Grits à Ya Ya (a.k.a. Shrimp and Grits)
Grits à Ya Ya, made famous by the Fish House in Pensacola, takes cheesy smoked Gouda grits and tops it with perfectly seasoned shrimp and a creamy spinach and mushroom sauce. As an added bonus, finish it with a garnish of fried carrot strings just like the Fish House does. It’s absolutely incredible, albeit a bit on the high calorie side!
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 950kcal
Ingredients
Fried Carrot Strings
- 1 large carrot peeled and shredded
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- Vegetable oil for frying
Smoked Gouda Grits
- 3 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth
- ¾ cup quick grits do not use instant grits
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese 4 ounces
Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Sauce, and Shrimp
- 8 slices bacon chopped
- 1 shallot minced (about 2 Tablespoons)
- 5 cloves garlic minced (about 1 Tablespoon)
- 2 Tablespoons dry white wine
- 1 pound large shrimp 16 to 20 peeled and deveined, with tails left on
- 2 cups fresh chopped spinach
- 1 cup chopped portobello mushrooms
- ¼ cup sliced green onions white and green parts
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Fried Carrot Strings
- Spread shredded carrots on paper towels; sprinkle on 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt. Toss to coat; allow to sit for 30 minutes. Gather paper towels; squeeze liquid from carrots. Fry in hot oil (375° F) for several minutes until lightly browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Set aside.
Smoked Gouda Grits
- Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Slowly add grits to boiling chicken broth, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; simmer until the grits are tender and thick, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add butter and shredded cheese; stir until cheese is melted and grits are smooth.
Creamy Spinach/Mushroom Sauce and Shrimp
- While the grits are cooking, cook bacon in a large, deep skillet over medium heat until the bacon fat is rendered, and the bacon is browned, about 10 minutes.
- Add the shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic; cook until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the white wine. Cook and stir for several minutes.
- Add the shrimp in a single layer to skillet; cook and stir until they are bright pink on both sides on the outside and the meat is no longer transparent in the center, about 3 minutes. Remove shrimp with slotted spoon.
- Stir in the spinach, mushrooms, and green onions. Cook and stir until the spinach wilts, about 2 minutes more.
- Stir in 1 cup heavy cream. Simmer until the sauce has thickened and reduced by about a third, about 10 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt, and pepper.
- Return the shrimp to the skillet to heat through.
- Place mound of Gouda grits on plate. Arrange shrimp around grits, and on spoon sauce. Garnish with fried carrot strings.
- Yield: 4 servings.
Nutrition
Calories: 950kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 68g | Saturated Fat: 36g | Cholesterol: 483mg | Sodium: 2579mg | Potassium: 771mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5540IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 703mg | Iron: 15.2mg