Straight from the Low Country: Shrimp and Grits

This is a recipe I got from a friend at work, who told it was supposed to be the best Shrimp and Grits recipe - hands down. I recognized the restaurant it came from, Slightly North of Broad in Charleston, SC. We ate at their sister restaurant, High Cotton, while we were there in April. Words can't describe how good the meal was - but that's another post. I knew this was going to be good - and it was.

What makes this recipe different from other shrimp and grits recipes is that it includes scallops. I thought it only made it better, but The Wife isn't a big fan of scallops didn't care for them. The "gravy" this makes is out of this world. I used ground chorizo instead of slicing a link, and think I like it better, the seafood needs to be the big sized star in the dish.

I would also spend more time on the grits. Embarrassingly I admit I used quick cook grits (Not instant grits mind you - that would get me kicked out of the Capital of the Confederacy). Next time I'll the time to make the real deal - as they play a crucial supporting role.

Ingredients:

3 oz. Ground Chorizo

4 oz. Country Ham - cut into julienne strips

2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter

8 Large Sea Scallops (I used an entire bag of Trader Joe's Jumbo Scallops - Yellow Bag)

12 Large Shrimp, Pealed (I used an entire bag of TJ's Colossal pealed and deveined shrimp - Green Bag)

2 Tomatoes - seeded and chopped

1/4 cup Sliced Green Onion

1/4 Tsp. Minced Garlic

Pinch of Cajun Seasoning

1/4 Cup Water

Directions:

Cook Chorizon and Ham in 1/2 Tsp. butter over medium heat until cooked through - 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer Chorizo and Ham to a plate covered with a paper towel.

**At this point - because I used ground Chorizo I had to use a separate pan to cook the Scallops. I also needed to deglaze the pan at this point with a splash of water. I let pan deglaze while I was cooking the Scallops, and turned heat down to low.

Pat scallops dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook Scallops in 1 Tbsp. of butter over medium high heat for 90 seconds per side. Sprinkle second side with salt and pepper as well.

Remove Scallops and set aside with Ham and Chorizo.

Back to the deglazed pan that you cooked the Ham and Chorizo in, return to medium heat and put in 1/2 Tbsp. butter and cook Shrimp until just cooked through - about 3 minutes. Add Scallops, Chorizo and Ham back to Shrimp mixture.

Add 1/2 Tbsp. Butter and Tomato, Green Onion, Cajun Seasoning, and Water and stir. Simmer for about 5 minutes for flavors to come together.

Serve over grits.