Down Home Cookin’ - Lemon-Garlic Shrimp and Grits

This was definitely the first time I’ve cooked grits. In fact, it might be the first time I’ve eaten grits. To those of you who grew up in the south this probably comes as a shock. But what can I say, my Mom’s from up North and as for my Dad, well there aren’t many grits involved in Indian cooking. However, when I found this recipe I couldn’t pass it up. It basically involves all of my favorite ingredients. They had me at “Lemon-garlic.” So in the end I tried my first grits and I must say that I was not disappointed. The slightly spicy sauce was delightful and tasted fantastic with the grits.

Lemon-Garlic Shrimp and Grits

 

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup instant grits
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ¼-½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon, plus wedges for serving
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, covered. Uncover and slowly whisk in the grits, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parmesan and 1 tablespoon butter. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.
Meanwhile, season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic and cayenne, if using, and cook, tossing, until the shrimp are pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add 2 tablespoons water, the lemon juice and parsley; stir to coat the shrimp with the sauce and season with salt and pepper.
Divide the grits among shallow bowls and top with the shrimp and sauce. Serve with lemon wedges.