Fresh Corn Grits with Shrimp & Roasted Pecan Butter

Another Easter weekend food tradition in our family is to eat shrimp and grits as a celebration of one of our favorite places- Charleston, South Carolina. The spring sunshine reminds me of how lovely it is there. It is a particularly special place for us because it’s where my husband and I met. ❤ Charleston is also an incredible food city.

I really like the story behind this amazing version. Apparently, it was created on Top Chef season 5 by Jeff McInnis, owner of Miami’s Yardbird restaurant. He was challenged to create a shrimp and grits dish without using grits. He made fresh corn “grits” using fresh corn, but, the best part was that he incorporated pecan butter in the grits because of a memory of eating fresh nut butter from his grandmother’s pecan tree. The fresh nut butter put this dish over the top. Delicious. I wish that I had the imagination to dream up a dish like this one.

This was my husband’s favorite shrimp and grits (thus far), and I’ve made quite a few versions. I pointed out that it may be because this dish didn’t actually have grits. 🙂 This recipe was adapted from Food and Wine, contributed by Jeff McInnis. I increased the amount of fresh corn in the grits and slightly increased the amount of prosciutto. Next time, I may reduce the amount of lager. I may increase the amount of grits as well- we wanted more!

Yield: Serves 4

For the Roasted Pecan Butter:

• 1 cup raw pecans
• 1/2 tsp canola oil
• coarse salt, to taste

For the Grits:

• 6 large ears of corn, shucked and coarsely grated on a box grater (2 cups pulp and juice)
• 1/4 cup milk, plus more for stirring/serving, as desired
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• roasted pecan butter (about 1/4 cup), directions below

For the Shrimp Sauté:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 to 4 ounces thinly sliced country ham or prosciutto, cut into strips
• 1/2 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 6 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels (from 2 ears)
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound shelled and deveined large shrimp
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup lager, to taste (I used 1 cup but may reduce it next time)
• lemon wedges, for serving, optional

Make the Roasted Pecan Butter:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, preferably on convection.
2. Roast the pecans about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant.
3. Process toasted pecans in a mini food processor with canola oil until smooth, about 2 minutes.
4. Season with salt to taste.

Make the Grits:

1. In a saucepan, simmer the grated corn and juices with the 1/4 cup of milk over moderate heat, stirring, until thick, 4 minutes.
2. Season with salt and pepper and fold in the pecan butter; keep warm.

Make the Shrimp Sauté:

1. In a large, deep skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter.
2. Add the prosciutto and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the onion, snap peas and corn, season with salt and pepper and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until they just begin to curl, about 3 minutes.
5. Add the lager and bring to a boil.
6. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are cooked through and the liquid is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.
7. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.

To Serve:

1. Whisk a little milk into the grits so it’s the consistency of polenta; heat until warm.
2. Spoon the grits into shallow bowls, top with the shrimp sauté and serve at once.
3. Serve with lemon wedges, as desired.

One Year Ago: Seared Scallops & Cauliflower Grits

Two Years Ago: Classic Shrimp & Grits

Three Years Ago: Shrimp with Fresh Corn Grits

Four Years Ago: Shrimp & Grits with Tomatoes

Five Years Ago: Hominy Grill’s Shrimp & Grits