Shrimp & Grits with Mushrooms, Leeks and Bacon

I am in love with the fact that second trimester has not only been extremely kind to my body, but has also marked the triumphant return of my insatiable appetite! While I have to pace out my eating a little more with smaller meals every couple of hours as opposed to plowing through a couple of giant sittings, I am thrilled to be enjoying pretty much all of the things that I love that caused for some rumblings early on in the pregnancy.

Our impending move South now only a matter of months away (five actually, woah!) combined with the slow arrival of more spring-like weather has me craving seafood. What better way to satisfy my cure something from the briny deep and prepare for Southern living than to try my hand at Shrimp & Grits! After cautiously easing into the Southern staple a few postings ago, I felt confident to take it on again.

When we first moved to town and I was on the hunt for a job, I decided to volunteer my time at the library of a local yacht school in an effort to meet some people and do something positive with my idle hands. Although I no longer volunteer there, I met Jill, one of my favorite people in Newport. About once a week after our shifts at the library we would wander down to The Pier, a restaurant just behind the library and enjoy their ½ price happy hour appetizers and drinks. It was always a great excuse to relax and gossip (as if we hadn’t already done that enough!), and we would occasionally drag our husbands along with us. Being a creature of habit, I would almost always order their Shrimp & Grits, and this recipe is based off of The Pier’s take on this classic dish. So while I am not yet immersed in the Southern culture, I feel myself getting more and more excited to enjoy all of the flavors that Louisiana has to offer, and to taste this classic comfort food as prepared by the folks that put it on the map!

It’s a pretty simple dish to pull together, and I recommend frying off your bacon first while you cook the grits (as I mentioned in my last post about grits, they’re pretty resilient and can hang out on a very low burner for a while), then putting together your mushroom & leek sauté and finishing up with the shrimp to ensure that they don’t overcook. This recipe could easily serve four for dinner with a big green salad and a crisp white wine- I made it for just the two of us, and we had the second half the next night.


Shrimp & Grits with Mushrooms, Leek and Bacon (as inspired by The Pier)

For the Grits:

Depending on the type of grits you are using, follow package instructions for four servings, or use my directions posted here, omitting the ricotta, parmesan and nutmeg. Once grits are fully cooked, stir in 1 tbspn butter, and slowly add in a generous ¼ cup freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Season well with salt & pepper and set aside, covered over very low heat.

For the Shrimp:

- 1 lb. 16-20 count fresh, wild caught shrimp with tail on
- 4-5 Slices thick cut bacon, diced
- 1 Leek (medium size), sliced thinly and cleaned (see my note on cleaning here)
- ½ Package of Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 Large clove garlic, minced
- ¼ (ish) Cup seafood or chicken stock
- Handful of flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped
- Sea salt
- Cracked black pepper
- Seafood seasoning (think Old Bay)
- 1-2 Tbspn butter
- Extra Virgin olive oil
- ½ Lemon, cut into wedges
- Hot sauce (optional)

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, add in diced bacon and cook until crisp and fat is rendered. Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towel. Reserve 1ish tbspn bacon fat in pan, lower heat to medium add in butter and a couple of turns of olive oil. While oil and butter come up to temp, season one side of shrimp lightly with salt, pepper and seafood seasoning. Once pan is heated, add in mushrooms and season lightly with salt & pepper. Saute, stirring until mushrooms begin to release liquid, about 2 minutes. Add in leeks and continue cooking while stirring occasionally until leeks begin to soften, about 4 minutes or so. Once leeks have fully softened, add in garlic and cook just until garlic is aromatic (a minute or two). Push mushroom/leek mixture to the edge of pan (see picture) and place shrimp into pan, seasoned side down. Season exposed side of shrimp with salt, pepper and seafood season and allow shrimp to cook, undisturbed for about 2 minutes or until bottoms just turn pink. Flip shrimp and cook an additional 2 minutes or until just cooked through. Stir shrimp, leeks and mushrooms together, and add in about ¼ cup of seafood stock and parsley. Allow to simmer for a minute or two and reduce.

To plate: Pile grits in the middle of a shallow bowl or dish and top with leek & mushroom mixture, and top with 4-5 shrimp running down the middle. Sprinkle crisp bacon on top and serve right away with lemon wedges and hot sauce on the side. Also pairs great with a light summer beer and a comfortable porch table!

Fish Fry Friday!

Every now and then there are winter nights when you have a craving for something, but don’t have the motivation to leave the house to get exactly what you want. Last Friday was that night for me. When we lived in Annapolis, my husband, brother and I regularly had what we called Fish Fry Fridays and would load up on crunchy pan fried Cod, oven fries and the occasional plate of steamed mussels when available. I had the craving to re-visit this tradition, but really didn’t feel like trudging out to the store, so I went with what I had on hand. Most of the time I’ve got a bag of flash frozen wild caught deveined shrimp in my freezer (shell on for more flavor in stocks & stews!) and knew they would completely satisfy my seafood craving. I have to admit that I am joining the legions of panko converts, and have had a soft spot for the light crunchy Japanese breadcrumbs after our first introduction after a stint working in a Japanese restaurant in Colorado in 2004. The three step breading process may seem a bit tedious but it’s pretty easy to get a rhythm going once you get into it, and it’s well worth the results. The breading process is the most labor intensive part of the meal, and at 10 minutes is an indication to how easily this meal comes together. I also have to admit that I have become a bit of a snob when it comes to tartar sauce- I will gladly take the extra 5 minutes to make it fresh rather than deal w/ the overly sweet pre-made version, not to mention the preservatives and additives in most jarred stuff- eek! As far as the “chips” portion, I decided to forgo this craving and instead went with some hearty cannelli beans, which ended up being a great pairing. The bean dish is insanely easy to throw together, and can be cooked and ready while the shrimp are in the oven. Happy Friday!


