I am a shrimp and grits super fan! My most favorite thing to do is try different versions of shrimp and grits when we travel throughout the South. It’s so fun to see how many different variations there are out there! Some versions are tomato based and are more hearty with smoked sausage and pepper flavors, which to me feel more like comfort food. My Spicy Watermelon & Jicama Shrimp and Grits recipe is lightened up for the summer months and give of *vacation vibes* with Sam’s Watermelon Jicama Salsa.
Sam’s Fresh Salsa has no preservatives, no artificial ingredients, and additive free. It’s just pure fresh salsa like you would get if you went out to a Mexican restaurant and it was prepared fresh for the day. They also make traditional cantina style salsas such as Cantina Medium Salsa and Salsa Verde.
Although this dish brings big spicy tropical inspired flavors, it’s really easy to make. True grits fans will shake their heads at the Quick Grits listed in my recipe, but I find that I’m always short on time, so Quick Grits it is! If you have the time to make hearty stone ground grits, please by all means use that instead.
Spicy Watermelon & Jicama Shrimp and Grits
Prep Time: 40 Minutes
Serves: 4
You Will Need:
- 12 oz Medium Raw Shrimp (Plan on about 8 shrimps per serving)
- 1 12oz Tub of Sam’s Spicy Watermelon & Jicama Salsa
- 2 Small White or Yellow Onions
- 1/2 Cup Quick Grits
- 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/4 Tsp Red Pepper Powder
- 4 Tablespoons Butter (or Vegan Butter)
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (or other vegetable oil)
- Fresh Cilantro (About 1/2 cup washed and chopped without stems)
- Optional: Fresh grated pecorino or manchego cheese (1/2 cup)
- 1 Fresh Lime
- 1 Tsp Salt
- Salt to taste
How to Prepare:
Salsa
Take one tub of Sam’s Watermelon Jicama Salsa out from the refrigerator and let it warm up to room temperature (for about an hour) prior to cooking the grits and shrimp.
Grits
I use Quick Grits because they are so much faster to cook, but if you have time, stoneground chunky grits are a fun option. For Quick Grits, boil 2-1/2 cups water with 1 tsp of salt in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat.
Add grits to the water and stir constantly for about a minute. Optional: If you want your grits to be ‘cheesy grits’ with extra creaminess, stir in the grated cheese. The grits will start to thicken and you may add water (about 1/4 cup at a time) as you cook to keep the grits from being dry and cooked through. Add the butter and stir occasionally to keep mixture loose. Add salt to taste. When you turn off the heat, the grits will thicken even more, so I always add about 1/4 cup of water before shutting off the heat.
Shrimp & Onions
In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat and add onions. Stir until onions soften.
In a bowl, toss shrimp with garlic powder and red pepper powder. Add Shrimp to skillet and cook for about 2 minutes and then flip over gently and cook until they are pink and cooked through (about another 2 minutes). Squeeze fresh lime juice on top of the shrimp and onions.
Stir the grits and if they are too thick, add a little more warm water to make them loose again.
Fill a shallow bowl with grits (about 3/4 cup cooked grits) and top with about 8 cooked shrimp and onions mixture.
Spoon the Sam’s Spicy Watermelon & Jicama Salsa over the shrimp and grits. The spicy watermelon juices are so good when mixed in with the grits while eating!
Top with fresh diced cilantro. Optional: Add a few slices of fresh avocado!
Make sure to grab some Sam’s Fresh Salsas near you! Available at Fresh Market, ACME, Shaws, ShopRite, Morton Williams, Boyer’s and McCaffrey’s
Not only are they super tasty, but I love that they employ sustainable farming practices. Their composting operation delivers over 30 million pounds of self-generated fruit and vegetable waste each year, such as the peels, cores, seeds, scraps, and material with decay back into our soil. They also save water as they have installed subsurface water seepage pits and rapid infiltration basins to replenish the aquifers with water used in our vegetable and fruit processing operations.
#freshnotfake, #samssalsarecipechallenge, #salsalove
This recipe is an entry to the Sam’s Salsa Recipe Challenge!
