Portuguese Shrimp and Grits with sauteed kale– a simple easy dinner that is full of amazing flavor! The grits are made with cauliflower rice, for a low carb option.
This is recipe for Portugese Shrimp and “Grits” can be kept light and lean, or can be enriched with a little butter and cheese – the way my husband prefers his, while I keep mine a little lighter. We both end up happy.
The shrimp is seasoned with smoked paprika and peri peri chili flakes (or sub cayenne) and the smoky, spicy flavors together with the garlicky grits are divine.
Wilted kale is a quick and easy side. The best thing is how fast this comes together.
Cauliflower “Rice” can be found pre-packaged at Trader Joes and other upscale markets in the produce section, or simply take raw cauliflower florets and pulse them to the size of grits or rice in a food processor.
Once this step is done, they cook up quickly.
To make the garlicy kale, heat olive oil in a skillet, smash a few cloves of garlic and add them to the oil. The oil will become infused with delicious flavor and scent.
Add the kale and gently wilt, seasoning with salt and pepper. So simple and quick.
On the home front, we left the cold and snow of the Pacific Northwest and drove down to California to find some sun. We landed in Santa Barbara and stayed for a week, then came to my old stopping ground, Santa Monica. Each day we’ve walked, biked, hiked and skated – getting outside as much as possible. All I can say is … it’s been like medicine, recharging the batteries.
Anyways, thanks for being here, thanks for all your emails and comments, always appreciated.
Love~
s.
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Portuguese Shrimp and Grits
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Description
Portuguese Shrimp and Cauliflower Grits with sauteed kale- a simple easy dinner that is full of amazing flavor! The grits are made with cauliflower rice, for a low-carb option.
Ingredients
- 8–10 extra large raw prawns- peeled and deveined, patted dry. Or make Crispy tofu (see notes)
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- generous pinch peri peri pepper, chili flakes, or cayenne ( optional)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Garlicky Kale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1–2 garlic clove-smashaed
- 2–3 handfuls chopped kale ( tuscan or lacinato)
- salt and pepper
Cauliflower Grits
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2–3 cloves garlic -minced
- 3 cups cauliflower “grits” – see notes
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- pepper to taste
- Optional additions – butter, milk, cream, cheese- romano, cheddar, parmesan ( or keep it vegan)
Instructions
- Pat the shrimp dry and toss in a bowl with enough olive oil to coat, a generous 5-finger pinch of salt and pepper, smoked paprika, chili flakes and lemon zest. Set aside.
- Make the Sauteed Greens. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add smashed garlic cloves and swirl until fragrant and the oil is infused, about 1-2 minutes. Season the oil with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Add Kale, and stir and toss until wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Divide among two bowls.
- Make the Grits. To the same pan add another tablespoon olive oil. Turn heat down to medium. Add minced garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the cauliflower “grits”, salt and pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes until cauliflower is tender but still al-dente.
- At this point you could make this creamy by adding a generous pat of butter, a splash of cream or milk and a ¼-⅓ cup of cheese. Or you can leave as is and keep it light, lean and vegan. I keep my portion lean, dividing it out into a bowl, and then add to the remaining -butter, milk and cheese for my husband.
- Divide the grits between the two bowls.
- Cook the shrimp.Wipe out the same pan, add a little olive oil if needed and heat over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and sear both sides quickly- shrimp is done when lightly pink and curls into a “C” shape. Taste and add more salt or smoked paprika ( or optional peri peri or cayenne) to taste.
- Divide the shrimp among the bowls and enjoy!
Notes
Cauliflower “Rice” can be found in some upscale markets like Trader Joes in the produce section. If you can’t find it make your own by placing cauliflower florets in a food processor and pulse repeatedly until its the size of rice grains, or grits.
Make this vegan by substituting our crispy tofu for the shrimp ( add a little smoked paprika) and subbing vegan butter or vegan cheese in the grits.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 442
- Sugar: 4.4 g
- Sodium: 2855.8 mg
- Fat: 22.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 35.5 g
- Fiber: 6.5 g
- Protein: 31.7 g
- Cholesterol: 182.5 mg
This was an amazing, quick dinner. Loved by the adults and the kids. Thank you!
Oh good! Great to hear the kids enjoyed this too!
Yum and so easy!!!!! (used spinach because that’s what I had-so good)
Made it twice. It’s tremendous.
Glad you enjoyed!
Love this! I appreciate how your recipes emphasize technique to get the best quality too…such as how to avoid over-cooking the shrimp and how to get the most out of the tasty flavored oil.
Made this tonight. Delicious and big hit with my family. Crisped the kale ribbons with garlic in the same pot, before adding the riced cauliflower. Added splash of white wine and finished it all iff with smoked parmesan. Would make it again.
Hi Karin! Im so glad you enjoyed it!
Sylvia, you’ve done it again! My husband says that he likes veggies when they taste this good! I loved it too! I added a splash of half n half and a some parmesan to the cauliflower grits and I used Dinosaur Kale. It was all wonderful! and ready in half an hour. Wish I had seen the suggestion for sumac earlier. but I am sure I will try this shrimp on the grill in a couple of months. Thanks!
These shrimp are a staple in our home, and they look even tastier paired with cauliflower rice. Definitely going to try it out!
Sylvia,
What a delightful recipe. Very easy and very quick to make. I did not have any kale so I used spinach. You had mentioned using sumac in a previous posting and I have been trying it out in a lot of different recipes lately including this dish. It lends a very nice subtle flavor to it. Thanks for the recipe and the introduction to sumac.
Thanks Terry! I love how you added sumac! Great idea!