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Goan Shrimp & Cauliflower Grits

by Komal Patel
Goan Shrimp & Cauliflower Grits

Currently sitting at my dining room table looking at the beautiful sunshine outside….

Don’t get it twisted though. It is cold AF outside. I’m talking FRIGID…. windy, like ice in your face.

I know drama is a running theme with me, but really…27 degrees and brrrrr.

My car has been in the shop the past week and won’t be done until this Friday, so running errands…aka, walking to the grocery story and the laundromat has not been fun.

Not even going to lie. Haven’t even made it to the gym because my ass does not want to walk in this weather.

Instead, I am sitting inside and eating my body weight. I mean, how else am I going to keep warm?

One of my favorite brunch items…well…anytime items, is Shrimp and Grits.

I love me some buttery, creamy grits, mixed in with some bacon fat, tomatoes and spicy shrimp.

I would eat grits every damn day if I could. It’s like a thing…the more butter and cream you add to something the better it tastes.

is butter a carb?

Anyways.

Goan Shrimp & Cauliflower Grits

I thought bringing some of my Indian flare, with a healthyish twist to this classic dish would be perfect to satisfy my cravings.

I went with a cream cauliflower “grit,” and Goan style shrimp.

When people think of Indian food they often go straight to all the SPICE. People don’t realize that there is a lot of regional cooking in India and Goa is no exception.

Goa is small state on the west coast of India and it is basically paradise.

Think sandy beaches, drinking out of coconuts and a lot of Portuguese influence.

In the early 16th century many Portuguese settlers came to India bringing their religion and different styles of food.

Goan food is known best for the use of seafood, coconut (in all forms), vinegar’s (which is used a lot on Portuguese cuisine), and of course, chili peppers.

I paired the spicy, tangy shrimp over the cream grits and sautéed spinach. The perfect blend of east meets west, with a southern American inspo. Fun right!

Hope you enjoy!

Xx

K

Sweet and Masala

Goan Shrimp & Cauliflower Grits

Print Recipe
Goan Shrimp and Creamy Cauliflower Grits
Creamy cauliflower grits with tangy and spicy shrimp and sautéed garlicky spinach.
Servings
Ingredients
For the masala
  • 6 dried red chilis
  • ¼ cup vinegar
  • 2 tbsps. unsweetened desiccated coconut
  • 1 tbsp. cumin seeds
  • 1 tbsp. grated ginger
  • 1 tsp. black mustard seeds
  • 3 cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 4 cloves of garlic
For the shrimp
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 3 pieces of bacon
  • 1 lb. shrimp shelled and deveined
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes cut in half
  • Sugar to taste
  • Salt to taste
  • water
For the Spinach
  • 3 cloves garlic sliced
  • 1 bag of spinach
  • olive oil
  • Salt to taste
For the Cauliflower
  • 1 head of cauliflower cut into florets
  • ¼ cup whole milk
  • 3 tbsp. butter
  • salt and pepper to taste
Servings
Ingredients
For the masala
  • 6 dried red chilis
  • ¼ cup vinegar
  • 2 tbsps. unsweetened desiccated coconut
  • 1 tbsp. cumin seeds
  • 1 tbsp. grated ginger
  • 1 tsp. black mustard seeds
  • 3 cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 4 cloves of garlic
For the shrimp
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 3 pieces of bacon
  • 1 lb. shrimp shelled and deveined
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes cut in half
  • Sugar to taste
  • Salt to taste
  • water
For the Spinach
  • 3 cloves garlic sliced
  • 1 bag of spinach
  • olive oil
  • Salt to taste
For the Cauliflower
  • 1 head of cauliflower cut into florets
  • ¼ cup whole milk
  • 3 tbsp. butter
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Toast cumin seeds, mustard seeds, cinnamon and cloves until mustard seeds begin to pop.
  2. In a blender grind the toasted spices with the remaining masala ingredients until it is a fine paste. Set aside.
  3. Cut bacon into bite size pieces and begin to fry in a pan until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and let dry on a paper towel. Using the same pan add shrimp and sauté for 2-3 minutes until they have changed colors. Using a slotted spoon, remove and set aside.
  4. Add onions to pan with bacon fat and cook until soft over medium low, 5-7 minutes. Add in the sliced tomatoes and continue to fry until the mixture is soft and the tomatoes are slightly mushy and the oil is separating.
  5. While the onions are cooking add a few inches of water in a pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling place steamer insert inside the pot and add cauliflower florets, cover and let steam for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and in a bowl mash floret with butter, milk, salt and pepper, until reached desired consistency. *
  6. Add the masala paste with ½ cup of water, and salt to onion mixture and bring to a boil. Simmer and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
  7. Add shrimp and sugar and continue to simmer for an additional 5 minutes, until sauce has reached desired consistency, then remove from heat.
  8. While the shrimp is simmering, in a pan add olive oil over medium. Add garlic and let sauté for 30 seconds. Add spinach and salt. Cook until wilted.
  9. Plate all the goodness together and top off with crispy bacon. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes

If you would like it to be saucier, add more water. If you would like it to be less tangy add more sugar.
*instead of mashing cauliflower you can use an immersion blender. I kept it thick to mimic the texture and look of real grits.

