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Food

Shrimp Grits with Pickled Jalapeño and Corn Powder Recipe

It's your basic Cajun astronaut comfort food, served up from one of the most innovative chefs in the world.
Shrimp Grits with Pickled Jalapeno and Corn Powder Recipe

"It's not bad! If you like shrimp, it's kind of fun. I think it's well-balanced."

Servings: 2
Prep: 25 minutes
Total: 25 minutes

Ingredients

for the shrimp grits:

2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
kosher salt and cayenne pepper, to taste

for the pickled jalapeño:

½ cup vinegar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 jalapeño, thinly sliced

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for the corn powder:

1 cup freeze-dried corn

for serving:

1-2 cups shrimp "grits"
1 ⅔ cups homemade or watered-down vegetable stock
½ cup corn powder
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2-3 jalapeño slices, cut into quarters
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 large egg (optional)

Directions

  1. For the shrimp grits, in a meat grinder, grind shrimp on fine die. If you don't have a meat grinder, you can try chopping the shrimp up as finely as possible, though you might not fool your guests. Clean and dry grinder and parts (you will need it again later).

  1. In a large sauté pan with sides over a medium flame, add butter. Once foamy, add shrimp. Season with salt and cayenne. Using a wooden spoon, cook shrimp, stirring constantly. The shrimp will clump together somewhat, but that's okay. Shrimp will take approximately 10 minutes to cook through. Once cooked through, re-grind two more times. Place in a bowl over ice and stir to cool.

  1. For the pickled jalapeño, bring 2/3 cup water, vinegar, sugar and salt to a boil and pour over sliced jalapeños. Allow to sit overnight.

  1. For the corn powder, grind corn in blender to a fine powder. Sift and store in an airtight container. This will yield more than you need but it is difficult to effectively grind less.

  1. To serve, in a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add shrimp, stock, and corn. Whisk for 2-3 minutes to thicken the mixture slightly. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Fold in the butter and scallions. Place into 4 bowls. Scatter jalapeños over each dish, and top with a fried egg if you wish.

From How-To: Make Shrimp Grits with Wylie Dufresne