Shrimp & Grits, Creole Style

Serves 4. Total time= 40 Minutes. Recipe created by Tanya Holland. Tanya Holland dreamed of becoming a star chef. Who knew she’d find the best kind of fame running Brown Sugar Kitchen in gritty West Oakland?

  • 1½ pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 3 Tbsp – butter, divided
  • 6 Tbsp – green onions (about 3), thinly sliced, divided
  • 3 tspn – minced garlic, divided
  • 1 (12-ounce) bottle – Hefeweizen (wheat beer)
  • 3/4 cup – Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tspn – ground cumin
  • 1/2 tspn – herbes de Provence
  • 1/2 tspn – kosher salt
  • 1/4 tspn – cayenne pepper
  • 1/8 tspn – paprika
  • 1/8 tspn – ground black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp – vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup – green bell pepper, cored and diced
  • 1/4 cup – red bell pepper, cored and diced
  • 1/4 cup – heavy cream
  • 5 ounces – baby spinach
  • 2 tspn – lemon juice
  • Grits Ingredients:
  • 1 can (13.5 oz) – Chicken Broth
  • 2 cups– Half & Half
  • 2 cups – stone ground Grits
  • 2 cups – cheddar cheese, shredded

Grits: In a medium pan, bring chicken broth + 2 cups half & half  to a boil and whisking in the grits.  Cover and set at low for 12-15 minutes.  Stir in cheese, cover, and set aside.

Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan. Add 2 Tbsp. green onion and 1 tsp. garlic and cook over low heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Add beer and Worcestershire sauce and increase heat to medium-high. Boil to reduce sauce to 1 cup, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a small bowl, combine cumin, herbes de Provence, salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, and ground black pepper. Set aside.

In a large sauté pan, heat oil until shimmering. Add remaining 4 Tbsp. green onion, remaining 2 tsp. garlic, and green and red bell pepper. Sprinkle with spice mixture and sauté until vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Add shrimp and sear on one side, about 1 minute. Flip shrimp and add reserved sauce, remaining 2 Tbsp. butter, and cream and bring to a simmer. When shrimp are pink on both sides, about 2 minutes, add spinach a handful at a time, stirring to coat with sauce. When spinach has wilted, remove pan from heat, stir in lemon juice, and serve immediately over Cheddar grits.

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