Photos: Wendy Goodfriend, Video: Vic Chin and Peter Ruocco

Classic New Orleans style shrimp dish served in a rich sauce with a trinity of vegetables over a serving of creamy grits.

The name of this dish can be misleading if you’ve never had it before. Most people think of grilled meats when they think of BBQ, but this is a dish that gets its name because of the rich sauce that contains some ingredients often found in barbecue sauces. There are recipes with tomato products, but I prefer this rich and flavorful sauce.

The first time I tried a version of this dish, my taste buds went into happy overload. The dish represents all that I love about Louisiana’s Creole culture. It’s rich and spicy. The mixture of African, French, German and Native American influences in Creole cooking is what keeps me coming back to this genre. My mother was raised in Northern Louisiana, which has a strong Southern foodways, but I gravitate towards the foods of New Orleans and its surroundings. I’m also a seafood lover and there aren’t many dishes in Creole cuisine that don’t have one form of seafood. Shrimp is so versatile to many flavors and this dish lets them retain a crunchy texture since it’s a quick saute.

If the steps to create this dish seem overwhelming, just know that it’s worth the effort. The spice mixture and the sauce can be made a few days in advance. Once those components are ready, the rest goes fast. I like to emphasize how different this dish is from gumbo, which is a slow cooking stew where all of the vegetables and proteins break down and become tender. Most gumbos are best cooked for hours and hours. A little perspective always helps.

Tanya Holland’s Creole BBQ Shrimp and Grits (Wendy Goodfriend)

Recipe: Creole BBQ Shrimp & Grits

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ cup each green and red bell pepper, diced
¼ cup scallions or green onions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons Creole spice (see recipe below)
1-½ pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
¾ cup Creole sauce (see recipe below)
¼ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 cups baby spinach leaves

White Cheddar Grits (see recipe below)

Ingredients for Creole BBQ Shrimp (Wendy Goodfriend)

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large sauté pan until shimmering. Add bell peppers, scallions/green onions, and garlic. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Add shrimp, sprinkle with Creole spice and sear on one side. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Turn shrimp and sprinkle with Creole spice then sauté until vegetables are softened, about five minutes. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Add Creole sauce and cream, and bring to a simmer. When shrimp are cooked through, add butter and lemon juice. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Toss in spinach, a handful at a time. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Stir to coat with sauce and wilt the spinach. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Serve immediately with prepared grits. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Tanya Holland’s Creole BBQ Shrimp & Grits (Wendy Goodfriend)

Recipe: Creole Sauce

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 scallions or green onions, white parts only, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 12-ounce bottle hefeweizen (wheat beer)
¾ cup Worcestershire sauce

Ingredients for Creole Sauce (Wendy Goodfriend)

Instructions:

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Recipe: Creole Spice

Makes about ½ cup

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Ingredients:

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons Herbes de Provence
2 tablespoons ground cumin

Instructions:

White Cheddar Grits

Makes about 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup/140 g quick-cooking grits
3 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup/240 ml grated sharp white cheddar cheese (about ¾ pound/170 g)
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
Pinch of white pepper

Instructions:

Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Whisk in grits and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes. Stir in cream, butter, and cheese, and season with salt and pepper.

Cover and keep warm over very low heat until serving.

Cover and keep warm over very low heat until serving. (Wendy Goodfriend)

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Celebrity Chefs Recipes: Tanya Holland’s Creole BBQ Shrimp & Grits

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