James Kenji Lopez-Alt - Recipes from the River: Stir-Fried Shrimp & Grits with Mushrooms and Sichuan Spices

The theme of this year's Moab Music Festival was This Land: Exploring how quintessentially American music and food grew from global exchange. And what's a better way to explore that than introducing Southern grits and Sichuan spices? Here, creamy grits almost reminded me of the comfort of congee doctored up with a shrimp stir-fry and flavorful toppings.

This is another recipe we made during our time at the Moab Music Festival. You can follow along with our journey down the Colorado River in our new video docuseries, Cooking on the River!

Every recipe I publish here is personally tested, tasted, and approved.

For the Grits:

1 pound stone-ground grits

Water and salt, as needed

6 tablespoons butter

For the Shrimp and Mushrooms:

1 ½ pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper

2 tablespoons doubanjiang (Sichuan fermented chile bean paste)

Neutral oil

1 pounds mushrooms, sliced or torn

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2-inch piece fresh ginger, finely chopped or julienned

1 bunch scallions, whites and greens separated and sliced

½ cup Shaoxing wine

¼ cup soy sauce

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

Optional Toppings:

Fried shallots

Chopped cilantro

Chopped scallions

Chile oil

Cook the grits. Cook grits according to package directions. Season with salt and stir in the butter until smooth. Keep the grits warm.

Prep the shrimp. Meanwhile, combine the shrimp, a large pinch of salt, a pinch of white pepper, and the doubanjiang in a large bowl and toss until the shrimp is well-coated in the mixture. For best flavor and texture, let the shrimp marinate for 30 minutes in the fridge before continuing.

Brown the mushrooms. Preheat a small dash of oil in the wok or a large saucepan over high heat until it just starts to smoke. Add a large drizzle of oil, then add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until they are well-browned all over, about 8 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl, wipe out the wok, and return it to high heat.

Stir-fry the shrimp. Add another large drizzle of oil and heat until it just starts to smoke. Add half the garlic, ginger, and scallion whites and stir-fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add half the shrimp to the wok and stir-fry until nearly cooked through, about 1 minute. Add half the wine and soy sauce and toss to combine. Add the shrimp to the bowl with the mushrooms, wipe out the wok, and repeat with the remaining garlic, ginger, scallion whites, shrimp, wine, and soy sauce.

Serve. When ready to serve, return the shrimp and mushrooms to the wok along with the butter and heat over high heat, tossing until the butter is melted and a creamy sauce is formed. Spoon the shrimp and sauce over the pot of grits, or serve individual portions of grits topped with the shrimp and butter sauce, letting guests customize their bowls as they wish with optional toppings.