BBQ LOUISIANA SHRIMP AND ROASTED CORN GRITS

BBQ Louisiana Shrimp and Roasted Corn Grits 

Prep time 

45 mins 

Cook time 

90 mins 

Total time 

2 hours 15 mins 

The classic Louisiana barbecue shrimp is not really barbecue at all. Pascal’s Manale restaurant in the Garden District of New Orleans gave birth to this legend almost 100 years ago and there are numerous versions since. Here’s mine. 

Recipe by: George Graham – 

Serves: 4 

Ingredients 

Roasted Corn Grits 

4 ears fresh yellow corn on the cob 

8 tablespoons softened butter, divided 

1 yellow onion, diced 

3 tablespoons minced garlic 

2 cups yellow stone ground grits 

Chicken stock 

2 cups half and half, divided 

Kosher salt 

White pepper 

Dash of hot sauce 

4 large eggs 

1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 
 
 

BBQ Louisiana Shrimp 

4 pounds fresh jumbo, head-on, shell-on Louisiana shrimp 

4 sticks of unsalted butter (1 stick per pound of shrimp) 

4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 

1 cup granulated garlic powder 

1 cup freshly ground black pepper 

2 large sprigs fresh rosemary, stemmed and chopped 

Juice of 1 large lemon 

1 tablespoon hot sauce 

Zest of 1 large lemon 

1 tablespoon kosher salt 

Sprigs of fresh rosemary, for garnish 

Instructions 

Roasted Corn Grits 

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. 

1. Shuck the corn and slow roast on a low open flame grill or a hot skillet. Once you begin to see browned kernels of the corn, it is done. Take a sharp knife and slice the corn from the cob a layer at the time finally getting down to the cob. Scrape the cob with the back of the blade to extract all of the milk from the corn. 

1. In a large skillet on medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons butter and sauté the onions until translucent and add the corn kernels along with the garlic and continue cooking until done. Turn off the heat and set aside. 

1. Make the grits according to your package directions, but make sure to use chicken stock instead of water. Make the grits to a stiff consistency, add 1 cup of the half and half along with the corn, onions and garlic. Cook on low until the grits combine and reach a thick consistency. Taste the grits and add salt and white pepper along with a couple of shakes of hot sauce to your desired taste level. Let cool to almost room temperature. 

1. Beat the 4 eggs and add to the grits mixture, stirring vigorously to incorporate quickly. Add the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and stir. At this point the mixture should be creamy and not too stiff. If the mixture is too hard start adding half and half from the reserved one cup stirring until you have a loose thickness. Add 4 tablespoons of softened butter to a casserole dish and coat the bottom and sides. Add the grits. 

1. Bake the grits uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes and watch closely until it browns slightly on top. Cover and keep warm for serving. 
    
    

BBQ Louisiana Shrimp 

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. 

1. In a large cake pan or large aluminum foil roasting pan, add the head-on shrimp and place the sticks of butter among the shrimp. Drizzle the Worcestershire sauce around the shrimp along with an even distribution of garlic powder, black pepper, rosemary, lemon juice and hot sauce. Add the lemon zest and salt. Put the pan in the oven and once the butter melts remove the pan and stir the shrimp making sure they are covered in the spicy butter. 

1. Bake for another 10 or 15 minutes until done. Test the largest shrimp for doneness and remove from the oven and keep warm. 

1. To plate the dish, serve a portion of the grits with the head-on Louisiana shrimp and all the buttery juices surrounding. Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary and serve with lots of crusty French bread. 

Notes 

Sourcing wild-caught Louisiana head-on shrimp is essential to this dish; imported is not an option.