Southwest Shrimp and Grits Salad is a little twist on a classic dish. Grilled cajun shrimp and discs of jalapeno grits on a bed of greens with a touch of smokey flavour. Bonus…this can be made gluten free!!
I don’t know about you, but during grilling season I cook as many meals as possible on the bbq (well really I make hubby to do it). Here in Canada, our grilling season is not long enough as far as I’m concerned. Weekends are for grilling, and from breakfast to dessert our bbq gets a workout.
When the nice folks at Olive Tasting Room sent me a couple of bottles of products to try, I knew right away what dish I was going to make. This Southwest Shrimp and Grits Salad perfectly showcases the smokey Chipotle Olive Oil and the Jalapeno Lime White Balsamic Vinegar they sent my way.
Have you ever visited an Olive Tasting Room store? They have a few locations across Canada, but the one we frequent is located at the Niagara Outlet Mall.
If you have never shopped there, you don’t know what you are missing. Seriously my husband and I can spend a good hour or more just sampling all the wonderful products. There are more oils and vinegars than you have seen, along with other great products and accessories. Our trip always adds to our great collection, and the endless ways to use them.
You can sample as much as you like, and the knowledgeable staff always have great recommendations on pairings too. There also is an online store, which is great since I can never run out of Bacon Olive Oil, the must have ingredient in my Maple Bacon Popcorn.
This salad is all about bold flavours, great textures, and really easy too. I happen to love cornmeal, so making grits is an easy and tasty addition to a meal around here. For these grits, I wanted to finish them off on the grill. I cooked them in a pot on the stovetop. When they were done I added some spicy garlic pepper, smoked cheddar cheese and diced fresh jalapeno. Then I made a log and wrapped it in plastic, and put it in the fridge overnight to chill. You don’t have to make this the day ahead, but do give it a good 4 hours or so in the fridge. (For gluten free be sure to use gluten free grits)
Clean your shrimp and pat dry. Mix some of the Chipotle Olive Oil with a bit of smoked paprika, and brush over the shrimp. Place shrimp in the fridge and marinate for about 30 minutes.
For the dressing combine some extra virgin olive oil, Jalapeno Lime White Balsamic Vinegar and agave nectar. Set aside till ready to use.
Take your grits out of the fridge, remove the plastic, and cut into thick discs (about 1 inch thick).
Preheat your grill to medium heat. Hubby used a well oiled grill basket to cook with. Grill the shrimp and grits, turning 1/2 way through. The shrimp (depending on the size you have) cooked in about 2 minutes per side, and the grits warmed up nicely at 3 minutes per side.
To arrange the salad, take a nice handful of whatever greens you want to use. Drizzle a bit of oil on the greens. Place your grits discs on top. Add more dressing over the grits. Give this a nice shot of smoked sea salt. Place your shrimp on top, garnish…and dig in!
Bold, bright flavours on a plate. Shrimp, grits, smokey flavoured cheese, salt and chipotle oil all under a jalapeno lime dressing. Makes the perfect starter salad, or if you are like us and love having salads for dinner, this can turn into a nice light meal (just make the portion a little larger). This Southwest Shrimp and Grits Salad will be making a few appearances this summer that’s for sure.
**Olive Tasting Room provided the oil and vinegar used to create this post. The recipe, photos and all opinions are mine**
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Looking for more great grilling recipes, try Grilled Chili Lime Chicken Skewers or Zucchini Burger with Sriracha & Pancetta.
Southwest Shrimp and Grits Salad
Ingredients
For the Grits:
- 1/2 cup yellow grits
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp spicy garlic pepper
- 1 fresh jalapeno (seeded and diced)
- 1/2 cup double smoked cheddar (shredded)
For the Dressing:
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp Jalapeno Lime White Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 tsp agave nectar
For the Shrimp:
- 8 fresh shrimp (cleaned)
- 1 tbsp Chipotle Olive Oil
- 1/4 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- Smoked sea salt (for seasoning)
- Salad greens
- Garnish (optional)
Instructions
To make the Grits:
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Add 2 cups of water to a small saucepan.
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Season with 1/4 tsp. salt.
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Bring to a boil.
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Slowly add the grits.
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Cook over low heat till done, about 20 minutes (stirring often).
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Remove from heat and add cheese, garlic pepper and diced jalapenos.
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Mix well, and set aside to cool slightly.
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Take a sheet of plastic wrap, and scoop grits onto it.
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Roll into a log and tie the ends of the plastic wrap into a knot.
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Place in fridge overnight (or for at least 4 hours) to chill.
To make the Dressing:
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Combine the olive oil, Jalapeno Lime White Balsamic Vinegar and agave nectar.
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Mix well and set aside till ready to use.
To make the Shrimp:
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Clean shrimp and pat dry.
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Combine the Chipotle Olive Oil and smoked paprika in a bowl.
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Brush over shrimp.
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Marinate shrimp in the fridge for 30 minutes.
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Preheat grill to medium heat.
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Get your salad greens ready.
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Remove grits from fridge, take off plastic wrap and slice into 1 inch thick discs.
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Grill shrimp and grits in a well oiled grill basket, turning 1/2 way through..
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Shrimp (depending on the size) are about 2 minutes per side.
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Grits about 3 minutes per side.
To Assemble:
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Arrange some greens on a plate.
