Well, here it is! The first recipe!

Voilá! The finished product! Bon appetit!

When I first posted this photo on Facebook, it received a huge response. I knew it had to be the first one posted to this blog.

The recipe, instructions and a bunch of additional photos are all here for you to get started and enjoy a fabulous but easy southern favorite. Please let us know what you think.

So let’s get started!

Lemon-Garlic Shrimp and Grits

Gather your ingredients…
3/4    cup instant grits
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4    cup grated Parmesan cheese
3    tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4    pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact
2    large cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Juice of 1/2 lemon, plus wedges for serving
2    tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley

So your kitchen island should look something like this…

Let’s talk about a couple of prep tips.  A garlic press and a hand held lemon juicer come in handy for quick prep work and easy clean up.  If your tool inventory does not include these items, then that’s OK but believe me it is worth a trip to your local kitchen supply store.  You can certainly chop the garlic and squeeze the lemons by hand, but my love for cooking started with my purchase of a few inexpensive kitchen tools that make my life in the kitchen a whole lot easier.

Pressing the Garlic…

Using a cool tool for the lemon juice!

Okay, here we go…

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Stir the grits…

1.    FIRST THE GRITS: Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a covered medium saucepan over high heat. Uncover and slowly whisk in the grits, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the Parmesan and 1 tablespoon butter. You may find the consistency is too thick for your liking.  If so, add a little water and whisk.  Keep adding a little water until the grits reach the consistency you desire.  I like mine a little soupy.  Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

The shrimp, peeled and peppered.

2.    NOW THE SHRIMP: Meanwhile, prepare your shrimp.  I occasionally make this dish on a weeknight which means I have less time to peel and de-vein the shrimp. So, I sometimes purchase the frozen ones that have already been de-veined.  (This makes life a lot easier, folks!)  I pull them out of the freezer when I arrive home; throw them in a colander and run them under cold water for about 5 minutes.  That gives me enough time to change into a pair of jeans and pour a glass of Pinot Gris.

Once the shrimp are thawed, peel them and season them with a pinch of salt and pepper.

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Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic and cayenne, and cook, tossing until the shrimp are pink, which usually takes about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add 2 tablespoons of water, the lemon juice and the parsley.  Stir to coat the shrimp with the sauce and season with salt and pepper.

Sauteé the shrimp..

Add the garlic…

Stir – with some enthusiasm!

Almost ready!

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3.    PLATE IT UP: Divide the grits among shallow bowls and top with the shrimp.

Spoon the grits into your bowls.

11. Add the shrimp…

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4.   Don’t worry! We are not leaving that liquid gold in the pan.  Now, spoon the pan drippings over the shrimp.

13. Spoon the sauce

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Presentation is everything guys! Even if you are eating alone, make your dish beautiful.  Your eyes see it before your tummy sees it.  If you drip some sauce on that bowl, wipe it off. Serve your masterpiece with lemon wedges.

Voilá! The finished product! Bon appetit!