BBQ Louisiana Shrimp and Roasted Corn Grits Recipe

By tulawdog

Ingredients

• For the grits:
• 4 ears fresh corn on the cob
• 3 tablespoons garlic (finely minced)
• 1 yellow onion (diced)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
• 2 cups half and half
• 2 cups yellow stone ground grits
• Chicken stock
• Sea salt
• White pepper
• Hot sauce
• For the BBQ Louisiana shrimp:
• 4 pounds fresh jumbo head-on unshelled Louisiana shrimp
• 4 sticks of unsalted butter (one stick per pound of shrimp)
• 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup granulated garlic powder (I know it’s a lot, trust me)
• 1 cup freshly ground black pepper (again, trust me)
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
• Juice of one large lemon
• One tablespoon hot sauce
• Zest of one large lemon
• One tablespoon kosher salt

Preparation

Step 1

grits

Shuck the corn and slow roast on a low open flame grill or a hot skillet. Once you begin to see blackened kernels of the corn, it is done. Take a sharp knife and shave the corn from the cob a layer at the time finally getting down to the cob. Scrape the cob with the back of the knife to force all of the milk from the corn.

In a large skillet on medium heat, melt the butter and saute the onions until translucent and add the corn kernels along with the garlic and continue cooking until done.

Make the grits according to your package directions, but make sure to use chicken stock instead of water. Make the grits to a stiff consistency, add 1 cup of the half and half along with the corn, onions and garlic. Cook on low until the grits are combined and reach a thick consistency. Add salt and white pepper along with a couple of shakes of hot sauce to your desired taste level. Let cool to almost room temperature.

Here’s where I up the ante. I believe the Zea recipe can be enhanced by adding richness. Beat the four eggs and add to the grits mixture, stirring vigorously to incorporate quickly. Add the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and stir. At this point the mixture should be creamy and not too rigid. If the mixture is too hard begin adding half and half from the reserved one cup stirring until you have a loose thickness. Butter a casserole dish and pour the grits in. Bake the grits in a 350-degree oven for 20 to 40 minutes watching closely until it browns slightly on top.

Shrimp

While you are preheating your oven to 400 degrees, take out a large cake pan or large aluminum foil, roasting pan. Lay the head-on shrimp in the bottom of the pan and place the sticks of butter among the shrimp. Drizzle the Worcestershire sauce around the shrimp along with an even distribution of lemon juice and hot sauce. Add the lemon zest and salt. Put the pan in the oven and once the butter is melted after the first ten minutes remove the pan and stir the shrimp making sure they are covered in the spicy butter.

Bake for another 10 or 15 minutes until done. I like to test the largest shrimp for doneness along the way since the only way to ruin this recipe is to overcook the shrimp. Remove from the oven and keep warm.

To plate this dish, serve a portion of the grits with the head-on Louisiana shrimp and all of the buttery juices surrounding. Serve with lots of crusty French bread and a bottle of Chardonnay.