By: Jim Tarleton
Ingredients
- 8 Cups Heavy Cream (or half and half)
- 5 oz unsalted butter
- 1 TBS crushed/chopped fresh garlic (or 1 tsp garlic paste)
- ¼ Tsp salt
- ¼ Tsp vegetable seasoning (like “Perfect Pinch” garlic & herb)
- 1 Cup Marsh Hen Mill stoneground grits
- 1 Cup NY White Cheddar Cheese (grated)
- ½ Cup Extra-Sharp cheddar Cheese (grated)
- ¼ Cup Asiago Cheese
For the Shrimp
- 2-3 lbs large shrimp (peeled and deveined)
- 1 Cup Hot Sauce (I prefer using Texas Pete – Tabasco is hotter)
- 2 Cups flour
- ½ Cup cornstarch
- 1 TBS seafood magic blend, Old Bay or any homemade seafood spice mix
- 1 TBS ground black pepper
- 2 Tsp cayenne pepper
- 1-2 Tsp Paprika (optional for color)
- Canola or vegetable oil (enough for frying)
For the Mushroom Sauce
- ½ Lb (or more) white mushrooms (sliced thin)
- 2 TBS unsalted butter
- 8 oz Tasso ham (substitute any unsmoked ham) diced and sautéed
- 1 finely diced jalapeño pepper (deseeded)
- ½+ cup (or more) white wine (Chardonnay works well)
Directions
Grits
Bring cream to a gentle boil in large saucepan. Add butter, garlic, salt, vegetable seasoning, grits. Cook until grits are creamy (30+ min), then add cheese (a little at a time) until thoroughly incorporated and continue to cook until grits are done (about 15 more min).
Shrimp
Marinate shrimp in the hot sauce for about 10-15 minutes. In a bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, seafood spice mix, black and cayenne pepper, salt, paprika (use paprika for color and also for taste). Dredge shrimp in mixture, shake off excess and pan fry in small batches about 2-3 minutes until golden. Set aside to drain (keep warm). Mushroom Sauce – Sauté jalapeño then mushrooms in butter until softened. Add diced ham and cook another 2 minutes. Add wine and reduce until sauce thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Assembly
Ladle grits into serving dish/large bowl. Spoon mushroom sauce mixture onto grits. Place generous amount of shrimp on top. Scatter chopped, green onions for garnish. Serve immediately while hot. Amount(s) can be adjusted accordingly for quantity and individual taste. Grits need to be “creamy”, not just cooked. I like to lean a little heavy on the Asiago cheese in the grits.