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Attack of the Killer Shrimp… & Grits « What We’re Eating – A Food & Recipe Blog
Shrimp & Grits

Attack of the Killer Shrimp… & Grits

(no one was harmed in the eating of this shrimp)
Eater rating: 4.5 / 5  4.54

Sick of corned beef and cabbage? Try shrimp and grits! We’re eating garlic-rosemary yellow corn grits topped with jumbo shrimp sauteed with lots of butter, garlic, sweet peppers, red onion, and crisp zucchini. To top it off, we sprinkled some green onions and crumbled feta over the top then called it a day.

A: helloooooo…ooooh…..ooooh… is there anybody out there?
T: we’ve been trapped under rubble for a month. We were hoping someone would come rescue us but nobody came 🙁 so we had to eat each other’s fingers and toes. And part of Amanda’s calf.
A: seriously guys! we’re typing this with our nubs. 😉 anywho, we’re back and we are eating well again!
T: yes. we. are. And these shrimp & grits are a great example of eating well. If you’re gonna do shrimp and grits, it helps to get some big fat jumbo shrimp- not some sissy little-
A: shrimpy shrimp

Shrimp & Grits
You know you want to eat it

T: yeah- shrimp that could have been grown in somebody’s living room fish tank. Those will not do. Not one bit. Well that’s pretty much all the advice I have.. you got anything?
A: don’t i always? i would have to say, making sure that your shrimp are as fresh as possible and not over-cooked! seriously… it only takes like three minutes to cook shrimp! also, don’t be afraid to ask the guy at the fish market to let you smell a shrimp before you buy it. it shouldn’t be too fishy and it definitely shouldn’t smell like ammonia.
T: These were some killer shrimp. And grits. And sauteed veggies. You cooked the shrimp absolutely perfectly- they were mega tender and super delish. I give this here meal a 4.4/5. It was tasty and well executed. It could have scored higher in originality, but I have no complaints whatsoever. What’d you think?
A: i agree. shrimp and grits are by no means original but this was a freaking good rendition of it. just rating off of my pure enjoyment level, i’m gonna have to give it a 4.68/5. i could eat this all the damn time. i really can’t stress enough that getting the best quality, freshest shrimp makes all the difference in the world. these were top notch. and boy did i pay for it! they were 12 count (meaning 12 to a pound) and they weren’t the biggest ones offered. there were also colossal-sized which were 8 count and $24.99/lb. hmmm now that the dollar isn’t worth shit, i guess that might actually sound cheap to anyone living in… oh… say canada even!
T: Or Europe, perhaps? I can’t imagine paying 3 bucks for a singular shrimp! I could eat 2 carnitas tacos for that! 1 Shrimp or 2 entire tacos. That shrimp better be stuffed with… 2 tacos or something. Ay. Let’s not even get started on crawfish prices 😐

A Shrimp and Grits Recipe, by Amanda
Killer Shrimp, Veggies, and Grits

For the grits:
2 cups whole milk
2 cups of water
1 tsp canola oil
1 1/2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 cup yellow corn grits
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

For the shrimp and veggies:
1 lb fresh jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp canola oil
1/2 red onion, sliced
5 small sweet peppers, sliced into rings (i don't' know the exact type of pepper but they are small and come in red, orange, and yellow)
1 zucchini, sliced into half-moons
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
crumbled feta
green onions, thinly sliced (garnish-optional)

Add the canola oil to a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Once hot add garlic and rosemary. Saute for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the milk and water to the saucepan. Heat until close to a boil, stirring frequently to ensure that the milk on the bottom of the pan doesn't scorch. Once the liquid has nearly come to a boil (the milk may begin to froth up) slowly add the grits to the pan while constantly whisking. Reduce the heat to low. Stir in a liberal pinch of kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Allow the grits to simmer, stirring occasionally, until nearly all of the liquid has been absorbed. At this stage, taste the grits and season as necessary with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

While the liquid for the grits is heating, place a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and canola oil to the pan. Season both sides of the shrimp with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Once the pan is nice and hot add the shrimp to the pan in a single layer, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Saute the shrimp for about 1 minute per side until nearly cooked through (shrimp only take about 3 minutes to cook through total). Remove the shirmp from the pan and set aside. Return the pan to the stove.

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the sliced onions, sweet peppers, and rosemary to the saute pan. Saute for about 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are starting to turn translucent and the peppers are soft. Add the zucchini to the pan. Season the veggies liberally with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Saute zucchini for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through. Add the garlic and saute for another 1 minute. Taste the veggies and adjust seasonings as necessary with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Hopefully the grits will be ready at about this stage. If the grits are not yet ready, reduce heat to low and keep warm until then. If the grits are ready, add the shrimp back to the saute pan and allow to finish cooking/heat through, about 1 minute more.

