Habanero Shrimp and Killer Grits

By danaheller

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Ingredients

• If you're afraid of a little heat, use a jalapeno instead of a habanero pepper, or start out with half of a habanero.
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 ear corn
• 5 slices smoked bacon, cut into pieces
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup quick-cooking grits
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
• 1 habanero pepper, seeded, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Step 1

Clean and rinse the shrimp, drain well, then add lime juice and set aside. Cut the corn kernels from the ear and set aside.

In a frying pan over medium heat, cook the bacon. Remove the bacon and set aside. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings and reserve in the frying pan.

In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add the garlic and saut? for 1 to 2 minutes, but do not let the garlic turn brown. Add the half-and-half, chicken broth and water, and bring to a low boil. Add the reserved bacon and corn kernels, the green onions, red pepper and black pepper, then stir in the grits. Cook until the grits are done, adding more water as necessary for desired consistency. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.

Place the frying pan with the reserved bacon drippings over medium-high heat. Add the onion to the pan and cook until golden. Push the onion to the side, melt 2 tablespoons butter in the center of the pan. Add the habanero pepper and the shrimp with the lime juice. Toss until the shrimp are pink, then toss with the parsley. Serve shrimp mixture over grits.