Chesapeake Shrimp & Grits

I truly believe in food destiny. These shrimp, marinated in Chesapeake Lemon dressing, and tucked away in the freezer, were meant to meet yellow grits. Today, that destiny became a reality. I had the hardest time finding a recipe that even resembled my mental image of Shrimp & Grits. I imagined creamy, salty, bright yellow grits, with colorful veggies and perfectly seasoned shrimp. I wanted peppers, and onions, softened and perfectly blended with the shrimp. 

But so many recipes saturated the grits with cheese, packed in the bacon, and ignored the vegetables altogether. I think all the cheese, bacon grease and mounds of butter take away from the simple, delicious taste of this meal. My mother's side of the family is from the south, and we eat our grits with a little bit of milk and salt and it is perfection.

When costing out this recipe, I was caught unaware by the price of the shrimp (especially since I bought and froze this particular shrimp back in September). For the convenience of having large, uncooked, peeled, and deveined shrimp, you can expect to pay almost $20 per pound! All of a sudden, shrimp seems like a luxury item.

So, how might you save money on this meal? Buy smaller shrimp, and peel and devein them yourself. Replace the red bell peppers with green peppers. Consider canned diced tomatoes, instead of fresh. With all these substitutions, the cost per serving goes down by $1.85 to $3.08. I will have to try these substitutions and let you know how it goes! 

Ingredients
For the grits:
1 cup yellow grits, Bob's Red Mill 
4 1/2 water
1 1/4 kosher salt
2 Tbsp butter, unsalted
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 tsp Tabasco

For the shrimp:
1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 bottle Tessemae's Lemon Chesapeake dressing
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup green onions, sliced
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup chicken stock
4 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce

Marinate the shrimp in Tessemae's Lemon Chesapeake dressing for several hours or overnight.

Combine the grits, water, salt, and 1/2 Tbsp of the butter and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer. stirring occasionally, until tender, 45 to 60 minutes. If the grits become too thick, add more water. Remove from the heat and stir in another 1/2 Tbsp of butter, the Parmesan cheese, pepper, and Tabasco.

Meanwhile, prepare the shrimp. Toss the shrimp with flour to coat evenly. In a fry pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbsp butter. Brown the shrimp until almost cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add the bell pepper, garlic, salt and pepper to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the shrimp, green onions, tomatoes, stock, lemon juice, and Tabasco. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are opaque throughout and the vegetables are heated through.

Divide the grits among 4 bowls and top with shrimp mixture. Serve immediately.

Adapted from: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/shrimp-and-grits.html

Allergens: Shellfish, milk
Nutrition (1/4 recipe): 400 calories, 20 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 128 mg cholesterol, 259 mg sodium, 374 mg potassium, 41 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 3 g sugar, 18 g protein, 13% vitamin A, 21% vitamin C, 7% calcium, 21% iron, 16% vitamin B-12, 10% vitamin B-6, 14% vitamin E, 10% copper, 25% folate, 10% magnesium, 10% manganese, 22% niacin, 16% phosphorus, 13% riboflavin, 46% selenium, 22% thiamine
Cost (1/4 recipe): $4.93