Last night for dinner, we had something a bit different than our usual fare. I decided to use some of the remaining stone ground grits from Georgia that we had bought some weeks ago to make Shrimp and Grits. Grits (or polenta) cakes seemed a good idea.
For the Grits Cake:
1 cup stone ground grits
4 cups water (or use some chicken or vegetable broth to increase flavor)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (use more if using only water/less if using canned broth)
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
kernels from 1 large ear of corn
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 large green onions, chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (use more if you want more cheese flavor)
Combine first 5 ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook on low, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Meanwhile heat remaining oil in a skillet until hot. Add corn kernels and pepper flakes. Cook until corn begins to brown slightly (about 4 minutes).
Remove grits from heat, stir in corn, green onions and Parmesan cheese. Pour into a casserole dish, cover and place in fridge to chill. Let chill for at least 1 hour–this gives time for the grits to harden. Cut into approximately 4-6 squares. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to a hot cast iron skillet. Brown grits squares in butter until golden on each side (about 4 minutes per side). Remove to plate.
For the Alaskan Rock Fish (this would work with most any fish)
4 6-8 ounce fish fillets
freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
juice and zest of one lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
Old Bay Seasoning to taste (I also used a Spanish Fish Rub that I found at Whole Foods)
Marinade fish for approximately 20-30 minutes. Place on very hot grill and reduce heat. Cook, covered, for about 4 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 4-6 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet.
For the Tomato Topping:
Roughly chop approximately 1 1/2 cups of assorted yellow and red grape or pear shaped tomatoes.
Once the grits have been removed from the cast iron skillet, add a splash of olive oil and the tomatoes. Cook for 1 minute. Turn off heat and add fresh herbs. Allow everything to get good and hot then remove to a bowl. Toss with some additional salt and a good splash of extra virgin olive oil. Plate everything and you are done! Serves 4.