Grits with shrimp sounded like some northern twist on a sacred southern staple when I first heard about it, but I can honestly say that this is one of my all time favorite dishes.
12oz.frozen medium raw shrimp, thawed, peeled, and patted dry
1tbsp.oil
1tsp.paprika
1tsp.garlic powder
½teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
⅛tsp.salt
2green onions, chopped
1oz.shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
Add 4 cups of water to a covered medium saucepan. Add grits and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the grits are done. Remove from heat and stir in remaining grits ingredients, mixing well. Cover until shrimp is done.
While grits are cooking, combine shrimp, oil, paprika, garlic powder, pepper, and salt in a medium bowl and mix well until shrimp is evenly coated.
Spray a large non-stick skillet with olive oil spray and heat on medium high until pan is hot. Add red pepper dices and sauté for 3-4 minutes until tender. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add shrimp mixture to pan in a single layer and cook on medium high for 2-3 minutes without stirring. After 2-3 minutes, stir and cook until shrimp is done (shrimp will be opaque in the center).
Remove pan from heat and mix in red pepper dices and green onions. When grits are done, divide grits into 4 bowls, sprinkle the cheese (divided the 1 oz evenly between the bowls) on top of grits, and top with shrimp mixture. Serve immediately.
Notes
If you have the time, adding the grits to the water and soaking for 30-60 minutes before turning on the heat yields a richer corn flavor.