Executive Chef Gregg McCarthy (The Grand Marlin, Pensacola, Florida)
Serves 4
I found the most wonderful grits for this recipe by accident. My wife and I were at a local festival in Pensacola, Florida, and heard this odd sound around the corner. We went over to investigate the noise, and, much to my delight, it was a local couple who had an old stone-wheel grinder and were milling grits. I went home and cooked the grits, and they were absolutely the freshest tasting grits that I ever had. They have a great buttery corn flavor. You really do not need to add too much to them, but, of course, I do.
1 quart (4 cups) water
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter
2 ounces heavy cream
1¼ pounds C & D Mill grits
5 ounces Boursin® cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 ounce olive oil
1 pound andouille sausage
¼ cup chopped garlic
1 large onion, diced
1 large green pepper, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
1 cup white wine
4 (16 oz.) cans chopped tomatoes (see Chef’s Tips on tomato concasse, this page)
8 ounces chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon each dried thyme, dried basil, and sugar
1½ ounces dark roux (see Note on this page)
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon red chile flakes
¼ ounce Tabasco® sauce
1 ounce Worcestershire sauce
3½ ounces chipotle chiles, finely chopped
¼ cup Old Bay® seasoning
1 tablespoon blackening seasoning
¼ cup finely minced garlic
2½ cups canola oil
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bunch fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
20 jumbo fresh Gulf shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
1 bunch scallions, chopped, for garnish
Bring water, butter, and cream to a boil. While stirring, slowly add grits. When all the water is absorbed and the grits are thick, add cheeses, salt, and pepper.
Heat oil and brown the sausages until the fat is rendered out. Remove the sausages from the pan and reserve. Sauté garlic in the rendered fat until golden brown. Add fresh vegetables, and sauté for 10 minutes. Add white wine, and reduce until almost dry. Put the browned sausages back into the pan, and add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Yields 3 quarts.
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Pour 2 cups of marinade into a separate bowl and add shrimp. Marinate for 1 to 2 hours. Store the remaining marinade for 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator or for 3 months in the freezer. Yields enough marinade for 5 pounds of shrimp.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Remove the shrimp from the marinade, and sauté until just cooked through (approximately 7 to 9 minutes). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat.
Place 6 ounces of stew in the bottom of a bowl; spoon the grits in the center of the stew. Place the shrimp around the grits in an even pattern. Top with scallions and serve immediately.
To Make a Dark Roux
Using equal parts liquid fat (oil or melted butter) and all-purpose flour, melt butter in a sauté pan over low heat. Whisk in the all-purpose flour; while continuously whisking, the flour begins to color from white to blonde to brown to dark (approximately 8 to 10 minutes). Dark roux will smell nutty and look like a dark peanut butter. Immediately pour the hot dark roux into a heat-proof bowl and set aside.