BBQ Low Country Shrimp and Cheddar Jalapeno Grits with Peaches - Recipe

BBQ Low Country Shrimp and Cheddar Jalapeno Grits with Peaches

Low Country cuisine usually is reserved for South Carolina and Georgia coastal cuisines. The landscape was particular for its inhospitable geography with clogged estuaries and deadly swamps, and if it wasn’t for the African slaves brought from Western Africa, the land would still be untamed. With their arrival in the region, swamps were turned into rice fields and every piece and morsel of animal, amphibian, and fish were scienced until they became the delectable details of a very particular American cuisine. Now, low country cuisine lives on from the Gullah peoples and others in the region who broke ground and created something great out of virtually nothing.

Hats off and forever props to them!

My recipe came from an eating experience at Tautog’s Restaurant in Virginia Beach. Unlike many of the establishments in VaBeach, this place is slightly off the tourist map and is a major local hangout. Lucky for me, I have been to VaBeach so many times that I get invited to many a dinner when I’m there, usually at Tautogs. When I had their version of low country shrimp and grits with BBQ sauce and peaches, I knew this was something I could remake.

And remake it I did with 1000% success on the first try.

I’ve since made it about a dozen times tweaking it here and there. Like most southern recipes, it’s not about physical measurement, but about the eyeball and the taste test. I’ll provide the recipe, but use your own judgement. This recipe is hard to mess up, but if you do mess it up, do it spectacularly.

Here’s my recipe.

BBQ Low Country Shrimp and Cheddar Jalapeno Grits with Peaches

Author: Living Dangerously

Duration: 50 minutes

Average Cost PP: $7.00 US

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Olive oil

Salt

12 Medium Shrimp (raw)

2 Cups Bob’s Red Mill Grits

1 cup shredded cheddar

Bunch green onions

5 Ounces favorite BBQ Sauce (10 tbs)

2 fresh peaches (or can of peaches if not in season) Cut into slices.

2 pieces cooked and diced bacon, prosciutto, or Spanish Chorizo (Optional)

4 pickled jalapeno slices and 3 tablespoons of juice (optional)

Directions:

Shell shrimp and devein. Place shells in two cups of water and simmer for 30 minutes to create a stock. Do not add Old Bay seasoning, but do add salt to taste.

Chop green onions, separating white pieces from green pieces.

Once shrimp stock is cooked, remove shells, add water as needed for directions and begin cooking grits. Stir several times a minute to ensure that the grits will become creamy. Add butter if necessary, but the BBQ sauce might make it unnecessary. Still, butter is a food group so do what you feel is right.

On ridged grill pan or on grill, (I prefer a grill pan on the stove so I can see everything at once) cook peaches until wilted and char marks on both sides. Set aside. If using canned peaches, reserve some of the juice and add to the BBQ sauce.

Butterfly shrimp and begin cooking in pan with olive oil over low heat. When half cooked, turn over and add peaches, white parts of onions, and BBQ sauce. Continue cooking on low. The BBQ sauce should begin to caramelize.

When grits are almost done by directions, add cheddar cheese and stir frequently. Add optional jalapeno juice now if desired. Ensure that there is enough liquid for the grits to create the requisite delicate texture.

Once grits are finished, serve into four bowls. Add 4 pieces of shrimp per bowl along with an equal amount of peaches, and white parts of cooked onions and BBQ sauce.

Serve each dish with a handful of chives (green parts of green onions), a single pickled jalapeno on top, and optional diced pork products.

When eating, after photographing, Facebooking, Instagramming, and Tweeting, dig fork through the middle to combine all ingredients for each taste.

I’ve had this with and without the pork. I honestly like it without the pork, only because chorizo and other products can so overwhelm the relative delicate taste of the shrimp. The best flavor is when the shrimp is the king, with everything else as an accompaniment.