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Drizzle some dressing over greens.
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Add the grits, and drizzle with more dressing.
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Season with smoked sea salt.
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Add the shrimp.
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Garnish.
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ENJOY!!
Recipe Notes
Looking for more great grilling recipes...give these a try:
Grilled Chili Lime Chicken Skewers
Zucchini Burger with Sriracha & Pancetta
This looks like an amazing recipes Gloria. Love grits and shrimp – always a great combination.. Love the flavors you have going here.. Can’t wait to try.
I grew up with eating cornmeal so it is a favourite for me.
I love this method of preparing shrimp & grits. It’s one of my favorites! Beautifully done.
Thank you so much.
This food pairing sounds amazing! What a creative way to prepare grits 🙂
Thanks…it really is great.
I love what you’ve done with the grits! Such a great looking salad! Cannot wait to give this a try!!
It is fun to make and fun to eat.
I’m definitely going to try those infused olive oils in my near future.
And being the southern girl that I am, the idea of this plate makes me beyond happy! 😀
Hope you totally enjoy it..we sure do.
Great idea to chill then grill the polenta! Looks like a great summer patio meal!
Yes it really is a great summer salad.
My goodness, this looks absolutely delicious & mouth watering. Shrimp is so much favorite in my home & my husband loves anything that is bit spicy. I would love to try out this yummy salad at home!
Hope you give it a try…it really is delicious.
Oh Gloria we’d love this dish with shrimp and grits! My husband loves barbecuing too, even in the winter ?. And Oliv products are great!
Thanks Nicoletta…we love it too.
Great recipe, Gloria! I’m pretty new to shrimp and grits and I’ve learned to love it, living in the South and all. When I first tried them I hated them, but they weren’t made properly. The grits were super gluey. It wasn’t until Disney where I tried them again and my mind was blown. So, as long as they are prepared right, DELICIOUS! I’ve been wanting to blog some myself, lately. I have yet to make them at home. This has definitely inspired me!
Thanks Dana, I love cornmeal (might be a Ukrainian thing), so grits for me is along the same line. This is the first time I created them this way, and they turned out really well.
Comfort food! I love all the infused oils and vinegar. Wonderful recipe.
Thanks so much!!
I agree! Grilling season is way too short. And no,I’ve never visited an Olive Tasting Room store before. From the looks of it, we really should. Their selection looks amazing! Bacon? Chipotle? What! And what about this salad. A very creative take on shrimp and grits!
Thanks so much Jolina….it was a fun dish to make…you must try and visit a store!!
Looks yummy!
Thanks.
I adore olive oil tastings, and have indeed been to the Niagara Oliv tasting room! Great use of a fantastic product. It’s important to make the most we can out of the short warm season we experience here.
It really is a GREAT store!!
Love grits and love this salad. Perfect!
Thanks so much!!
I have actually never made grits but recently bought some to make! And I just love shrimp 🙂
Hope you try it…we just finished the grits tonight…they were delicious.
I”ve never heard of the Olive Tasting Room, but they sound amazing! This recipe looks delicious.
It really is an awesome store.
I have to get some of that Jalapeno Lime Oliv. Yum! Your photos are gorgeous!
Thanks so much!!
Oh yes! Shrimp! This would be one way to make my hubby super happy 🙂
Hope you give it a try.
Wow, I super like this. I will try this soon, I am so excited to try it. Shrimp is love!
Hope you enjoy it!!
I wish we had a store like that here! There’s one where we lived in Florida, and I loved trying new oils and vinegars. I especially love using them on salads.
Yes it is such an awesome store. There is an online store you can see if they ship to you.
I love flavored oils, they’re so fun to cook with. I’ll definitely be checking out this brand! And that recipe looks delicious.
Thanks so much…I had fun creating this one.
Jalapeno Lime White Balsamic Vinegar! Sounds amazing. I have never ventured out to trying different vinegar. Such a great recipe. Can’t wait to give it a try.
Oh man…you don’t know what you are missing. So many awesome flavours.
Taking advantage of the grill as much as you can is a great way to enjoy the summer weather! I love this recipe and I’m glad that you can make it gluten-free if needed. The bright colors on the plate make eating it more exciting! I’m sure this tastes awesome especially with the kick that the jalapeno gives!
It really is a tasty dish.
I have never heard about the Olive Tasting Room – I dont think we have them here in Austria. I love Shrimp and your recipes are easy to follow and do not require too much time. Might just try it out.
Thanks so much…hope you give it a try.
Love the idea of making the grits into the tubes. A fun way to entertain, totally doing this for our next dinner party.
It really is a fun way to eat them.
This looks yummy. I’m not a grits fan, but maybe we can try again.
These don’t taste like regular grits…give it a try and see.
I’ve never been to the Olive Tasting Room but I’ve heard of it. I want to try the bacon olive oil! Anything with bacon has to be AMAZING 🙂
That is one of my favourites!!
sounds like a southern dish for sure
Thanks so much for stopping by.
I never knew olive oil came in these flavours. Must search them out and used them as dips for bread and salad dressing.
Oh man…you don’t know what you are missing!!
This looks really good. I’ll have to try it soon.
Hope you enjoy it!!
Wow, that looks delicious. I could eat shrimp every day and I’d love to try these grits.
They are really yummy!!