Last night was my second time making Epicurious' recipe for shrimp and grits, and man, is this stuff delicious. There are a lot of variations used for shrimp and grits. My mom used goat cheese, which added a tasty tartness to the dish. Epicurious includes some peppers and canned tomatoes, which reminds me of Charleston's heavy use of tomatoes in their seafood dishes. It also lets me feel just a little bit healthier eating this super comforting comfort foot.
When I make this recipe, I omit the bell pepper, Tabasco, and the garnishes, and I'll either include just a few chopped jalapeños or exclude them all together and let Caleb add in pickled jalapeños at the table. Other areas for wiggle room are the kind of cheese you use or probably even the vegetables included in the shrimp side of the dish, but I would definitely recommend keeping the tomatoes involved, maybe just adjust how much or how little you include. When I tasted the shrimp part of the dish last night, it tasted way too tomato-y to be a comfort food, but once paired with the smooth, creamy, and cheesy grits, everything mellowed out and the flavors complemented each other very well.
I'd also recommend getting the freshest shrimp you can. I used some pre-cooked shrimp last night because I hate peeling and deveining, but the texture of the shrimp had clearly suffered from all the heating, freezing, and reheating it had gone through.
I hope you get the chance to try this recipe out, because the finished product is wonderful. I'd recommend doing a proper mise en place and chop, grate, and prepare everything needed before getting started on the cooking, because the cooking ends up going pretty quickly. You could have this meal all ready in roughly 20 minutes, and most of it will require your full attention during the process so grits don't get stuck to the pan and so butter doesn't burn.
Good luck and let me know how it goes!
Recommended with shrimp and grits...
All this past week, I've been singing out loud and dancing to "Love You Crazy" by Mikky Ekko. It's very suited to waiting in traffic lights on the way home.
Hilarious tips on how to impress your house guests (strong language advisory)
4 tips for getting rid of clutter in your home from Reading my Tealeaves
(Tip #1, using up the stuff you love, is something I've been trying to get better at. When I was younger, I would save things for a long time because I thought they were so special, but then I ended up with year old jelly beans!)
How's this for interesting? A goth ninja fashion inspiration album.
You know all those people who've quit their corporate jobs to go travel the world and seem all amazing? Here's a couple telling a rarely heard version of the story.
A new favorite vine (100 times better with sound)
And a second favorite vine
Enjoy and happy weekend!
When I make this recipe, I omit the bell pepper, Tabasco, and the garnishes, and I'll either include just a few chopped jalapeños or exclude them all together and let Caleb add in pickled jalapeños at the table. Other areas for wiggle room are the kind of cheese you use or probably even the vegetables included in the shrimp side of the dish, but I would definitely recommend keeping the tomatoes involved, maybe just adjust how much or how little you include. When I tasted the shrimp part of the dish last night, it tasted way too tomato-y to be a comfort food, but once paired with the smooth, creamy, and cheesy grits, everything mellowed out and the flavors complemented each other very well.
I'd also recommend getting the freshest shrimp you can. I used some pre-cooked shrimp last night because I hate peeling and deveining, but the texture of the shrimp had clearly suffered from all the heating, freezing, and reheating it had gone through.
I hope you get the chance to try this recipe out, because the finished product is wonderful. I'd recommend doing a proper mise en place and chop, grate, and prepare everything needed before getting started on the cooking, because the cooking ends up going pretty quickly. You could have this meal all ready in roughly 20 minutes, and most of it will require your full attention during the process so grits don't get stuck to the pan and so butter doesn't burn.
Good luck and let me know how it goes!
Recommended with shrimp and grits...
All this past week, I've been singing out loud and dancing to "Love You Crazy" by Mikky Ekko. It's very suited to waiting in traffic lights on the way home.
Hilarious tips on how to impress your house guests (strong language advisory)
4 tips for getting rid of clutter in your home from Reading my Tealeaves
(Tip #1, using up the stuff you love, is something I've been trying to get better at. When I was younger, I would save things for a long time because I thought they were so special, but then I ended up with year old jelly beans!)
How's this for interesting? A goth ninja fashion inspiration album.
You know all those people who've quit their corporate jobs to go travel the world and seem all amazing? Here's a couple telling a rarely heard version of the story.
And a second favorite vine
Enjoy and happy weekend!
Okay, a) nowwww I need to buy stuff to make shrimp and grits! Thanks a lot!
ReplyDeleteb) Yay for more music I would never discover on my own!
c) houseguest tips = amazing.
d) I'm the same way about saving special things! The worst is coffee. It seems a waste to use good coffee for every day but then I use it so infrequently it loses some of its goodness.
e) Love that article about the couple. And they still say it's worth it, they just want people to know the reality of it. Smart.
f) Sorry for such a long comment ;)
I always enjoy your validating comments! I'm so glad you like the song!
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