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23 comments

Chi Mpundu March 19, 2018 - 6:31 pm

Eating my body weight to stay warm is my mood all winter (spring, summer, and fall). I’ve never had shrimp with grits but this looks delicious. Will definitely give it a try!

Reply
Komal Patel March 19, 2018 - 6:43 pm

hahah, I like you’re style. These are faux grits…..BUT YOU HAVE TO TRY REAL GRITS. SO, so, good!

Reply
Ana De- Jesus March 19, 2018 - 10:33 pm

As someone who is Portuguese, I can confirm that this is definitely an authentic Portuguese dish with your clever Indian flair. Although as a vegetarian I need to find me some veggie friendly shrimps so that I can make your cauliflower grits and Goan shrimp recipe!

Reply
Komal Patel March 20, 2018 - 9:23 pm

That is so good to hear! I am going to Lisbon in August. Do you have any suggestions?

Reply
Alison Rost March 20, 2018 - 12:30 am

It’s a classic comfort dish and it’s definitely perfect for the cold weather. I’m sure you’ll find your motivation soon enough and start going back to the gym! Or you can try working out at home. Never the less, it’s good to reward yourself with a dish like this when that happens! Love the recipe!

Reply
Komal Patel March 20, 2018 - 9:22 pm

Thanks Alison! And I should work out at home !

Reply
Ali - We Made This Life March 20, 2018 - 12:58 pm

This looks amazing, I love the colour on this dish and I bet it tastes great too.

Reply
Komal Patel March 20, 2018 - 3:19 pm

Thanks so much. It tastes AMAZING.

Reply
Dalene March 20, 2018 - 2:35 pm

This dish is so yummy from your pictures! Too bad I haven’t had to eat cauliflower before. Anyway, I’d also love eating this, now that it contains most of the stuff I take. Loving the recipe!

Reply
Komal Patel March 20, 2018 - 3:18 pm

You’ve never eaten a cauliflower!?!? you have to try! one of my fave veggies.

Reply
Akamatra March 20, 2018 - 4:44 pm

This sounds like an interesting combination. I like cauliflower but recently I stopped eating meat and fish.

Reply
Jennifer L March 21, 2018 - 3:41 am

Oh wow this looks so good. I’ve never thought of adding grits with cauliflowers but it sounds really fantastic. Definitely trying this recipe out for my meal planning this week.

Reply
Komal Patel March 21, 2018 - 8:20 pm

These are faux grits, but i bet real grits mixed with the cauliflower would be delicious!

Reply
Sayanti | Binge on Basics March 21, 2018 - 10:21 am

I’ve never had this dish before and I’m really curious about the taste since I love cauliflower. I think it’s something that I’ll try. Great recipe 🙂

Reply
Lindsay March 21, 2018 - 3:33 pm

This looks delicious! I am going to try this for sure! My husband will probably steal this recipe too for the fire station meal too!

Reply
Komal Patel March 21, 2018 - 8:19 pm

Steal away please!

Reply
Razena March 21, 2018 - 6:43 pm

I’ve never had shrimp and grits but I love the idea of this low carb Goan version. Somehow amongst the regional Indian cuisines, the Goan cuisine is not very well represented here in Dubai and I don’t think I’ve even eaten any Goan dishes.

Reply
Jennifer Prince March 21, 2018 - 7:24 pm

I’m not a fan of traditional grits, but I LOVE cauliflower! I’d love to test this out. So yummy!! 🙂

Reply
David Allen Elliott March 21, 2018 - 8:43 pm

Honestly you had me at shrimp. But this looks like such a unique and interesting dish as you use cauliflower to make a grits type of veggie underneath the shrimp. I bet it would be creamy and delicious. I will have to try this out.

Reply
Michele Dennis March 21, 2018 - 11:10 pm

I’ve never had shrimp with grits before. However this looks and sounds amazing! Being a low carber I’ll definitely be trying it with your cauliflower grit substitution !!

Reply
CATALINA NINI March 21, 2018 - 11:12 pm

Sometimes I feel I love cauliflower more than chocolate :)) so yes to all the recipes that contain it. Your imagery is so stunning and how cute are those blue plates xxx

Reply
bye:myself - a blog by renata green March 22, 2018 - 8:50 pm

This looks delicious – which is most important – but it also looks healthy and light. Sort of the perfect meal, I guess. Have to try this out very soon.

Reply
Jackie David March 27, 2018 - 2:02 pm

Oh this looks so delicious. My mom would love to try that. I will definitely share this to her. Thanks for sharing.

Reply

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