joewatts

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.

This was a really enjoyable meal made almost exclusively from vegetables from Grow Alabama and a simple package of salmon.

Honestly, this is more of a “throw it in the pot” kind of recipe. I didn’t take extra care to right down exact amounts.

Okra, Corn and Tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small onion, diced
about 10 pieces okra, cut into 1/3-1/2 inch pieces
2 large ears of corn, cut from the cob
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped roughly
salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/3 cup white wine

Heat olive oil in skillet. Add garlic and onion. Saute over medium heat until softened. Add okra and corn. Cook for 2-4 minutes. Add tomato and seasoning. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Add enough white wine (or water) to keep from sticking. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5-10 minutes more.

Salmon Patties

1 package salmon (the plastic pack with skin/bone free salmon is my favorite, but drained canned salmon would work fine, too)
1 clove chopped garlic
2 green onions, chopped
1-3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayo
1 teaspoon stone ground mustard
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 -1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
garlic salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil

Mix ingredients together, adding additional mayo or breadcrumbs to reach the correct consistency (one that will form a nice patty). Form into two large patties. Coat patties with an additional breadcrumbs, patting into patties. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a cast iron skillet until hot. Add patties and cook approximately 3-4 minutes per side, until golden. Top with tarter sauce or a dollop of mayonnaise mixed with mustard and cayenne pepper.