For a dish that is, in itself, pretty quick and easy, shrimp and grits turns out to be surprisingly tricky to throw together under five-ingredient and 30-minute constraints.
Take the star of the dish itself — frozen peeled and deveined shrimp are an excellent shortcut ingredient, but they do need to be thawed before use. Those grits? Finely ground quick grits cook quickly, but they do require some attention and, of course, time to bring water to a boil. And this doesn’t take into account any chopping and slicing you may need to do, plus gathering up any flavor boosters you may need to turn such a streamlined dish into an exciting recipe.
The one way around these challenges is to challenge your inner Rachel Ray and multitask. Thaw the shrimp in cold water while you slice a shallot and a few cloves of garlic. Next, begin heating your pot of water; once it boils, reduce the heat and cover the pot until you’re ready to handle the grits. By this time, the shrimp should be thawed, so set to sauteing them with those sliced alliums in plenty of butter. The shrimp will let off some liquid, but that’s okay — think of it as an instant sauce. Keep the shrimp warm while you whisk together the grits. Add a final pat of butter — and some salt and pepper — in the grits, plus a smattering of lemon zest and juice on the shrimp, and you’re done.
Quick Shrimp and Grits
2 (10-ounce) bags frozen peeled and deveined large shrimp
1 shallot
4 cloves garlic
6 cups water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Unsalted butter, for the shrimp and the grits
1 1/2 cups quick grits
1 lemon
Optional: Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Place the shrimp in a medium bowl. Set the bowl in the sink and fill with cold water. Leave the water running in a very thin stream to thaw the shrimp (It should take 5 to 10 minutes.) while preparing the remaining ingredients.
Peel and thinly slice the shallot and the garlic. Set aside.
Add the water to a large saucepan, season generously with salt, and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and keep warm.
When the shrimp are thawed, drain well.
Melt about 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and garlic, along with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the shrimp, along with another pinch of salt, and continue to cook, still stirring, until they just turn opaque. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
Increase the heat under the water to high to return it to a boil. Once boiling, whisk in the grits and let the water return to a simmer. Still whisking, reduce the heat to medium and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in another tablespoon of butter and remove from the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Zest the lemon over the shrimp, then slice the lemon in half. Squeeze half of its juice into the shrimp, stir, then add additional lemon juice to taste, if desired. Season the shrimp one more time with salt and pepper, then serve on top of the grits. Serves 4.
Per serving: 452 calories (percent of calories from fat, 24), 34 grams protein, 50 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 12 grams fat (6 grams saturated), 239 milligrams cholesterol, 612 milligrams sodium.
Support real journalism. Support local journalism. Subscribe to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution today. See offers.
Your subscription to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution funds in-depth reporting and investigations that keep you informed. Thank you for supporting real journalism.
2019-12-11 12:00:05Z
https://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/food--cooking/for-shrimp-and-grits-minutes-learn-multitask/VyIpQHNuSwBg2zQmQxZZAO/
CBMicWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFqYy5jb20vbGlmZXN0eWxlcy9mb29kLS1jb29raW5nL2Zvci1zaHJpbXAtYW5kLWdyaXRzLW1pbnV0ZXMtbGVhcm4tbXVsdGl0YXNrL1Z5SXBRSE51U3dCZzJ6UW1ReFpaQU8v0gF5aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYWpjLmNvbS9saWZlc3R5bGVzL2Zvb2QtLWNvb2tpbmcvZm9yLXNocmltcC1hbmQtZ3JpdHMtbWludXRlcy1sZWFybi1tdWx0aXRhc2svVnlJcFFITnVTd0JnMnpRbVF4WlpBTy9hbXAuaHRtbA
0 Comments:
Post a Comment