Blackened Shrimp Over Cheese Grits Recipes

GET YOUR GRITS ON WITH BLACKENED SHRIMP

Steps:

• Toss shrimp in Cajun spice in a large bowl to coat.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Heat butter and olive oil in a pan, then add shrimp. Cook until shrimp curls and turns pink, 1 to 2 minutes on each side (see Cook's Note).
• Ladle 1/4 cup Roasted Corn Emulsion on bottom of a plate. Place 3 hot Fried Green Tomato Slices side by side, on top. Add small scoops of Stone Ground Bacon Grits on each Fried Green Tomato slice. Place a shrimp on each of the stacks.
• Sprinkle diced tomato and chives on top. Then, dust with more Cajun spice and serve.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Rub corn cobs with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Place on a sheet tray and roast until cooked and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Once cooled, cut corn off of the cobs and set aside, saving the cobs.
• Combine shrimp base, 4 cups water and cobs in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and cook until liquid is reduced by half, then remove cobs and discard. Add heavy cream to the pot and bring to a simmer.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a separate small pan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking, until it becomes the consistency of wet sand, 3 to 4 minutes, to create a roux. Remove from heat. Once the cream is simmering, whisk in the roux mixture. Reduce heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.
• Add corn, chives and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until combined, then serve hot.
• Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar and Cajun spice in a large bowl to create a breading mixture.
• Combine buttermilk and honey in another large bowl and whisk until combined.
• Slice green tomatoes about 1/4-inch thick, roughly 4 to 5 slices per tomato. Place tomato slices in the honey-buttermilk mixture and gently toss to coat.
• Place each green tomato slice in the breading mixture, and coat both sides well. Set breaded tomatoes aside and save any remaining breading.
• Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, to prepare for frying.
• Re-bread green tomato slices in the remaining breading mixture, then place in the skillet and fry until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
• Remove fried green tomato slices from oil and place on a paper towel to absorb any remaining grease. Sprinkle with salt to taste, then serve hot.
• Cook the bacon in a large pot over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until browned.
• Add heavy cream, whole milk and 1 1/4 cups water to the pot and bring to a simmer. Stir in the grits with a wire whisk, making sure there are no lumps.
• Bring back to a simmer, then lower heat. Season with salt and pepper, and let simmer, stirring occasionally to ensure that no lumps form and the bottom does not burn, until grits are fully cooked, 20 to 25 minutes (see Cook's Note). Remove pot from heat.
• Whisk in mascarpone until well combined, and add salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve hot or refrigerate up to 4 days.

SHRIMP AND GRITS WITH BLACKENED SPICED BUTTER

Steps:

• In a pot, bring the chicken base, butter and 2 quarts water to a boil. Whisk in the the grits, then turn the heat to low, cover the pot and cook for 8 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, whisk in the cheese and let sit on the stove for another 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the Blackened Butter in a large saucepan on medium-high heat. Add the shrimp to the pan and saute until it's no longer pink. Add the bacon, give it a final toss and distribute the shrimp and bacon on top of the plated grits. Finish the dish by pouring the remaining butter left in the pan over the plated shrimp and grits.
• Blend the melted butter with the blackening spice and garlic. Mix this with the softened butter and whisk thoroughly until smooth. Spread into a 13-by-9-inch pan and freeze for 2 hours. Cut into 8-by-12-inch cubes.

BLACKENED SHRIMP OVER CHEESE GRITS

Steps:

• For The Cheese Grits: Place the milk, water, and salt into a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once the milk mixture comes to a boil, gradually (add slowly so as not to cause clumping) add the cornmeal while continually whisking. Once all of the cornmeal has been incorporated, decrease the heat to low and cover. Remove lid and whisk frequently to prevent grits from sticking or forming lumps making sure to get into corners of pot when whisking. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until mixture is creamy. While grits are cooking, start preparing the blackened shrimp.
• Finish the grits by removing from the heat, adding the black pepper and butter and whisk to combine. Once the butter is melted, gradually whisk in the cheese a little at a time to incorporate.
• For the Blackened Shrimp: Preheat a cast-iron skillet over high heat. Meanwhile, put the blackening seasoning in a shallow bowl; set aside. Dip the shrimp in the melted butter shaking off any excess butter before dredging the shrimp in the blackening seasoning. Place a batch of shrimp on the hot skillet (avoid shrimp from touching) and cook each side for about 1 minute or just until the shrimp turns opaque. Remove the shrimp from the pan and keep warm until all the shrimp are cooked. Note: If you go light on the blackening seasoning, you may want to add additional salt. Fry one or two shrimp to taste test.
• Divide and place the hot grits in the bottom of four large bowls. Over the grits, evenly divide the hot blackened shrimp. Garnish with cilantro leaves, if desired, and serve immediately.

CHEESY SHRIMP AND GRITS

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil in a pot. Add salt and pepper. Stir in grits; reduce heat and let simmer until water is absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Cheddar cheese and butter.
• Rinse shrimp and pat dry.
• Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels.
• Heat remaining bacon grease in the skillet over medium heat. Cook shrimp until they are bright pink on the outside and the meat is opaque, 3 to 4 minutes. Add bacon, scallions, parsley, garlic, and lemon juice. Saute for 3 minutes.
• Spoon grits into a serving bowl. Add shrimp mixture and mix well. Serve immediately.

BLACKENED FISH WITH QUICK GRITS

Steps:

• Prepare the fish: In a small bowl, whisk together the sweet paprika, black pepper, thyme, oregano, garlic powder, salt and cayenne. Pat the fish fillets dry, then sprinkle enough seasoning over both sides of the fillets to completely coat. Reserve remaining seasoning for another use. Allow the fish to sit for 15 minutes at room temperature.
• While the fish sits, make the cheese grits: Bring the chicken stock and salt to a boil in a large saucepan over high. Add the grits while whisking and reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Allow the grits to thicken, about 5 minutes or so, then stir in the milk, butter and cheese. Season with black pepper and more salt to taste. Keep over the lowest heat possible until ready to serve.
• Meanwhile, cook the fish: Heat a large cast-iron skillet with the olive oil and butter over medium-high. Add the fish fillets, and cook until the spices are darkened and aromatic, and the fish flakes easily with a fork, 2 to 4 minutes per side.
• Divide the grits among serving dishes and nestle the fish on top. Garnish the grits with more shredded cheese and the whole dish with the scallions. Serve immediately with lemon wedges for squeezing over the fish.