cajun shrimp + grits

when confronted with a quart-size bag of shrimp tails from my mother, i decided to tackle a classic southern recipe. the herbs, lemon, and Worcestershire result in a delightfully complex and dynamic flavor. this recipe takes a long time to prepare, but it's worth it -- it's decadent.

one quick tip for this recipe: because there are a fair number of ingredients which need to be added quickly to prevent overcooking -- especially the shrimp, which cook very quickly -- shred, dice, chop, and measure all ingredients before you begin the cooking process. 

sharp cheesy white grits

ingredients for grits:

  • 3 cups of water
  • 1 cup of whipping cream
  • ¾ tsp. chicken Better than Bouillon (BtB)
  • 1 cup of white grits (recommended: Palmetto Farms Grits)
  • 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
  • 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 1 fresh cayenne pepper, finely diced
  • ½ tsp. black pepper
  • ⅛ tsp. ground cayenne pepper
  • ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
  • ¼ cup romano cheese, shredded

preparation of grits:

  1. bring water and cream to a boil.
  2. stir in BtB until dissolved. stir in grits, salt, and fresh cayenne pepper. return to a boil. cover and reduce heat to very low. simmer until cooked -- approximately 20 minutes (consult the directions on the package of the grits to determine approximate cooking time).
  3. once grits are cooked, add butter, dry ground cayenne pepper, black pepper, and cheeses. stir well.
  4. keep warm until shrimp are ready.

cajun shrimp, sausage, & bacon topping

ingredients for shrimp topping:

  • 1 ¼ lb. peeled shrimp tails*
  • 3 lemons, juiced – divided into juice of 1 lemon + juice of 2 lemons
  • 3 slices uncured, nitrate-free pork bacon
  • ½ - 1 lb. beef & pork sausage or andouille sausage (recommended: Richard’s), diced into small Trivial Pursuit wedge-like pieces or sliced according to your preference
  • 3 medium-large shallots, diced
  • 6 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 sweet red or orange bell pepper, diced
  • 2 fresh cayenne peppers, finely diced
  • 3 tbsp. unsalted butter – divided into 1 tbsp. + 2 tbsp.
  • 5-6 baby bella mushrooms, diced
  • 1 tbsp. flour
  • ¾ cup of water
  • 1 tsp. chicken Better than Bouillon (BtB)
  • 1 ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 healthy sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves pulled off and roughly chopped
  • 5 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves pulled off and roughly chopped

preparation of shrimp topping:

  1. drizzle peeled shrimp with juice of one lemon and set aside.
  2. fry bacon in a large, deep sauté pan until evenly brown and crunchy. transfer bacon to drain on paper towels, and remove ½ of the remaining bacon fat from the pan.
  3. add sausage to the pan and brown deeply. once browned, transfer sausage to drain.
  4. add one tbsp. butter, garlic, shallots, bell pepper, and cayenne peppers. stir thoroughly. add mushrooms when butter is fully melted. cook vegetable mix until shallots are translucent and mushrooms are soft.
  5. return bacon and sausage to sauté pan with vegetable mix. stir.
  6. add shrimp to sauté pan and stir.
  7. in a separate small pot, combine two tbsp. butter and one tbsp. flour over low-medium heat. when butter-flour mixture is light-medium brown, add water and BtB. stir until mixed, then add to sauté pan of vegetables, shrimp, sausage, and bacon.
  8. continue to cook shrimp mixture on low heat. add Worcestershire sauce, juice of two lemons, rosemary, and thyme. continue to cook on low heat until shrimp are opaque and bright pink.

spoon grits onto a plate and ladle shrimp mixture and sauce over the grits. garnish with sprig of rosemary or thyme. enjoy!

*a tip on peeling frozen shrimp tails -- based on my mistakes -- peel the  shrimp before they completely defrost. if the shrimp defrost and soften too much making it harder to pull of the shells, drop some ice cubes into the bowl of unpeeled tails to make the tails a bit firmer -- it will make the shrimp easier to pop out of their shells.