Mouthing Off

This healthier version of old-school Southern grits uses less cheese, no butter and adds iron-rich spinach. / © Quentin Bacon

Food & Wine's senior recipe developer, Grace Parisi, is a Test Kitchen superstar. In this series, she shares some of her favorite recipes to make right now.

Shrimp and Grits is one of my favorite all-time dishes. If you're willing to forgo long-cooking grits in favor of quick (not instant) grits, the dish is not only rich, flavorful, creamy and delicious, it's also superfast. I developed this recipe as part of my column on New Southern Classics (Ham Steak with Red Eye Gravy, Biscuits and Sausage Gravy, Etouffee). This is one of those Southern comfort foods that can be ungodly rich, with tons of cream, butter and cheese. I lightened it up considerably by taking out the cream, paring back the butter and cheese (it's still pretty cheesy) and folding in baby spinach to add a nutitious punch. One of my favorite Spanish tapas dishes is gambas al ajillo (shrimp with garlic and oil). I sort of tweaked it a bit by adding smoked paprika, which stands in for smoky bacon, and spooned it over the grits. I'm not a huge calorie counter, though I do watch what I eat. This one never leaves me feeling anything but satisfied and guilt-free. SEE RECIPE »

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Double the recipe for these grilled shrimp skewers for a fantastic shrimp salad the next day. / © Con Poulos

Food & Wine's senior recipe developer, Grace Parisi, is a Test Kitchen superstar. In this series, she shares some of her favorite recipes to make right now.

Everyone loves food on a stick—it's superfun! From a cook's perspective, it's also extremely easy: perfect portion control (one or two skewers per person), plus you turn each skewer as opposed to each individual shrimp. I just bought this gorgeous tub of yellow miso and some shrimp from my local Asian market/fishmonger, so this recipe was a natural choice. I doubled the recipe to be able to make shrimp salad the next day, but we ate most of that batch, too. SEE RECIPE »

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Spreading a little mayonnaise on a thin, white, flaky fish like trout before grilling keeps it moist and adds rich flavor. / © Con Poulos

Food & Wine's senior recipe developer, Grace Parisi, is a Test Kitchen superstar. In this series, she shares some of her favorite recipes to make right now.

Generally, I'm not a fan of fresh water fish—I find the flavor a bit murky and muddy—unless they're agressively marinated and grilled. Catfish and tilapia especially need some kitchen TLC. Trout, not so much. It's pretty durned tasty when brushed with a little of this tangy lemon-caper mayo and grilled. SEE RECIPE »

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Difficult-to-find moo shu pancakes are replaced by flour tortillas in this quick one-dish meal. © Tina Rupp

Food & Wine's senior recipe developer, Grace Parisi, is a Test Kitchen superstar. In this series, she shares some of her favorite recipes to make right now.

It's inconceivable that living in New York, I can't get good or even passable Chinese food in my Brooklyn neighborhood. And though it's not terribly expensive, after you pick off all the breading and scrape off all the gloppy sauce, there's literally two ounces of protein, so it actually winds up being quite pricey. Something as lean and clean as moo-shu arrives at my door mushy and limp. It's just as easy to stir-fry some shrimp with shredded cabbage and mushrooms and serve it with fluffy steamed flour tortillas and hoisin sauce. I like Lee Kum Kee hoisin, because it's not too sweet and has a surprisingly short ingredient list. SEE RECIPE »

This tuna burger offers the flavors of a Niçoise salad, on a bun. / © Stephanie Foley

Food & Wine's senior recipe developer, Grace Parisi, is a Test Kitchen superstar. In this series, she shares some of her favorite recipes to make right now.

Three days ago my neighbor and friend Bob Wheeler, a retired NYC firefighter, asked me if I wanted some yellowfin tuna. He looked pretty scruffy, so I assumed he'd just returned from a fishing trip (which he had), and I jumped at the chance. The hunk was as big as my head and less than 12 hours old. The first night, I tossed raw chunks with lime, soy, ginger and avocado and served it with toast and wasabi. The next night, I quickly seared a few steaks and served it with a fresh herb pesto and charred asparagus. Last night, I took the rest (still impeccably fresh), chopped it with scallions, capers and olives and formed it into burgers, which I served with an anchovy aioli on toasted brioche buns. Tuna three days, tuna three ways. SEE RECIPE »

To quickly add flavor while ensuring a perfectly cooked halibut, fold chives and tarragon into softened butter, wrap in foil, and grill until done. // © Ryan Liebe

Food & Wine's senior recipe developer, Grace Parisi, is a Test Kitchen superstar. In this series, she shares some of her favorite recipes to make right now.

Grilling fish can be kind of tricky, especially without a grill basket, which is why I love hobo packs. Halibut, which is especially lean, definitely benefits from grill-roasting in a foil packet. I've set it on a bed of corn and shiitakes and topped it with a pat of yummy chive-tarragon butter, which melts into the veggies and keeps the fish wonderfully moist. Everybody gets to open their own packet at the table—like Christmas in the summer. SEE RECIPE »

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This casual riff on classically French mussels with white wine uses cilantro, jalepeños and lime. / © Stephanie Foley

Food & Wine's senior recipe developer, Grace Parisi, is a Test Kitchen superstar. In this series, she shares some of her favorite recipes to make right now.

It never ceases to amaze me just how quickly mussels can be transformed from hard little nothings to soft, delicate yummies. Sometimes, though, the "French" thing with white wine and herbs is just too effete, and I want something more un-French—like pickled jalapenos, lime juice and cilantro. Yeah, this does have crème fraïche, but sour cream is just as good. SEE RECIPE »

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