Monday, July 6, 2009

Deviled Shrimp Ragu Over Creamy Corn Custard – Hell Yeah!

As promised, here is part 2 to the heavenly corn custard video recipe I just posted. This sexy seafood concoction is a slightly more refined take on the southern classic, shrimp and grits.

Grits has yet to find its way into my repertoire. I've made it maybe twice in 30 years of cooking.

I don’t even remember if I like it, but I like polenta, and every time I see someone on TV making, or eating shrimp and grits, I think to myself, "that looks great, I really should make that."

Whatever the inspiration, this subtly sweet, fairly fiery shrimp ragu poured over the light, creamy custard was a magnificent combination.

The firm spicy shrimp and the soft, sweet corn not only complimented each other, they pushed each other to places neither could have reached alone.

This would make a fantastic first course for any summer dinner, and it's certainly rich enough to be enjoyed as a entrée. You can also pour this over rice or noodles with complete confidence. Enjoy!




Ingredients:
1/2 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
1 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp chipotle pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 clove garlic, minced very fine
salt to taste
cayenne to taste, optional
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced chives
1 tbsp cold unsalted butter

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

wow i thought you were going to post it on monday morning or afternoon, but its almost 2am! we love you chef john!!

Food Junkie said...

Looks spectacular John. This one has some real wow factor and sounds really good.

In a dish like this can you substitute regular salted butter? I've never been really clear on what the advantage of unsalted butter is, other than less salt of course.

Love the new intro video BTW it is really clever.

Kim

Chef John said...

yes, reg butter would work, but unsalted butter is better butter. Google for details. enjoy!

Anonymous said...

I just made this dish at home and it was fantastic. I had some leftover corn custard batter from your recipe a few days ago. I was worried if it would hold up after 2 days- and they came out even better than the first ones. Also, I seared 8 oz. of skirt steak and chucked it on the plate as well. Chasing the sauce around the dish with the textures of shrimp, custard, and steak was just perfect. I have made several of your dishes over the past couple of months and visiting your website is a daily routine in my home.

Anonymous said...

lol.....ground flay....I think ground chipotle is the new salt an pepper to bobby flay....

Anyways, I made your version and then experimented and made (since i'm from the south) the same shrimp with whipped up cheese grits......the sweet spicy combo from yours was NICE....but I also love the savory spicy as well....

Keep up the good work C.J.

mb

Jesse from Detroit said...

You're teasing me with these quasi pan sauce recipes. (My wife cringes every time I announce that we're having pan sauce for dinner... what's the secret?)

Chef John said...

why would she cringe?? and what is your question? I don't follow.

KennyT said...

Wow, you make very beautiful and delicious food!

DaveWinPS said...

You're right, Chef, this is a fantastic dish. The creamy smooth corn chowder 'cools' the spicy sauce.

Dorothy said...

I just made this for my family, and it was a HUGE hit. No leftovers!

Steve Kennedy said...

Made this again for Saturday football game day. Had tons of folks over so I just doubled the recipe and cooked in a casserole dish. It was a huge hit -AGAIN-. Might make this for the iron bowl, if we don't get stuck with a noon kickoff.

dandelion said...

Oooh this looks like Mother's Day Brunch served with Beignets

Winston said...

This was very very good. I had to cook my custard for much longer than the time given and my oven tends to run a little hot. Not sure why this happened. When I made CJ’s brûlée it came out perfect and almost to the minute given. Will make again though for sure