| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 45 min |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup creamed corn
- 4 scallions, whites sliced, greens reserved
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup old-fashioned yellow grits
- 2 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated
- 2 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 quart neutral oil, for deep-frying
- One 18-ounce package frozen popcorn shrimp
- Cajun Butter, recipe follows
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add the corn and scallion whites and saute for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup water. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth. Add the stock and milk and bring to a simmer.
- Slowly rain in the grits while whisking vigorously. Bring to a simmer and keep at a light simmer while stirring constantly, about 15 minutes. Add the cheese and remaining 2 tablespoons butter and whisk until smooth. If the grits are too tight, add a bit more water to loosen them up. Season to taste.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot until a deep-frying thermometer registers 350 degrees F. Fry the shrimp until crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Toss the hot crispy shrimp with the warm Cajun Butter. Spoon the shrimp over bowls of grits with some of the butter. Slice the reserved scallion greens very thinly on the bias and sprinkle on top.
- Mix the paprika, sugar, cayenne, celery seed, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Put the spice mixture in the skillet and toast to waken up the flavors, about 3 minutes. Add the butter and melt until foamy.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 1751 |
| Total Fat | 170 g |
| Saturated Fat | 25 g |
| Carbohydrates | 33 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 28 g |
| Cholesterol | 202 mg |
| Sodium | 1051 mg |
Reviews
Hubby and I loved this. The only thing I changed is that I sautéed shrimp I already had on hand in the cajun butter rather than buying popcorn shrimp.
We loved this recipe! We like rustic preparations so roasted corn on the cob and cut it off the cob instead of cream corn and did not do the immersion blender step. We really enjoyed the texture in the grits and seeing the different components in the grits. FANTASTIC FLAVORS!
Absolutely delicious! Just enough heat, super creamy grits and the cajun butter was the ‘icing on the cake’! Definitely making this again!
This was amazing. After watching the episode, I was intrigued. I never really had grits before, so I was nervous, but these have so much extra flavor. I also airfried my shrimp. (On tv, Jeff baked his). We all went back for seconds.
I loved watching Food Network make this today. I will try this for a special cold weather meal. Looks delicious.
Great recipe! Hit that Cajun craving. Next time plan to top it with some Parmesan in addition to the cheese in it. Very filling!
I made this tonight for my skeptical husband and teenage son. They both loved it. My husband had two bowls of it. I cooked my popcorn shrimp in the air fryer before tossing it in the Cajun butter. It was a delicious meal. Would definitely make again.
This was an experience since I had never eaten grits (nor polenta)! The shrimp and grits were nicely spiced, with the little kick the Cajun butter added to the shrimp. The recipe is relatively simple, but getting all the steps – frying the shrimp, preparing the polenta, etc., all seem to need to be done at the same time.
It was worth the effort. My wife has almost always had a negative response to grits in any recipe. This one has won her over – she went back for seconds!
It was worth the effort. My wife has almost always had a negative response to grits in any recipe. This one has won her over – she went back for seconds!
Wish I had read the previous comment before I made this dish. Some really good ideas there. I usually don’t like to tweak a recipe the first time I make it but this had some items in it I’m not fond of but it also seemed reasonably simple to make. The grits were yummy. I loved the addition of the creamed corn and actually thought there was not enough in it. I did not put it in the blender because I like the idea of a little “chew” to it. I also halved the recipe because there was just the two of us. This recipe halved very nicely. Instead of pepper jack cheese I used mozzarella because I am not fond of pepper jack. And I also only had instant grits on hand but they worked just fine. I also am not fond of popcorn shrimp and I felt like this took a little away from the dish. Frozen popcorn shrimp tends to be over-breaded. At least frying it made it a little more crispy, if not more healthy. I liked the idea of sauteeing fresh shrimp in the cajun butter. Would have elevated the dish perfectly. The cajun butter was great but very spicy. I might have cut the amount of smoked paprika back a bit or the cayenne. Wish I had noticed those lemon slices in the picture. That would have been a nice touch also.
Loved this dish! It was even better on day 2! I used a Cajun spice mix I purchased in New Orleans and homemade creamed corn. Will make this again and again