook Time:</dt><dd ="cook-time">22 min</dd></dl>
<dl ="level"><dt>Level:</dt><dd ="difficulty">Easy</dd></dl>
<dl ="serves"><dt>Serves:</dt><dd ="yield">4 servings</dd></dl>
<div ="recipe-">
<h2>Ingredients</h2>
<h3>Grits:</h3>
<ul><li ="ingredient">4 to 5 cups shrimp stock<li ="ingredient">Salt<li ="ingredient">1 cup yellow stone ground cornmeal<li ="ingredient">1 cup grated white Cheddar<li ="ingredient">Freshly ground black pepper<li ="ingredient">3 green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish[/list]
<h3>Sauteed Shrimp:</h3>
<ul><li ="ingredient">1/2 pound thick double-smoked cut bacon, cut into lardons<li ="ingredient">2 tablespoons pure olive oil<li ="ingredient">20 large (21 to 24 count) shrimp, shelled and deveined<li ="ingredient">3 cloves garlic, finely chopped<li ="ingredient">Salt and freshly ground black pepper[/list]
<h3>For the grits:</h3>
<h2>Directions</h2>
Bring 4 cups of the water and 2 teaspoons of salt to a boil in a medium
saucepan over high heat. Slowly whisk in the grits and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking until the grits are soft
and have lost their gritty texture, whisking every few minutes, 15 to
20 minutes. If the mixture becomes too thick, add remaining water and
continue cooking until absorbed. Add the cheese and whisk until smooth;
season with salt and pepper.
<h2>For the shrimp:</h2>
Place bacon in a medium pan over medium heat and cook until golden
brown and crisp and the fat has rendered. Remove bacon with a slotted
spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.
Remove
all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the pan and place back on
the heat. Add the olive oil and increase the heat to high Season the
shrimp with salt and pepper, and add to the pan with the garlic. Saute
until golden brown on both sides and just cooked through, 1 to 2
minutes per side. Remove shrimp to a plate. Reserve the garlic oil to
drizzle over the finished dish.
Divide
the grits among 4 bowls and top each with 5 shrimp. Drizzle the top
with some of the bacon-garlic oil (that the shrimp were sauteed in) and
sprinkle with some of the green onion.
What I do different. I don't use Shrimp Stock as I don't like shrimp stock. I just use lightly salted water. It might be hard to find medium grind corn meal and I have used regular corn meal, the same stuff you make corn bread with with great results. I can normally find medium grind at Whole Foods though. I like corm meal better than true grits as it comes out much smoother. I also do not drizzle the oil from the shrimp on the finished grits, I drizzle a spoonful of bacon grease instead. I found it much more flavorful. I normally chop much more green onion to as I really like the flavor. These always come out quite tasty.
