Blend
by: Genius Recipes
March28,2022
5
6 Ratings
- Prep time 20 minutes
- Cook time 35 minutes
- Serves 6
Jump to Recipe
Author Notes
Like many of the recipes in The Gift of Southern Cooking, this recipe is a little bit Scott Peaco*ck and a little bit Edna Lewis. Stirred through the creamy grits, the shrimp paste goes further than a few pretty prawns piled on top ever could, pervading every spoonful with the pure essence of shrimp at its best and most seductive. The shrimp paste also makes a lovely spread for crackers and all-purpose flavor enhancer (just imagine stirring it into risotto, saucing fish, or filling tea sandwiches with it). —Genius Recipes
- Test Kitchen-Approved
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- Shrimp Paste
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
- 1 poundshrimp, peeled and deveined (Scott Peaco*ck likes small, sweet ones like gulf shrimp, but get whatever is freshest)
- 1/2 teaspoonkosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cupsherry
- 2 tablespoonsfresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspooncayenne pepper
- Shrimp Grits
- 2 cups(or more) milk
- 2 cups(or more) water
- 1 cupstone-ground or regular grits
- 1/4 cupheavy cream
- 2 tablespoonsunsalted butter
- Kosher salt
Directions
- Shrimp Paste
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 6 tablespoons of the butter until hot and foaming. Add the shrimp, salt, and black pepper and cook over high heat, stirring often, for 4 to 7 minutes, until the shrimp are pink and just cooked through.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the shrimp to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment.
- Return the skillet to the stove. Cook the sherry, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper over high heat until the liquid in the skillet is reduced to approximately 3 tablespoons and is quite syrupy. Immediately add the sherry mixture to the shrimp in the food processor. Process until the shrimp are thoroughly puréed.
- With the motor running, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of the butter in pieces and process until thoroughly blended. Turn the food processor off and carefully taste the paste for seasoning, adding more salt, black pepper, sherry, lemon juice, or cayenne pepper as needed. Transfer the shrimp paste to a ceramic crock and let cool completely.
- Do Ahead: The shrimp paste can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Let come to room temperature before serving. If it's still too dry to spread, work in some softened butter and salt to taste until the paste is spreadable.
- Shrimp Grits
- In a medium heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the milk and water until just simmering.
- While the milk and water are heating, put the grits in a large bowl and cover with cool water. (If you're using regular grits, skip this step.) Stir the grits assertively so that the chaff floats to the top. Carefully skim the surface of the grits to remove the chaff. Drain the grits through a fine-mesh strainer. Stir the grits into the simmering milk and water. Cook, stirring often, until the grits are tender to the bite and have thickened to the consistency of thick oatmeal. Regular grits are done in about 20 minutes, but stone-ground grits require 1 hour or a little more to cook, and you will have to add additional milk and water as needed. As the grits thicken, stir more often to keep from sticking and scorching.
- Stir in the cream and butter; season generously with salt. Remove from the heat and let rest, covered, until ready to serve. If the grits become too thick as they cool, reheat, stirring in a little extra water or milk to thin.
- Top the grits with a generous dollop of the shrimp paste. Scott Peaco*ck likes to stir it in thoroughly, then let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes for the flavors to get to know each other. For every cup of grits, stir in about ¼ cup or more of the shrimp paste, and sprinkle some chopped fresh chives on top, if you like. Serve as an appetizer, a supper dish with buttered toast, or a savory side dish.
Tags:
- Southern
- Seafood
- Milk/Cream
- Lemon Juice
- Grains
- Sherry
- Shrimp
- Blend
- Serves a Crowd
- Simmer
- Entree
- Breakfast
See what other Food52ers are saying.
-
cathy
-
Annie stader
-
Karin Ward
-
Jim Garrett
Recipe by: Genius Recipes
Popular on Food52
19 Reviews
cathy February 9, 2021
Amazing and flexible to use the rest of the week. On toast! on pasta! on crackers!
indykath December 28, 2018
What a wonderfully comforting food. Perfect as it is!
beejay45 July 12, 2017
If it wouldn't gild the lily to much, I'd spread this in a sheet pan and let it firm up, cut it into it into small squares and serve spoonfuls of shrimp etouffe over it for a deep South tapa. ;)))
Annie S. November 26, 2015
I have made this several times and love it. It is something I find myself craving. There is always leftover shrimp paste which is dynamite on Belgian endive ( or just good crackers).
tony A. June 4, 2015
What kind of sherry should be used?
Karin W. April 9, 2014
Mr. Garrett it sounds as if you have a few wonderful classic Southern recipes of your own that you might like to share. We are open to what you might like to share with everyone here. Cheers.
Jim G. April 8, 2014
I'm from South Carolina and have spent my life on the SC coast in every town and fishing village from Little River to Hilton Head. I am also well versed in Gullah and gheechie culture and cooking. I have never heard of, seen, or tasted shrimp paste. I think Mr. Peaco*ck misunderstood Ms. Lewis instructions and took liberty with a tried and true southern tradition. Seems to me he just took all of the ingredients, tossed it all together in the new food processor he just bought and proceeded to screw up a southern classic. What he was probably shooting for was a classic shrimp salad, chopped fine and spread on crusty bread or crackers.
beejay45 July 12, 2017
Seriously??? Seems you need to learn more about the decades-long place Edna Lewis has held in Souther cuisine AND the fact that she and Scott collaborated on these books. He wasn't an ignorant sous chef who somehow got his misconception included in the printed book. If you'll notice, the name of the recipe is "Shrimp Grits" not "Shrimp and Grits." Different things.
Melinda March 4, 2020
Also, Edna Lewis’s cooking roots were in Freetown, Virginia — not the South Carolina coast.
Karin W. December 2, 2013
Edna Lewis and Scott Peaco*ck are the best combination for recipes. You should see their recipe for macaroni and cheese. It is absolutely divine. Their recipes are very flavorful!
walkie74 July 27, 2013
I made the paste, but haven't tried making it with bacon. And we just ran out of butter... Gee, I guess I'll just have to fry up some bacon, chop it up and stir some of the fat into the paste... *dramatic sigh* my life is sooo difficult. ;)
giuia.grady June 26, 2012
I just made this and served it with some whole shrimp cooked in the pan with a bit of butter and the leftover juices from the shrimp paste recipe (just for something to chew on). This is absolutely AMAZING!!!
Big P. May 10, 2012
This is delicious, but I'm not quite convinced of the genius. IMHO, other recipes for sauteed shrimp over grits, especially those featuring bacon, are strong competitors.
hitpas April 24, 2012
I've made Shrimp and Grits for years - the other way. I've also owned The Gift of Southern Cooking since it was published. Had just sort of ignored that little suggestion on the grits page about stirring in shrimp paste. Suppose I've been prejudiced since childhood about the notion of shrimp PASTE. Well, thank you for removing the scales from my eyes. This is insanely delicious.
Louisa April 21, 2012
The Gift of Southern Cooking is one of my favorite cookbooks. I love their trembling tomato aspic, the fried chicken, angel biscuits and their version of the Lane Cake.
AnnieHynes April 20, 2012
This is Amazing! Just made it...wow!
Chubknee May 1, 2012
Hey chic, was just scrolling through comments before I log off and noticed you here. Funny. I knew that you also use Food52, but seeing your comment is a pleasant surprise. I just made these and am (not so) patiently waiting for Gary to get home to try them.
Chubknee May 1, 2012
Oops, forgot my user name is odd. This is Barbra.
jaz1311 April 20, 2012
My daughter makes this w/ bacon vinaigrette and it is awesome.
