Shrimp and Grits Plated with Grit Cakes and Creole Sauce
Crisp grit cakes, grilled Gulf shrimp, a slice of grilled tomato, homemade Creole sauce, and garlic toast. The Search The Gulf plate tastes Southern and Creole.
This is the shrimp and grits plated with grit cakes and Creole sauce. Grits first. Sauce next. Shrimp last.
On Ono Island, I want shrimp and grits that hold a shape on the plate. Soft grits get chilled, cut, and seared into cakes. A thick tomato slice hits the grill. Gulf shrimp go in a hot pan. Homemade Creole sauce spoons around everything, creamy and a little sharp. Garlic toast on the side. That is Search The Gulf cooking.
For a simpler shrimp night, make my barbeque shrimp, Ono Island style. A thin slice of the caper butter I keep ready for fish on the toast is optional.
Chill the grits until they cut clean. Sear the cakes hard. Cook the shrimp last.
The shrimp and grits I plate with grit cakes and Creole sauce falls apart if the cakes are soft in the middle. Cold grits. Hot pan. That is the whole method.
Shrimp and grits plated with grit cakes and Creole sauce
About 1 hour active, plus chill time for the grits · Serves 2
Make the grits ahead if you can. The rest moves fast.
What I use
Grit cakes
1 cup stone-ground or quick grits · 3 cups water or chicken stock · 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt · 2 tablespoons butter · 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or sharp cheddar · olive oil for searing
Creole sauce
2 tablespoons butter · 1 tablespoon olive oil · 1/2 small onion, minced · 1/2 green bell pepper, minced · 1 celery stalk, minced · 2 garlic cloves, minced · 1 cup crushed tomatoes or tomato puree · 1/2 cup chicken stock or seafood stock · 1/2 cup cream or half-and-half · 1 teaspoon smoked paprika · 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder · 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste · kosher salt · black pepper · splash of lemon juice
Shrimp, tomatoes, toast
12 to 16 Gulf shrimp, peeled and deveined · olive oil · kosher salt · smoked paprika · garlic powder · 2 thick tomato slices · 2 thick slices good bread · butter or olive oil for toast · grated Parmesan and dried herbs to finish, optional
How I make the shrimp and grits I plate with grit cakes and Creole sauce
1. Cook, chill, and cut the grit cakes
Cook the grits in water or stock with salt until thick. Stir in butter and cheese. Spread into a greased small pan or dish about 3/4 inch thick. Chill until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight. Cut into 2 large rounds or squares. That is the base of the shrimp and grits I plate with grit cakes and Creole sauce.
2. Make the Creole sauce
Soft the onion, bell pepper, and celery in butter and olive oil. Add garlic for 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, stock, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Simmer 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the cream. Keep it pourable. Finish with a splash of lemon. Taste. It should be creamy, not pasty.
3. Sear cakes, grill tomatoes, cook shrimp, toast the bread
Hot skillet with a little oil. Sear the grit cakes until deep gold on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Keep warm. Oil and salt the tomato slices. Grill or sear until marked, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Toss shrimp with oil, salt, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. Cook in a hot pan 1 to 2 minutes per side until just pink. Butter or oil the bread and toast until crisp.
4. Plate
Spoon Creole sauce onto warm plates. Set the grit cakes on top. Add a grilled tomato slice on each cake. Nestle the shrimp in the sauce. Garlic toast on the sides. A light shower of Parmesan and herbs if you want the plate to look finished. Serve the shrimp and grits I plate with grit cakes and Creole sauce right away.
“This is the shrimp and grits I plate with grit cakes and Creole sauce. Cold grits. Hot pan. Shrimp last.”
Keep the plate. Change one piece.
No cream? Use more stock and finish with a spoon of butter. No grill for the tomatoes? A hot cast-iron sear still works. For another Gulf shrimp night, go back to barbeque shrimp, Ono Island style.
A kitchen that can hold a shrimp dinner and a quiet table is not a small detail.
When I walk a house on Ono Island, I look at the path from counter to table. If you are thinking about a home here, call or text me. Search The Gulf is how I show this life.
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Questions I Get
Shrimp and grits, answered simply
Click a question to open the answer.
Can I make the grit cakes ahead?
Yes. Chill overnight. Sear when you are ready to plate the shrimp and grits I plate with grit cakes and Creole sauce.
Quick grits or stone-ground?
Either. Stone-ground tastes better. Quick grits still cake if you chill them firm.
How spicy is the Creole sauce?
Mild as written. Add cayenne only if you want heat. Smoked paprika and garlic powder do most of the work.
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