Chef Maxwell's Shrimp Etouffee and Stone-Ground Grits

Shrimp Etouffee ingredients

4 teaspoons Creole seasoning
4 tablespoons butter, unsalted
½ cup onion, chopped
¼ cup celery, chopped
¼ cup red and green bell pepper, chopped
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup tomato, diced
1 ½ cups shrimp stock
3 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 bunch thyme
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
½ cup green onion, sliced
3 tablespoons parsley, minced
2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Melt the butter in a large cast-iron skillet and sauté the garlic until just beginning to brown. Add the onions, bell pepper and celery and sauté until translucent. Add salt and pepper and diced tomatoes. Simmer for a few minutes, then whisk in the flour to make a blonde roux. Stir constantly, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add a small amount of the shrimp stock and stir well to form a paste. Add the remaining stock gradually, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. You may need to add more stock, but the end result should be the consistency of gravy. Add in whole sprigs of thyme, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the shrimp, green onions, parsley and Creole seasoning. Simmer until the shrimp are cooked through. Stir in the remaining butter and pull out the thyme sprigs. Serve over grits.

Grits ingredients

1 cup stone-ground grits
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup butter
1 tablespoon garlic
¼ cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Melt the butter in a saute pan. Add in garlic and stir. Add in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Stir in the grits and return to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. When the grits are tender, add the cream, cheese and butter and stir well. Simmer another 10 minutes and serve hot, topped with shrimp etouffee and garnished with parsley.