Southern Shrimp and Grits!

Living in Charleston it is hard to find a bad dish of shrimp and grits! It's a staple at nearly every restaurant downtown. So, the stakes were high last night for dinner when I made this new recipe. It was so delicious and very fast to make. I can definitely tell that this is going to be in the regular dinner rotation because it was so easy and inexpensive but still tastes delicious!
(This only takes about 25 minutes to prepare and is about 700 calories)

Ingredients:

10 Ounces Shrimp

¾ C Yellow Grits

3 Scallions

1 Clove Garlic

1 Ear of Corn

1 Lemon

1 Zucchini

2 Ounces Cherry Tomatoes

3 T Butter

2 Ounces Cheddar Cheese

1 tsp Smoked Paprika

Directions: 

1. Wash and dry the fresh produce.
2. In a medium pot, heat 3 cups of water and a big pinch of salt to boiling on high.
3. Remove and discard the husks and silks of the corn.
4. Cut the corn kernels off the cob and discard the cob.
5. Remove the lemon rind and mince to get 2 teaspoons of zest.
6. Grate the cheese.
7. Once water is boiling, stir in the grits, lemon zest and corn and reduce the heat to low.
8. Cook and stir frequently to prevent clumping for 10 to 12 minutes (until the grits have thickened).
9. Remove the grits from heat.
10. Stir in the cheese and half the butter; season with salt and pepper to taste.
11. Cover and set aside in a warm place.
12. Cut off and discard the root ends of the scallions
13. Thinly slice the scallions and separate the white bottoms and green tops.
14. Peel and mince the garlic.
15. Quarter and deseed the lemon.
16. Medium dice the zucchini.
17. Halve the tomatoes.
18. Place the shrimp in a medium bowl and toss with the smoked paprika.
19. In a large pan, heat butter on medium-high until melted and add the spiced shrimp; season with salt and pepper.
20. Cook shrimp for 4 minutes, or until browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
21. In the pan, add a tsp of butter and when melted add the garlic and white bottoms of the scallions; season with salt. Cook for 1 minute.

1. Add the zucchini to the pan of vegetables and cook for 2 minutes, or until slightly softened.
2. Add the cooked shrimp, tomatoes, remaining butter, the juice of all 4 lemon wedges and all but a pinch of the green tops of the scallions and cook for 1 minute.
3. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Divide the grits and shrimp and vegetables between two bowls. Top with remaining tops from scallions!

Let me know what you think!