Fresh Corn Grits with Shrimp

Rating: 5 stars
1934 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 1934
  • 4 star values: 0
  • 3 star values: 0
  • 2 star values: 0
  • 1 star values: 0

When F&W gave our market basket challenge to Top Chef Season 5 contestant Jeff McInnis, the owner of Miami’s Southern-inflected Yardbird restaurant, we purposefully included shrimp but no grits. McInnis didn’t care: He made his own fast, fresh version with the corn that was also in the basket. He added pecan butter to his grits, and here’s why: “My grandma Daisy had a huge pecan tree in her front yard in Brewton, Alabama,” says McInnis. “She’d break the pecans into little pieces with a mallet; I’d eat the sticky nut butter with my fingers.” Slideshow: Classic Southern Recipes 

By Jeff McInnis
August 2012

Gallery

Credit: © Seth Smoot

Recipe Summary test

total:
45 mins
Yield:
4
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Ingredients

grits
shrimp sauté
shrimp sauté
shrimp sauté
shrimp sauté
shrimp sauté
shrimp sauté
shrimp sauté
shrimp sauté
shrimp sauté

Directions

make the grits

  • In a saucepan, simmer the grated corn and juices with the 1/4 cup of milk over moderate heat, stirring, until thick, 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and fold in the pecan butter; keep warm.

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make the shrimp sauté

  • In a large, deep skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. Add the ham and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, snap peas and corn, season with salt and pepper and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until they just begin to curl, about 3 minutes. Add the lager and bring to a boil. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are cooked through and the liquid is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.

  • Whisk a little milk into the grits so it’s the consistency of polenta; heat until warm. Spoon the grits into shallow bowls, top with the shrimp sauté and serve at once.

Notes

To make your own pecan butter, process 1 cup toasted pecans in a mini food processor with 1/2 teaspoon canola oil until smooth, about 2 minutes. Season with salt.

Serve With

Lemon wedges.

Suggested Pairing

Crisp, medium-bodied white Bordeaux.

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