Shrimp + Grits

I made shrimp + grits last night for dinner.  Because I have a my wedding to attend in November, I modified this dish to be high on flavor, low on fat.  Without further ado, I introduce: shrimp + grits, heavy on the shrimp.

If you follow me on instagram, you may have seen this picture last night:

Here's how to make it for 4 people:

Ingredients for shrimp:

18oz raw shrimp, peeled, deveined with tail removed*

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter, unsalted

2 tbsp garlic, peeled and chopped

2 tbsp vervacious windward island roasting rub (this is a wildly flavorful rub of coconut, chili peppers, turmeric, lemon zest, onion and salt - but if you don't have it, you can add your favorite fresh or dried spices)

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1/4 C scallions, chopped

Ingredients for grits:

1 C quick cooking grits 

4 C water

1/2 C reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded

1 tbsp skim milk

Salt + pepper to taste

*A note on shrimp: most seafood counters sell shrimp already peeled and deveined, but you will pay extra for it.  Alternatively, you can peel and devein the shrimp yourself.  It's quite easy: peel the shrimp by splitting and removing the shell with your fingers, then run a small paring knife down the back of the shrimp (following the dark vein) and rinse under cold water to fully remove.  You can also buy peeled and de-veined frozen shrimp which can work fine, just thaw it well before use: place a large footed colander in the sink, add shrimp and run under cold water until the ice has thawed.  It's best to use a footed colander so that the shrimp do not touch your sink - sinks can be dirty. 

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees

2. Peel and devein shrimp, remove tail by finding the point on the tail that moves (usually half way down) and at the same time, pinch the tail and pull the shrimp to remove

3. Peel and mince garlic, or measure 2 tbsp if you are using jarred minced garlic

4. In a large bowl mix shrimp, olive oil, garlic, ground pepper to your taste and vervacious windward island roasting rub, place covered in the fridge until you're ready to roast

5. While your shrimp is marinating, assemble the ingredients for grits

6. Bring a pot with 4C of water to a boil

7. Once your oven comes to temperature, roast shrimp for 10 minutes

8. Add in quick cooking grits, stir well and reduce heat to medium low

9. Continue to stir every minute or so, as grits begin to thicken

10. Add in skim milk and cheddar cheese to grits, mix to combine, taste and season with salt + pepper, if the grits are too thick just add in a bit more milk

11. After 10 minutes, turn the broiler on high, cook shrimp for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes

12. Plate 1/2C grits and about 10 shrimp (this may vary depending on the size you use, but  should be about 1/4 of the batch), garnish with scallions

Here are the raw shrimp as I peeled, deveined and removed the tails:

Here are the marinating shrimp before I placed in the fridge, the yellow coloring is the vervacious windward island roasting rub:

Here are the grits I used:

For the extra curious reader, here are the raw grits:

Have you heard the old wives' tale of placing a wooden spoon over a boiling pot?  I have no idea where this came from, but my pot did not boil over.  It did, however, spit grits all over the cook top:

Here are the grits and cheese before I mixed everything together:

Nutrition facts for one serving of grits:

178 calories,  30 g carbohydrates, 4 g fat, 7 g protein, 2 g fiber

Nutrition facts for one serving of shrimp:
192 calories,  2 g carbohydrates,  9 g fat,  26 g protein,  0 g fiber


Nutrition facts for one serving of shrimp + grits:
370 calories, 32 g carbohydrates, 13 g fat, 33 g protein, 2 g fiber

Shrimp + grits for under 400 calories seems like a win to me.  The shrimp is a perfect make ahead dish for company (or a busy family) and is even better the longer it marinates.  You can serve this with any green you like - a light and crunchy side salad would pair perfectly! 

Are you a fan of shrimp + grits?  Have you tried to lighten up a favorite recipe?  I'd love to hear from you if you try this dish!  Hope you enjoy...

xx,

The Future Mrs. Wolf