Panko Shrimp with White Beans and Greens and Homemade Tartar Sauce

For the Tartar Sauce:
-1 cup good mayonnaise (if not homemade, Hellman’s is my go to)
-2 tblspns chopped capers
-2 tblspns fine minced red or sweet onion
-2 fine minced dill pickle spears
-1 tblspn fresh chopped dill
-½ tblspn fresh lemon juice
-½ tblspn caper “juice” (the brining liquid from the jar)

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and leave in fridge while making other components so that flavors may come together.

For the Shrimp:
-1 lbs. deveined RAW shrimp, shells removed, tails left on (starting with raw shrimp will ensure that in the end the shrimp will not be over cooked and rubbery. I like to leave the tails on for easy dipping and eating, just be sure to place out a small bowl for tails)
-1 cup panko bread crumbs, seasoned with:
- 1-2 teaspoons seafood seasoning (Old Bay comes to mind)
-A couple of turns of fresh cracked pepper
-Pinch of cayenne pepper
-1 cup all purpose flour seasoned with cracked pepper & salt
-1 large egg, beaten w/ a little champagne vinegar or lemon juice
-A large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper & topped with an oven proof wire rack, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pat shrimp dry between paper or kitchen towels. To set up “assembly line, set up shrimp at one end, followed by a shallow dish or plate with flour mixture, followed by egg wash, then panko mixture in shallow dish or plate and finish up with your lined baking sheet. One at a time, dredge shrimp in flour, dip in egg wash, and coat in panko mixture and lay flat on baking sheet. Repeat with all shrimp and let rest for 10 minutes before firing in the oven to ensure that the breading won’t fall off while baking. When ready, bake for 20 or so minutes on the middle rack until crispy, pink and cooked through. Depending on the size of shrimp you use, keep a watchful eye for over cooking and adjust timing accordingly.

For the White Beans with Greens:
-16oz. cannelli beans (either dried that have been soaked according to package directions or canned that have been rinsed & drained)
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-8 oz baby arugula, spinach, kale or any other hearty greens
-½ cup vegetable stock or water
-1-2 tbspn olive oil
-1-2 tbspn white wine (I used Sauv Blanc)
-Cracked pepper & sea salt to taste

Heat oil in bottom of sauté pan or wok over medium heat and add in garlic, cooking for a few minutes. Add in drained beans, white wine and stock or water & continue cooking a few more minutes until beans are heated through and liquid has cooked off a bit. Mix in greens & stir well to combine and wilt greens into the mix. Serve shrimp on top of beans with tartar sauce for dipping and a wedge of lemon for tartness.

Frogmore Stew

For those of you that are fans of the 90's sketch show The State, no, this does not have anything to do with Froggy Jamboree in a kiddie pool (and for those of you that have no idea what I'm talking about, never mind). In any event, this is one of my favorite simple meals. It's easy (one pot!), it's relaxed, and there's not a whole lot of technical work to prep it. It is definitely the kind of supper made for flannel shirts, old jeans and flip flops, and usually a good amount of story telling and beer, two of my favorite activities during meal time. Throw on some good classic soul music, and you've got a perfect night!

This is very similar to a low country boil which is popular in South Carolina and Georgia, with some slight alterations. It's a great dish to serve for a casual dinner party- I line the table w/ newspaper, put out a big roll of paper towels, a bunch of seafood picks, shell bowls and lots of cold good beer. Especially awesome if it's a warm enough night to eat outside!

Frogmore Stew

-2lbs. any combination of shrimp, clams*, mussels*, haddock, crab claws, or any firm fish that is fresh
-1lb. spicy cased sausage such as andouille, chorizo or linguisa cut into 2" pieces
-1/2 to 3/4lbs. small red potatoes halved
-2-3 sweet onions, quartered
-3 cloves of garlic, minced
-3-4 ears of corn, broken in half
-6-8oz. of decent beer (Newcastle, or Shipyard Export if you can get your hands on it!)
-Old Bay (lots, maybe 1/2 a cup or so? Adjust to your taste)
-Couple of shakes of hot sauce, to your taste
-Crusty loaf of french bread, toasted

Clean seafood accordingly (mussels/clams scrubbed and de-bearded and any with broken shells discarded, fish cut into 2" chunks, shrimp de-veined, etc.). In a large, wide pot lightly sautee garlic & sausage in a little olive oil (1 tbspn or so) until fat starts to render out of sausage and garlic is lightly colored. Add a large amount of water (enough to cover all ingredients once added, but not drown!), beer, hot sauce and Old Bay and bring to a boil. Toss in potatoes and cook for about 10 minutes. Add onion, cook another 10. Throw in corn and cook for 5 more minutes. Give the pot a stir and add in seafood, and keep a weather eye on it. If cooking a mixture of seafood, start with shellfish, add in whitefish and finish off with shrimp, with a few minutes in between each add in. When cooked clams & mussels will open naturally (discard any that do not open), fish will be opaque and shrimp will be curled and pink (about 6-12 minutes depending on what fish you use). Be careful not to overcook, otherwise seafood will turn rubbery. Serve family style out of the pot in the middle of the table with lots of bread for dipping.

-I also usually serve mine with a mustard-mayo dipping sauce with minced garlic & fresh parsley and lemon wedges, other great options are drawn butter or cocktail sauce.

*A note on selecting shellfish: When choosing fresh shellfish, have a chat w/ your fish monger to see what is fresh. Whenever possible, select those that are loose, not pre-bagged, as they are usually more fresh. To make sure that they are still alive and edible, tap the outside of the shell. If shellfish reacts & closes its shell, you're good to go.