Cajun Shrimp and Goat Cheese Grits
Cajun Shrimp and Goat Cheese Grits
Having lived in the northern part of the US for my entire life, grits was just not something that was frequently seen or spoken of until about 10 years ago when I would see recipes pop up online or see it on television. It wasn’t something that appealed to me because of my food texture issues. Heck I won’t even eat oatmeal and I have tried, several times with all different consistencies but it’s a no-go. However, we had gone to a local restaurant, called Water Street Kitchen, in Woods Hole that had just changed ownership (as well as its name) and had a very “culinary forward” menu with lots of unique dishes for our area and it included a shrimp grits dish. Now I would like to say that I was pulling on my “big girl pants” and pushing through my food sensory challenges to try a new dish, but that wasn’t exactly the case.
As is typical when I go out to eat, I am limited by what I can consume due to my lengthy allergen list. Now restaurants near us have been wonderful with accommodations and taking allergy concerns very seriously and I have never been put in a dangerous position, but there is only so much they can do if they have limited menus such as this particular place had. It turned out the shrimp and grits were one of 2 dishes at the time, that I could safely eat from the menu. Since I mentioned the place above, I wanted to mention that this was in their first week of opening and the available offerings were more limited than they normally would have. Their regular menu does change, but it’s wonderful. It sources from farm-fresh available ingredients and stays on the cutting edge of the culinary world. If you are in the area during the “season,” I highly suggest a visit! If for nothing else than to have their fresh-baked crusty bread served with radish butter. It is so good it’s almost sinful.
Alright, back to the grits….To my astonishment, I loved the dish! Now, I can’t see myself diving into a bowl of grits by themselves, but taking bites that included the shrimp and other ingredients it allowed the texture of the grits to be transformed enough where I didn’t have a negative reaction.
After that experience, I decided to start experimenting with grits at home. I have used many types of cheese with great and yummy success and always pair it with shrimp as well as a fresh, cold vegetable such as red pepper as that is what was a part of the dish at the restaurant. I enjoy the texture from the cold crisp vegetable to offset the consistency of the grits so I wanted to branch out a bit. I remembered back to an event where I created mini food and made some blackened shrimp on top of a marinated raw cucumber slice and I loved it. This plus my love of tangy goat cheese led me to create this recipe. It is a great example of how I craft the recipes that I personally enjoy the most, by pulling from flavors and experiences from dishes I like singularly and pulling them together in one dish. I hope you give it a try and enjoy it as much as I do.
Recipe Card
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Cajun Shrimp and Goat Cheese Grits
Ingredients
Method
- Combine the stock, water, milk, and salt and bring it to a boil in a medium saucepan.
- Slowly add the grits, whisking continuously until all are added and there are no clumps.
- Bring it back to a boil and then immediately reduce to a simmer.
- Cover and cook until grits are tender and creamy, about 20 minutes, whisking every few minutes along the way.
- Remove from heat and immediately whisk in the goat cheese, parmesan, and butter.
- Serve immediately.
- Combine the dry spices in a medium bowl.
- Pat the cleaned and shelled shrimp dry with a paper towel and put them into the bowl with the spice blend. Toss the shrimp with the spice mix to well cover the shrimp and set aside while you roast the peppers.
- Take the red peppers making sure any grocery stickers are removed and they are completely dry.
- Place the peppers over a flame and allow to cook until the skin is completely charred, turning to get all sides.* Set aside as they cool.
- Sauté the shallots in a splash of canola oil on medium-high heat until they soften and just start to take on color, about 3-4 minutes.
- While the shallots are cooking. Remove the charred skin from the peppers, remove the top and seeds, and cut the peppers into strips.
- Push the shallots to the side and add shrimp, making sure to not crowd the pan. Cook for 1 minute and flip to cook the other side and cook for another minute.
- After the shrimp are cooked, add 2 oz of sherry into the pan as well as the pepper strips and cook for 2 minutes to reduce the sherry and cook off most of the alcohol.
- Remove from heat.
- Place 1 cup of cooked grits on a plate, leaving a shallow well in the center.
- Crumble 1 slice of bacon, per serving, over the grits.
- Place 1/4 of the shrimp, pepper, and shallot mix in the well of the grits. Divide and spoon any reserved liquid from the pan over the shrimp.
- Place 1/4 of the diced cucumber on top of the shrimp per serving.
- Sprinkle the scallion rounds over the dish.
* Notes (if you see an * please check here):
- You can use quick grits with the same quantities. Just reduce the cooking time to about 5 minutes.
- If you wish to loosen up the grots after the cheese has been added, add some warm milk or cream (light or heavy) a little bit at a time.
- If you can't fire roast your own peppers you can find them in a jar or alternatively, sauté the fresh pepper strips.
- I use my gas range to fire roast the peppers by setting them on the grate and allowing them to cook, turning to char all sides.
- The cooking time is 20 minutes. This includes cooking the shrimp while the grits are cooking.