Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign {Creole Shrimp & Grits}

If you grow up in South Louisiana, you just simply inherit it.
Like a disease.

It's genetic.  There's no escape.
Don't even try.

 

Food is an obsession.  Food is everything.  The next meal is planned while eating your current one.
This is the honest truth.  No exaggeration.

Driving to work one morning, I saw a red and yellow sign that caught my eye.

Muffaletas.

And I got so excited that one of my favorite New Orleans treats had come to the little Cajun town of Church Point!

Sadly, the sign only read "Mufflers."
Aww dang it.

Later that week, another sign caught my eye.
Free Crawfish with...something something.
I was driving and trying hard to keep my eyes on the road.  The promise of free crawfish made it almost impossible.

Sadly, the sign read "Free Carwash with...."
Dang it again.

I took these signs seriously and was sure disappointed when I realized there would be no muffalettas or free crawfish for me.

But one sign I jumped on was a sale on shrimp.
Because I could make another round of Shrimp & Grits.

Creole Shrimp & Grits

Grits topped with shrimp and andouille (which I'd argue is one of the best food combinations ever---right up there with lemon and green onion and coffee and chocolate), cooked in a Creole-based red sauce is very different from last week's Creamy Shrimp & Grits.  But I promise it's just as good.

Like last week's Shrimp & Grits, if you aren't a grits person (siiiigh), it can be served over pasta.  If you have to.

That's how The Boy likes it.

By the way, while I like the Creamy Shrimp & Grits over garlicky cheese grits (mmmm...garlicky cheesy grits), I prefer to keep the cheese out of the Creole version.

Print It!

Creole Shrimp & Grits
1/2 lb andouille sausage, diced
scant 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
about 3/4 cup shrimp stock, chicken stock, or water
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and tails removed
salt, black pepper, and Creole seasoning, to taste
chopped green onion for garnish

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the andouille in the olive oil.  Saute for about 6-7 minutes. Then add the onion and bell pepper.  Saute until the vegetables have softened, about 8-10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for about a minute longer.  Stir in the tomato paste and stock, coating the andouille and vegetables.  Add the shrimp and season with salt, black pepper, and Creole seasoning.  Cook, stirring occasionally until shrimp is no longer pink and is cooked through.

Meanwhile, make the grits.

For the grits:
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 c chicken broth
salt and pepper, to taste
1 c grits

Add a splash of olive oil to a saucepan.  Briefly saute the garlic until fragrant.  Add the chicken broth and season to taste with salt and pepper (grits need a fair amount of salt).  Bring to a boil and whisk in the grits.  Simmer until grits are tender.

Serve up the grits.  Top with the shrimp mixture and garnish with green onion.  Serves 4.

TIP:

This recipe calls for 2 Tbsp of tomato paste.  If you don't buy your tomato paste in those squeezy tubes, it's kind of a pain to deal with the rest of a can.  Scoop it out by tablespoons onto a waxed paper lined small cookie sheet (or directly onto a small cookie sheet).  Pop in the freezer until frozen.  Remove from the waxed paper or pan and store in a freezer bag.  No waste and now any time you need some silly amount like 1 Tbsp or 2, you have a stash.

More Shrimp...

In the Past...

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