Creole Shrimp with Greens & Cheesy Baked Grits

There are three ways I will eat shrimp.
Shrimp Cocktail
Shrimp Japchae or Chap Chae
and
Shrimp (creole-style) & Grits

I take the best of a Creole sauce, marry it to Low Country Shrimp and serve it over a cheesy bowl of Italian grits (aka; polenta).
Now I ask you, what could possibly be better than that? 

Nothing, absolutely freakin' nothing!

OK, you want to know the difference between Low country Shrimp and Creole Shrimp.
Creole has spice and a tomato based sauce.
Low country is not as spicy and the shrimp sit in a lighter butter/wine based sauce.

When I make mine, I take my inspiration from K-Paul's recipe.

First thing you need to do is peel and devein large shrimp but save the shells.
In a bowl, I put about a tablespoon of BAM into a cup of beer and stir to dissolve. Add the cleaned shrimp and set aside.

Bring 2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock to a boil and add in the shells. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Strain out the shells and set aside.

Fry the bacon (or pancetta) in a skillet to render the fat and once that is done you add in the Holy Trinity and saute until the vegetables start to brown. Add in a tablespoon of Cajun spices (BAM)
and 3 tablespoons of flour.

Cook off the flour and add in half the shrimp-infused broth. Stir to blend and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the fresh tomato and continue to simmer on low for another 15 minutes. It should look like this........

After simmering, add the tomato paste and the remaining broth.
Simmer for another 30 minutes on low and it should become smoother as the vegetables cook down, just like this........

Remove the skillet and set aside to cool.
At this point you can refrigerate for up to three days or simply reserve in a bowl.
Since the shrimp should be and best be sauteed right before serving them together with the spinach over the grits.


I like to add a sauteed green with this dish even though grits is technically a vegetable, and spinach is easy to cook.
It adds to the nutritionals and it adds color to what can be, a bland base.

Meanwhile, make my famous cheesy baked grits.

Easy Creole Shrimp 
Makes 2 servings

* 1 pound U18 shrimp, veined and shelled (reserve the shells)
* 2 tablespoons BAM (or favorite creole spice blend) divided
* 1 cup beer
* 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
* 4 strips bacon cut crosswise into 1/4" slices
* 1/4 cup both red & green bell peppers, minced
* 1/4cup celery, minced
* 1/4 cup onions, minced
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 3 tablespoons flour
* 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)
* 1 tablespoon tomato paste

Peel and devein large shrimp but save the shells.
In a bowl, put about a tablespoon of BAM into a cup of beer and stir to dissolve. Add the cleaned shrimp and set aside.

Bring 2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock to a boil and add in the shells. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Strain out the shells and set aside.

Fry the bacon (or pancetta) in a skillet to render the fat and once that is done you add in the Holy Trinity (peppers, onions, garlic and celery) and saute until the vegetables start to brown. Add in the rest of the Cajun spices (BAM) and the flour.

Cook off the flour and add in half the shrimp-infused broth. Stir to blend and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the fresh tomato and continue to simmer on low for another 15 minutes.


After simmering, add the tomato paste and the remaining broth.
Simmer for another 30 minutes on low and it should become smoother as the vegetables cook down.
Remove the skillet and set aside to cool.
At this point you can refrigerate for up to three days or simply reserve in a bowl.
Since the shrimp should be and best be sauteed right before serving them together with the spinach over the grits.

Enjoy!!