Colossal Skull Island Shrimp & Four-Cheese Tasso Grits
Chef Anthony Rametta from Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort – D’Iberville, MS
About Chef Anthony: Chef Anthony Rametta is the Room Chef at Scarlet’s Steaks & Seafood at Scarlet pearl Casino Resort and has been with the Scarlet Pearl Family for two years. Previously, Rametta has been a chef for more than a quarter of a century and credits his mother for his interest in cooking. “I’m not trained in any one style,” he said. “My culinary style is all over the place. I love all different types of food.”
Why he picked this recipe…and why it should win: I selected this recipe to show the depth of flavors we have here along the coast of Mississippi and Louisiana. I am a huge fan of Polenta/grits, cheese, greens and of course a nice cold beer. To me the dish signifies togetherness. I think it should win because the overall taste profile, you can taste everything in layers,
Ingredients For grits:
- 5 cup white or yellow grits
- 1 tsp. unsalted butter
- .5 tbsp. Red pepper, brunoise cut
- .5 tbsp. green pepper, brunoise cut
- .5 tbsp. yellow pepper, brunoise cut
- .5 tbsp. celery, brunoise cut
- .5 oz. Manchego cheese
- 5 oz. aged white cheddar cheese
- 5 oz. boursin cheese
- 5 oz. freshly shaved parmigiana
- 2 cups chicken stock
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method for grits:
- Add unsalted butter to medium size stock pot on medium high. Once butter is melted and hot…
- Add red, green, yellow peppers, and celery and sauté just until they start to become tender.
- Add tasso and cook until vegetables are tender.
- Add chicken stock and heavy cream and allow to come to a slight boil and add grits, reduce. Heat to medium and stir occasionally making sure not to allow the grits to scorch.
- Once grits are tender (or to your liking) add all the cheeses and salt and pepper.
- The grits should be a little tight so they hold sauce.
Ingredients For Shrimp:
- 16 giant U3/4 colossal shrimp (or as big as you can get them), peeled and deveined with tail left on
- ¼ cup blackening seasoning (redfish seasoning; like Paul Prudhommes)
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp. Red pepper, brunoise cut
- 1 tbsp. green pepper, brunoise cut
- 1 tbsp. yellow pepper, brunoise cut
- 1 tbsp. shallot, chopped
- 1 tsp. garlic, chopped
- 1/3 cup Abita (turbo dog) beer
- 5 tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp. Crystal’s hot sauce (more if you like it spicy)
- 2-4 tbsp. unsalted butter
- Fresh herbs
Method for Shrimp:
- In a large sauté pan add extra virgin olive oil and allow to get very hot.
- Generously sprinkle blackening seasoning over shrimp and carefully place into pan and allow them to cook about half way (approx. 2 minutes)
- Add peppers, garlic, and shallot and cook shrimp for another minute.
- Add Abita turbo dog beer and turn heat back up to medium high and allow beer to reduce by half.
- Add lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, crystal hot sauce, and red wine vinegar. Stir well to mix all flavor’s together.
- When shrimp are done and liquid has reduced by half, shut off heat and add 2 tbsp. of unsalted butter constantly moving the pan until all butter has melted. Add more depending on how rich you like your sauce.
Ingredients For Braised Greens:
- 5 lbs. collard greens trimmed, washed and roughly chopped
- 4 oz. bacon, chopped (grease reserved for greens)
- ¾ cup sweet onions, chopped
- 5 cup chicken broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
Method for Greens:
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Once the water boils, add greens
and cook until wilted and tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Place bacon in a large frying pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring
occasionally, until browned and fat is rendered, about 3 minutes.
- Add onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes.
- Add greens and turn to coat well.
- Add broth – it should cover greens – let cook until broth is reduced and greens are very tender, about 15 minutes.
- Add crushed red pepper flakes, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside for plating.
Plating Instructions:
- Place grits in the center of your serving vessel, using a spoon to make a small dip into the grits.
- Place braised greens inside the dip made in grits.
- Using a spoon or small ladle, spoon sauce around grits, and arrange prawns 2 on each side.
- Garnish with fresh lemon and fresh chopped herbs.
