Tex-Mex Shrimp & Grits
Not your normal southern shrimp & grits.
| Grits | |
| 3 cups | chicken stock |
| ¾ cup | quick cooking grits |
| 1½ cups | pepper jack cheese, grated |
| 1½ cups | queso blanco, grated |
| ½ cup | Mexican crema (use sour cream if you can’t find crema) |
| 2 tbl | butter |
| Shrimp | |
| 1 tbl | taco seasoning |
| 2 lbs | peeled & cleaned shrimp (large shrimp look good, smaller give a shrimp in each bite, your choice) |
| 2 tbl | butter |
| 1 tbl | olive oil |
| 8 oz | Mexican chorizo |
| 1 | onion, diced |
| 1 | jalapeño pepper, seeded & diced |
| ½ | poblano pepper, seeded & diced |
| 1 tbl | tomato paste |
| 1 | lime, juice only |
| salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish | |
| hot sauce, to taste | |
First make the grits: Bring 2¾ cups of the stock to a boil in a medium saucepan with a lid. Slowly stir in the grits. Return to a boil and cook over a medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn down the heat to low and stir in the pepper jack, queso blanco, and crema. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the butter, put the lid on the pot, and keep the grits warm.
Heat the remaining 2 cups chicken stock in a separate pot.
Now cook the shrimp. Sprinkle the shrimp with the taco seasoning. Add the butter and olive oil to a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Put the shrimp in the skillet and cook until they begin to turn pink, 1 to 2 minutes on each side, then remove and set aside. (The shrimp will finish cooking later in the sauce.)
Add the chorizo to the skillet and break it up with a spatula as it cooks. Add the onion and the peppers to the skillet, and season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until the chorizo is cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for an additional minute. Stir in the remaining stock and bring everything to a boil. Return the shrimp to the skillet with their juices. Cook until the shrimp are cooked through, an additional 2 minutes. Add the lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
To serve, add some grits to a bowl, spoon the shrimp and sauce over the grits, and garnish with the cilantro. Put some hot sauce on the table for those who like their shrimp & grits a little spicier.