Shrimp and Grits Kabob Party Platter is the best of sea and field, with corn grits polenta squares, and spicy grilled shrimp, piled onto pick-up sticks!
Fresh Corn In Grits
Why serve dried-up corn meal when you can combine freshly shucked corn with the meal to bring the sweetness and moisture back into the grits with real corn!
Sure, in a hurry, I will delight in a huge pot of polenta or cornmeal cooked into a creamy, cheesy bowl of luscious Southern or Italian grits.
But, I live in Maryland, surrounded by corn fields all summer long.
Why on earth wouldn’t I know how to make the best dang grits around!
After having visited this lovely corn field and taking home a huge heap of fresh corn to grill, along with some shrimp, I got the idea to make Shrimp and Grits Kabobs!
Inspiration is everywhere!
Corn is naturally sweet and releases a kind of ‘milk’, which is why every season when the corn is young, I make Corn Ice Cream!
Shrimp On The Grill
Shrimp cooks in minutes. Actual, minutes.
So, why not use the time to prep shrimp with Maryland’s own Old Bay seasoning, put them on skewers (or grilling fish cages), and pop them on the Grill or stovetop griddle for five minutes!
The best cooked shrimp to serve with corn, as grits, is with a little smoke and a bit of crisp on its outer layer, not soft and soggy.
Food On Kabob Sticks
Just so happens I come from a Mediterranean heritage in which lots of food items are cooked on sticks.
Then fast forward to my childrearing days and I found anything on sticks made eating fun for the kids and clean up easy for me.
For this reason, I have created lots of fun food ideas on sticks.
- Kofta Kabobs – lamb and spices packed around a kabob stick, something I had the chance to prepare on Guy’s Grocery Games.
- Pizza Kabobs – again, why not! Meatballs or vegan balls, cheeses, cherry tomatoes and herbs on a stick.
Shrimp From Various Parts Of The World
Some of the best shrimp dishes I have had in my life were while living in Brazil.
Along the coast of Brazil, in the town of Joao Pessoa, shrimpers walk out into the water with nets to hauled in the shrimp.
Once the shrimp was brought in, they are tossed onto a horse drawn cart; like something from a movie.
The freshly caught shrimp was brought right up to the restaurant, where I was sitting, to be prepared in so many delicious ways.
Moqueca Brazilian Stew is usually made with shrimp, though any seafood or fish is used in it.
It was first made in the area of Bahia, combining both African and Portuguese cuisines, though mostly African.
Cheesy Grits With Shrimp
I am always tickled when I hear a chef state that cheese and seafood don’t go together. Really?
Professional, particularly TV celebrity chefs, often tell you, ‘never seafood and cheese’.
Hah, wrong!
In fact, I competed on a Food Network’s show, Clash of the Grandmas, and for one round I made ‘Mac and Cheese Crab Rolls’, rolled in phyllo dough. It was totally a hit with all three judges!
I have often seen professional chefs need to add cream to the grits when simmering them. This is because the cornmeal is dry.
When you add an equal balance of freshly grated corn to the cornmeal, there is no need for cream. The corn has a creamy milk of its own.
Kabobs On A Platter Make For The Best Party Food
My rendition of grits for this dish, which allows for the grits to be firm enough to serve on kabob sticks, will take on the density of an Italian Polenta.
Creamy undertones of rich sheep’s milk cheese, served firm, rather than soupy grits, as grits are sometimes served.
Add to that, shrimp cooked on the grill, then skewed on kabob sticks along with the cubes of grits, I can’t think of a classier kabob!
And if a Shrimp and Grits Kabob is not your thing, you can always stick to a Classic presentation of cheesy grits in a tapas size bowl, or martini glass, and the shrimp laid across the top.
Ingredients Needed
- Corn Meal
- Water
- Freshly shucked corn
- Garlic
- Salt
- Butter
- Grated Cheese
- Shrimp
- Olive oil
- Old Bay seasoning
Equipment Needed
- Saute pot
- Wooden spoon
- Cutting board
- Chopping knife
- Grill or stove top griddle
- Skewers or Kabob sticks
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Mixing bowl
- Stovetop or burner
- Grill of Griddle
Shrimp and Grits Kabob Party Platter
Equipment
- Medium saucepan with lid
- Square baking dish or pan
- 12 Appetizer kabob sticks
- 4 Stainless kabob sticks for grilling
Ingredients
- Grits Ingredients can be made a day in advance
- 1 cup Corn meal
- 3 cups Water
- 1 cup Freshly shucked corn
- 2 Garlic cloves crushed
- 1 1/2 tsp Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 3/4 cup Grated Cheese Pecorino Romano Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano
- Shrimp Ingredients
- 1 lb Shrimp shelled and deveined
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning or favorite
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Grits Preparation – Place the freshly shucked corn into the food processor and puree it until it is creamy.
- Place the pureed corn and corn meal into a pot with water, garlic and salt. Bring to a boil, lower, and cook low and slow for about 20 minutes, stirring often.
- Add butter and cheese, stir continuously for another 10 minutes, covered. Transfer to a square pan or baking dish, press smooth and chill in the fridge for 30-minutes or overnight.
- Shrimp Preparation – Prepare grill for cooking the shrimp, or have a cast iron grill pan, hot on top of the stove.
- In a bowl, toss the shrimp with the oil and seasoning. Place the shrimp on skewer sticks. (Can be prepared in advance and kept cold in the fridge, brought to room temperature 30 minutes before grilling).
- On a hot grill, cook quickly on each side until the color changes to a bright pink/orange, about 5-minutes.
- Assembly – There are two ways to present this recipe: Place the cooked grits in small serving bowls, or martini glasses and place a short or long skewer stick of grilled shrimp across it.
- Or – Cut the firm and chilled corn grits, otherwise known as polenta, into squares, uniformly cut the size of the body of the shrimp. Place the squares of grits and shrimp on kabob sticks and serve on a platter, tapas style.
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I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.