Recipe provided by Karl Nieberlein
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
4 Strips thick cut hickory smoked bacon
20 Jumbo raw shrimps peeled with tails on. (just over a pound)
½ cup Demitri’s Classic Recipe (substitute ¼ cup of the total ½ cup with Demitri’s Chilies & Peppers if you want it spicy).
4 Tablespoons tomato paste
Juice of half a lemon (approximately ¼ cup)
Zest of half a lemon
4 Green onions, sliced thin and divide the whites from the greens
2 Tbs good olive oil
1 cup quick grits
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, more if you like your grits extra cheesy
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl combine Demitri’s Bloody Mary Mix, lemon juice, lemon zest, onion white portions and olive oil.
Clean and peel shrimps leaving tails on and toss in bowl with Bloody Mary mixture. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile dice Bacon into lardons and render over medium heat in a non-stick skillet until just until it starts to brown and the fat renders. Do not overcook as is it will be returned to the pan later. Reserve the browned bacon lardons and 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat, discard the rest. Wipe the pan out.
In a saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil and add the quick grits. Simmer per package instructions until done. Stir in the cheddar cheese and cover
Heat the skillet over medium high heat and add all the shrimp mixture and bacon lardons. Stir in the tomato paste. Cook the shrimps on one side for about 2 minutes or until just brown, flip and cook the other side until done.
To serve, place a scoop of grits in the center of a bowl and make a slight indent in the top with the back of the spoon. Arrange 5 shrimps in a fan pattern in the center of the grits and drizzle the pan sauce over the shrimps. Garnish with the green portions of the onions. For bacon lovers you can “rim” the serving bowl with Dimitri’s Bacon Rimshot.