Serve a large spoonful of the grits in a bowl or plate and top with about 1/3 of the shrimp and veggie mixture (make sure to get some of the buttery goodness at the bottom of the pan in every serving). Garnish with crumbled feta and sliced green onions. Serves 3 hungry people. Enjoy!

18 comments so far:

  1. bron says:

    Oh God I’m soooooooooo hungry, why on earth did I come here?
    It’s torture to look at – bloomin’ heck just gimme some of that shrimp will ya?!!

  2. Shrimp ‘n grits. Makes me feel like I’m back in North Carolina. Damn, I’ve gotta make some now.

  3. You are back in grand style, is all I can say! What a beautiful, full of flavors dish!

  4. Heather says:

    Who are you people? I don’t even recognize y’all anymore…

  5. aria says:

    oh dear me ms amanda! that looks just fine any time of day, mmmmm

  6. Maggiw says:

    Wow this looks good. My husband would love this. He’s a big fan of shrimp :]

    Can I ask you guys what camera you guys use? I’m trying to get into photography and trying to find a reallyyy good camera for when my baby arrives :]

  7. Kitty says:

    Until I saw this post, I never knew shrimp and grits was a classic combo – but in the past 2 days, I feel like I am seeing them everywhere! There was a Tyler Florence episode where he makes them together, and I saw them on a menu at a local restaurant. go figure!

  8. RecipeGirl says:

    I can honestly say I’ve never tried grits! You make them look pretty appetizing 🙂

  9. Amanda says:

    bron… you came here to get hungry of course! i’m sending you several shrimp through the ether…i just hope they’re not rotten by the time they get to you! 😉

    susan, did you grow up in north carolina? i grew up in virginia then spent 7 1/2 years in louisiana – thus all of my southern influences!

    thanks patricia! hopefully we can keep it up and not fall back into slacker mode. 🙂

    oh miz feather! on the friend scale (and blogger scale lately) i’ve been ranking about a 3/10. i’ve definitely been suffering from a case of burnout… both online and at work.

    why thank ya miz aria! y’all just know shrimp and grits are good for any meal.

    thanks maggie! you can certain inquire about our camera. we use a canon digital rebel with a macro lens. all in all a relatively affordable camera (but the lens can be a bit costly). you should start a baby blog once your bundle of joy arrives!

    kitty, isn’t it amazing how we can be unaware of some classics until they just show up one day? until i moved to baton rouge i really wasn’t familiar with this classic either, but i gotta say… it’s frikkin tasty!

    thanks recipegirl! you know, i’m very particular about my grits. if they are properly seasoned i can’t stand them! and there’s something about the almost-glowing look of white corn diner grits (that are almost always under-seasoned) that turns me off!

  10. i’m sorry to get all up in everyone’s face, but:

    I LOVE SHRIMP AND GRITS.

    there, i said it. i make mine with spicy sausage, and then make a sausage gravy-slash-poaching liquid to cook the shrimp.

    LOVE.

  11. Ros says:

    $25per lb? I think that’s only slightly less than what you’d pay over here. It looks like it was really worth it though. You cook such lovely summery food! If it ever stops being cold here I’m going to try this out.

    I often stand at Borough market starting woefully at the big Madagascan Remortage-Your-House Shrimp (that’s their official name, you know) dreaming of the day when we’ll be able to try them.

  12. MalinDC says:

    These look awesome. I’m a sad northerner who doesn’t know the answer to this question – what is the quantity on the grits?

  13. Lisa says:

    That looks (and sounds) really -really- good.

  14. Michele says:

    What kind of grits do you use in this recipe? And what quantity?
    I don’t see them in the ingredients listing. THANKS !!

  15. Amanda says:

    good call michele! i should read the recipes after i write them! standard grits ratio is 4 parts liquid to 1 part grits, so for this recipe i would use 1 cup of grits…. and i happen to prefer yellow corn grits personally. i like their color.

  16. Kelly says:

    I found you guys while surfing for dinner ideas online. Let’s just say WOW!! How do you come up with all these delicious recipes? Can’t wait to go home and start cooking:)

  17. Kay Salady says:

    I absolutely adore grits, since I was raised on southern cooking, which led me to this page. This presentation is absolutely spectacular. I’ve never been to this site before as I use the internet for my business. However, I’ve just become a fan. I’m definitely going to make this recipe since it includes ingredients of which I’m sure I’ll love. I now reside in the southwest and I’ll definitely share this with my friends. Thanks!

  18. Derrick says:

    Anyone know the name of the small peppers? I went blindly into the grocery store and ended up picking nice bright orange ones… glad I did some research before cooking– don’t think sauteed habaneros would compliment the dish!