Shrimp and Grit Cakes with Carolina Creole Sauce

I've been reformed...or reborn...remember way back when, I had the audacity to say...I don't like slow cooked grits, well I was so...so...wrong!

I need to send a thank you and shout-out to the wonderful people at Carolina Creole for snapping me out of my grit fog!

Just think, if Carolina Creole didn't send me some of their great products for recipe development...I would still be living a slow cooked, grit free life...!

O.K. people, the key to creamy grits is the first 2 minutes of cooking them. Bring seasonings, butter, cream, broth, and water to a boil.

Slowly...I mean...slowly whisk in the grits and keep whisking for about 2 minutes to pop open those grits.

Cover grits with a lid, reduce heat to low and stir occasionally to prevent the grits from sticking to the pot. Also if you need more liquid to thin grits, add more broth.

After about 30 minutes, add some hot sauce and cheese and whisk well.

Creamy grit central people...I am not going to lie to ya! I started eating the grits out the pot...I couldn't stop...yes...they tasted that good! 

Now, you could stop here and just saute your shrimp, heat up the Carolina Creole Sauce...But I wanted to take it to another level people...YES...let's fry the grits!

After 4 hours of set up time...you can also set up overnight...I used a biscuit cutter and made circles out of my grits. If you don't have a biscuit cutter, use a lid top...it works...

Next, set up a dredging station with panko, eggs, and flour...all seasoned of course. Then do the 1,2,3...Grit cake into flour, dusted off, next eggs, then panko and don't forget to press the panko into the grit cake...

Then fry these babies up and look at the crispiness happening...thanks to the panko!

I wanted to keep the shrimp simple, I seasoned them with some spices and cooked them in olive oil and a little butter...that's it!

Now it's assembly time...don't forget you can make the grit cakes in advance then reheat in the oven prior to serving...don't top with the sauce until you're ready to serve...you don't want to lose the crunch people!

Yes...please...just yummy...I am one happy camper...or one happy Creole...my family loved this dish...my Baby Girl had to go vegetarian again, she's allergic to seafood...

Well, Big Goo and I was in food heaven...the plump juicy shrimp, perfectly seasoned, crunchy grit cakes, and the Carolina Creole sauce was perfect!

What more could a gal ask for people...Eat Up!

Note: I had to come back and say something else...PLEASE give more than one shrimp...if you want to keep the peace...I used only one shrimp for a dramatic picture...after I took the picture, Big Goo and I loaded our plates with shrimp! 
 
Shrimp and Grit Cakes with Carolina Creole Sauce

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes plus grit set up time
Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 jar Carolina Creole Sauce
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 tablespoon Tabasco
1 teaspoon creole seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
pinch of cayenne pepper
extra virgin olive oil

For the Grits

1 cup Carolina Creole Grits
3 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of water
1 stick of butter
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon creole seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup jack cheese, grated
a few dashes of hot sauce 

For the Grit Dredging Station:
2 cups panko bread crumbs
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon creole seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 cups cooking oil

Directions:

To prepare the grits, heat all the liquid ingredients in a stock pot over high heat, add butter and seasonings, when mixture comes to a boil, slowly stir in grits, while whisking non stop for 2 minutes, reduce heat to low, cover grits and cook stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes.

Add extra broth to thin grits if needed. Stir in cheeses and hot sauce whisk well. Pour grits into a buttered casserole dish, cover and refrigerate until set about 4  hours or overnight if desired.


Prepare the grit dredging station by putting flour, panko, and eggs into separate bowls, mix seasoning blend and divide between the three bowls and mix well.

Using a 2 inch biscuit cutter or a jar lid, cut out circles into the grits. Place in flour, coat well, shaking off excess flour, place in egg, coat well, place in seasoned panko and press down to get a good coverage, repeat with all the grit cakes.

Heat about 1 cup of oil in a skillet over medium heat, place around 3 or 4 grits cakes in the hot oil at a time and cook about 2-3 minutes per side until nice and golden brown, remove from heat and sat aside.

The grit cakes can be made a day ahead of time and reheated in the oven at 350 degrees until crispy.

To prepare shrimp, rinse, peel, devein, and season with all the seasonings, mix well. Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and butter to a skillet over medium heat, cook shrimp about 3-4 minutes per side, depending on size of shrimp used.

To assemble dish, heat the Carolina Creole Sauce in a stock pot over medium heat, add hot sauce and heat until warmed.

Place a couple tablespoons of Creole Sauce on the bottom of plate, top with a grit cake, more Creole sauce, top with another grit cake, top with Shrimp and more sauce if desired, garnish with green onions and serve immediately.