A recipe to delight – the creamiest of grits, topped with sweet succulent shrimp tossed among red pepper and onion slices with some heat from the butter and to cut through that richness some pickled celery.  Inspired by one of the best meals in Nashville and adapted by this northern girl , who can’t find okra so easily out of season but celery is a good fill in and using some sriracha for heat since it’s a condiment of the moment to add the right amount of heat to the dish. Enjoy.

From by the bay, wishing you a shrimp and grits food memory!

Maryann

Spicy Pickled Celery

Food 52 by vrunka • March 13, 2012

1 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 tablespoon cracked peppercorns
8 large celery stalks, peeled and cut into pieces (see note)

Directions

Bring the vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir until sugar and salt are dissolved. Remove from heat and add garlic, mustard seed, peppercorns, chili flakes. Place the celery pieces in a large bowl (preferably glass or ceramic) and pour the vinegar mixture over it. Stir to combine spices. Make sure all the pieces are submerged in the brine. Allow to cool completely (at least a couple hours) before serving. If you would like to make longer stalks into pickles, you can cut them to the length of the tallest wide-mouthed Mason jar you have. Stand them upright in the jar and pour the brine over them. Cover tightly. As the pickles cool, you may have to shake the jar (carefully!) to distribute the spices and brine

Shrimp and Grits Northern Style with Pickled Celery

Adapted from Nashville Chef’s Table by Stephanie Stewart-Howard recipe from Sunset Grill

Serves 6

Ingredients

For Grits

• 1/2 quart chicken stock
• 1/2 quart heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• pinch of fresh ground black pepper
• 1 cup grts
• 1/4 pound shredded white cheddar cheese

For the flavored butter

• 1 pound butter, melted
• 1/4 cup sriracha sauce ( or tabasco)
• 1 teaspoon honey

For the shrimp

• 1 1/2 pound of shrimp
• 1 1/2 cup sliced red bell peppers
• 1 1/2 cup sliced sweet onion
• 2 tablespoons canola oil to saute

Directions

To make the grits

Heat all the ingredients except the grits and cheese in a pan on the stove. Turn the heat to low and then add the grits. Stir frequently until soft, about 30 minutes, then add the cheese.

To make the hot butter

Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly.

To prepare the shrimp and assemble dish

In large saute pan, heat the oil and add the bell peppers and onions. Saute until starts to soften. Add shrimp and cook 1/2 way, add the butter and continue to cook until shrimp is done. The shrimp should be pink and no longer translucent. Serve over grits and garnish with pickled celery.