Old Bay Erry Day!

About 5 years ago, I had an experience with grits on a trip to Charleston, South Carolina. Anytime I think about those southern grits, it takes me back and I can still taste them. Good food should make you feel this way. That’s why I wanted to start this blog. I had to do my first recipe post about this amazing dish. I will not lie, this was my second go at posting this recipe (note to self; the type of hot sauce matters). Honestly, I have made this dish a number of times, but never wrote it down. This is my way of sharing amazing food, experiences and to start writing my recipes down.

Shrimps and Grits

Stock Ingredients:
2 tablespoons good olive oil
shells from 1 pound large gulf shrimp
2 cups chopped onions
2 carrots unpeeled and chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 cup good white wine
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
10 sprigs fresh thyme, including stems

Directions:

Warm the oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add the shrimp shells, onions, carrots, and celery and saute for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook until garlic aroma comes through, about 1 minute. Add 1 1/2 quarts of water, white wine, tomato paste, salt and peppercorns, and finally the thyme. Bring the stock to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for about an hour. Strain the stock through a sieve.

Shrimp Ingredients:

1 pound of good wild gulf shrimp, peel and devein
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 teaspoon old bay seasoning
1 teaspoon of salt
Tabasco sauce to taste
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 links of Nodines andouille sausage, sliced
4 slices of thick cut bacon, chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper, finely diced
1 cup of tomato, diced
1 cup of shrimp stock
1/2 cup of scallions, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
2 ears of corn cut off the cob

Grit Ingredients:

2 cups milk
2 cups of chicken stock
1 cup stone ground grits (not instant, I like Palmetto Farms stone ground grits)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup of cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions
Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. Bring chicken broth and milk to a boil in a large stock pan. Slowly whisk in the grits and add the salt. Return to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. When it’s almost finished, add the cheese and more stock if gets too thick. Finish with the butter. keep warm while you prepare the shrimp. You might as well pour yourself a glass of wine, if you haven’t already!

Shrimp Directions:
In a mixing bowl, pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Add salt, Old Bay Seasoning, 3 dashes of Tabasco sauce. Toss to combine and set aside. This step can be done up to one hour ahead.
In a large skillet, heat one tablespoon of olive oil. Quickly saute shrimp until cooked halfway through. Remove shrimp and set aside. Next, fry the bacon until crisp-5 to 7 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels. Pour off most of the bacon grease, leaving 2 tablespoons. Saute the onions, and green peppers next, about 4-5 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, saute the corn in 2 tablespoons of butter and some salt and pepper. Brown for a little bit of color. Set the corn aside. Add the garlic, andouille sausage, bacon and tomatoes to the onion mixture. Next, add some salt and as soon as the tomatoes begin to break down and release their juices, add the white wine. Cook the wine off, about 2-3 minutes and then you can add the shrimp stock. Simmer the sauce for about 5 minutes, lastly add the shrimp back to the pot and continue cooking until they are opaque but not rubbery.

Lets plate!!!
ladle those delicious grits down first, adding some corn next. The corn adds an extra level of texture and is a great addition when corn is in season. Next, you can add your shrimp, and top off with scallions. Kiss these grits!