Fish & Roasted Corn Grits

Here’s a classic NOLA/Charleston recipe. There are crispy, chewy, crunchy, and creamy spoonfuls of salty and savory bliss that, bite after bite, present a little hint of this and that of which you didn’t get the last bite… Thus making each next bite that much more important and satisfying… And then it’s all gone! 

So put as much time in to eating it as you did cooking it, and I promise, you will make this once a month for the rest of your life. Switch up the fish to your liking - I prefer the meaty textures of fluke.

INGREDIENTS:
3 ears of corn
1 tsp olive oil

2 cups water
2 cups milk
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp salt
½ tbsp black pepper
1 cup stone ground grits

1 lb fluke cut into 4 oz filets
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup seasoned flour (recipe below)
4-6 thick slices of smoked bacon cut into ¼ in. lardons
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion diced
1 red bell pepper diced
1 large rib celery diced
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried thyme
¼ tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
¼ tsp celery salt
¼ tsp celery seed
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp flour
2 cups chicken stock
4 green onion stalks diced

Seasoned Flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp salt
½ tbsp celery salt
½ tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp ground mustard
2 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp onion powder
¼ tsp thyme

Preheat oven to 425F. Shuck, wash, and dry the ears of corn. Coat lightly with olive oil and place in the oven. Turn the ears of corn to roast and color evenly. Remove and reserve once the corn is a golden brown. Allow to cool for 5 min and then remove the kernels with a knife.

Bring 2 cups of water an 2 cups of milk to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and add in 2 tbsp of butter (reserving 1 tbsp), salt, and pepper. Whisk in the grits, cover, and let simmer for 20 - 25 minutes stirring every 3 minutes until done. Add in the roasted corn. Add in water as necessary to loosen the mixture or cook further to thicken it’s texture.

Wash, dry, and debone your fish filets. Note that you can lightly coat the fish with salt & lemon juice and let sit for 5 min to remove any unwanted odor. Season the fish lightly with salt & pepper. Next, lightly dredge the filets in the seasoned flour and reserve for 5 - 10 min to let the coating fully adhere.

In a heavy bottom sauté pan or cast iron skillet, brown 4-6 slices of bacon over medium heat. Reserve the bacon and wipe out the oil reserving about 1 tbsp in the pan. Add in vegetable oil and bring the heat to high. Once the oil is to temperature (test with a small bit of flour), fry the filets on both sides until golden brown and center is just opaque. Reserve and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Remove excess oil from pan leaving about 1 tbsp.