# Mushroom-shrimp infused blue grits & shrimp and mushroom gravy



## dirtsailor2003 (Mar 3, 2016)

This is definitely not your traditional traditional grits and shrimp recipe. Also made HalfSmoked's sweet potato biscuits:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...to-pie-and-sweet-potato-biscuits#post_1533862

I will post the base recipe below. What I did different is that I infused my homemade chicken stock (4 cups) with mushroom trimmings and the the shells from the shrimp. To do this I added all the shells and the about a cup of trimmings from the mushrooms to my stock. I also added a dash or two of old bay seasoning. I brought the stock to a simmer and let that go for 30 minutes. Strained out the mushroom trimmings and  shells from the stock. 1 cup of stock for the gravy, 3 cups stock for the grits.

For the grits:

5 cups liquid (I used 3 cups infused stock, and 2 cups whole milk)

1 1/4 cup stone ground grits

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon butter

For the shrimp:

1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp

1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

1 lemon, cut in half

1/4 teaspooon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cornstarch

For the gravy:

6 slices bacon, diced

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, diced

2 cups shopped crimini mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade Kosher salt, to taste Thinly sliced green onions, or chives for garnish

For the grits, bring liquid to a gentle boil in a heavy sauce pan or dutch oven. Add grits and reduce heat to medium low. Whisk occasionally at first, then whisk more frequently as the grits begin to thicken, watching carefully to make sure the bottom of the pot does not scald. Cook until the grits are thick and creamy, about an hour to hour and half. Add salt and butter, adjusting to personal taste. Meanwhile, prepare the shrimp and gravy.

For the shrimp, sprinkle them with Old Bay seasoning, baking soda & corn starch. Refrigerate for 30 minutes min, up to 1 hour. When ready to saute squeeze 1/2 lemon on shrimp.

For the gravy, heat a large cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Cook until bacon is brown and almost crispy (but not quite). Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Drain all of the bacon grease except for 2 tablespoons. Lower the heat to medium, add the shrimp (in batches if necessary) and saute, flipping once, until pink and cooked through, approximately 3 - 5 minutes. Remove shrimp with their cooking liquids. Squeeze with the juice of the remaining lemon half and set aside.

Heat the butter in the same pan over medium to medium-high until melted. Add onions, mushrooms and saute until tender, about seven minutes. Throw in garlic and cook for another minute. Sprinkle flour over the onions and cook until it is absorbed, about 1 more minute. Add wine and reduce until the mixture is thickened. Add chicken stock and continue cooking until the gravy reaches your desired consistency, about 5 minutes. Season with kosher salt, to taste. Return the bacon and shrimp with its juices to the pan and reheat shrimp. Adjust seasoning as necessary.

To serve, spoon the grits into bowls. Pour shrimp and gravy on top and garnish with sliced green onions or chives.


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## dirtsailor2003 (Mar 3, 2016)

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## SmokinAl (Mar 3, 2016)

OMG Case!

That sounds absolutely delicious!

I have to make this!

I love all the ingredients, they are all favorite things we eat.

Why not put them all together.

Awesome!

POINTS for sharing this incredible recipe!

Al


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## dirtsailor2003 (Mar 3, 2016)

SmokinAl said:


> OMG Case!
> 
> That sounds absolutely delicious!
> 
> ...



Thanks Al! My wife said it was the best grits and shrimp she's ever had. One thing I will change is the mushroom infusion. It completely overpowered the shrimp in the stock. Next time I will use less mushrooms in the stock when doing the infusion step. 

The lemon on the shrimp was a nice addition. Wasn't sure how it would be with everything but it was really nice. 

We were thinking the fennel, tarragon, or celery seed would be a nice addition to the dish too. We'll be experimenting with that next time around.


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## SmokinAl (Mar 3, 2016)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> Thanks Al! My wife said it was the best grits and shrimp she's ever had. One thing I will change is the mushroom infusion. It completely overpowered the shrimp in the stock. Next time I will use less mushrooms in the stock when doing the infusion step.
> 
> The lemon on the shrimp was a nice addition. Wasn't sure how it would be with everything but it was really nice.
> 
> We were thinking the fennel, tarragon, or celery seed would be a nice addition to the dish too. We'll be experimenting with that next time around.


We have shrimp & grits all the time, but we just blacken the shrimp, with Cajun seasoning and put them on top of the grits. Wonder how blackened shrimp would work with you recipe?

Al


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## tropics (Mar 3, 2016)

Case it looks good the Mushroom gravy, sounds like it would work with the grits.Points

Richie


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## dirtsailor2003 (Mar 3, 2016)

SmokinAl said:


> We have shrimp & grits all the time, but we just blacken the shrimp, with Cajun seasoning and put them on top of the grits. Wonder how blackened shrimp would work with you recipe?
> 
> Al



The element of heat would be good. I have another recipe that is more of a spicy version. I'll make next week and post it up.


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## dirtsailor2003 (Mar 3, 2016)

tropics said:


> Case it looks good the Mushroom gravy, sounds like it would work with the grits.Points
> Richie



Thanks Richie! It's good stuff. Everything pairs very nicely.


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## chef jimmyj (Mar 3, 2016)

Looks good. Bit of a jarring color palate on the plate but still fun...JJ


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## dirtsailor2003 (Mar 3, 2016)

Chef JimmyJ said:


> Looks good. Bit of a jarring color palate on the plate but still fun...JJ



Yeah this was a tough one to photograph!


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## HalfSmoked (Mar 4, 2016)

Looks great glad you liked the biscuits. Be sure and try the pie.


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## dirtsailor2003 (Mar 4, 2016)

HalfSmoked said:


> Looks great glad you liked the biscuits. Be sure and try the pie.


Thak you!  Yes I am sure that y wife will make the sweet potato pie. That's her department, I don't do crust!


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## HalfSmoked (Mar 4, 2016)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> HalfSmoked said:
> 
> 
> > Looks great glad you liked the biscuits. Be sure and try the pie.
> ...


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## chewmeister (Mar 5, 2016)

Looks tasty, Case. Nice!


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## WaterinHoleBrew (Mar 5, 2016)

Looks awesome Case, very nice !    Thumbs Up


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## dirtsailor2003 (Mar 5, 2016)

chewmeister said:


> Looks tasty, Case. Nice!



Thank you!


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## dirtsailor2003 (Mar 5, 2016)

WaterinHoleBrew said:


> Looks awesome Case, very nice !    Thumbs Up



Thank you Justin! Good to see ya around!


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