Shrimp and
grits is a Southern staple and a versatile meal that you can really make
your own. These grits are my absolute favorite. I love using smoked
mozzarella directly in the grits because it gives
the creamy grits that signature smokiness but with a lighter overall
feel to it. Sautéing the shrimp with andouille, shallots and garlic adds
bold flavor. The pickled chiles blended with the butter provides the
perfect pan sauce that is silky and creamy but
still light, with a touch of sweet acidity. Feel free to play around
with the vegetables seasonally, but for spring, the asparagus and snap
peas are perfect.
TECHNIQUE TIP: In
order to keep the vegetables bright and green, blanch them
before sautéing them, which means cooking the vegetables for 90 seconds
or so in boiling, heavily salted water and transferring them to an ice
bath.
SWAP OPTIONS: Feel free to throw in the greens of scallions instead of chives.
Also, for the pickled chiles, feel free to use pickled cherry peppers or jalapeños.
Ingredients
Grits
-
2cups whole milk
-
2cups low-sodium chicken stock
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
-
1cup stone-ground grits
-
3tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1½cups smoked mozzarella, grated
Shrimp
-
1/4pound asparagus (about 7-9 stalks), cut into 2-inch pieces
-
1/4pound sugar snap peas (about 1¼ cups), stems and strings removed
-
2tablespoons avocado oil
-
1link andouille sausage, small diced
-
1pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
-
1medium spring onion bulb or shallot, thinly sliced
-
2cloves garlic, thinly sliced
-
4tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
-
2-3tablespoons sliced, pickled red chiles with 1 tablespoon pickling liquid reserved
-
basil, roughly torn, to garnish
- chives, thinly sliced, to garnish
Preparation
FOR THE GRITS:
In a saucepan,
bring the milk and chicken stock up to a boil. Lower to a simmer,
season with salt and pepper, and whisk in grits. Cover and cook at a low
simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat
and add in the butter and smoked mozzarella, whisking to incorporate
fully. Keep covered and warm.
FOR THE SHRIMP:
1.
Bring a medium pot of water up to a boil and season heavily with salt. Fill a bowl with ice and cold water.
2.
Add the asparagus to the pot and cook for 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Use a
strainer to transfer the asparagus to a bowl filled with ice and cold
water.
3.
Add the snap peas to the boiling water and cook for the same amount of
time, transferring to the ice bath when done. Let sit in the ice bath
for a minute or two and then drain the vegetables, removing any ice.
Keep aside.
4.
Heat a skillet over high heat. (Make sure the skillet is large enough
for the pound of shrimp; you don't want to crowd them.) Add the avocado
oil and andouille to the pan and sauté for a minute or two to flavor the
oil. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon
and reserve.
5.
Make sure the shrimp are dry and then season with salt and pepper. Add
the shrimp to the pan and cook for a minute or so. Flip the shrimp,
lower the heat to medium and add in the shallots, garlic and 2
tablespoons of the butter, tossing to combine. Cook for
another minute or two.
6.
Throw in the blanched vegetables, pickled chiles with the reserved
juice, reserved andouille and another 2 tablespoons of butter, and toss
to combine. You just want to let the butter melt and the vegetables to
warm up. Remove from the heat.
TO SERVE:
Serve grits
hot and spoon the shrimp mixture on top, letting the pan juices drip on
to the grits. Garnish with torn basil and chopped chives.
