• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Grits and Chopsticks

Fresh Recipes and Stories from Around the World

  • Main
  • About
    • meet ann
    • press
    • FAQs
  • contact
  • Recipes
  • At Home
  • Travel
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • France
    • Indonesia
    • Italy
    • Malaysia
    • Singapore
    • Spain
    • Sri Lanka
    • Switzerland
    • Taiwan
    • Thailand
    • The Netherlands
    • United Kingdom
      • London
      • Wales
    • United States
      • Florida
      • New Orleans
      • New York
      • San Francisco
      • Seattle
      • South Carolina
        • charleston
      • Washington, DC
    • Vietnam
  • Skip to the Blog >>>

08.04.2014

fish and grits

fg

I’m hard pressed to find a protein that doesn’t pair well with grits. Call it my upbringing or call it plain crazy, but to me, grits are a great medium for eating with just about any meat. One of my favorite “special occasion” dishes is a pan-seared fish on top of grits, and given Ge Ge’s penchant for all things fresh seafood, I thought maybe, just maybe, I’d found another match in heaven.

IMG_1479 (1)

Fish and grits aren’t uncommon in the Lowcountry — in fact, grits often make a nice sideshow to any good fish fry. However, I like to make mine a little bit lighter, given how rich grits can be. Ge Ge even gets involved. He loves seasoning and preparing the fish for searing. I mean, between smearing finger paints and learning how to evenly season a cod filet, I’d choose the latter any day myself.

I’m pretty sure he would too, actually.

fgfoodgawker 003

fish & grits, with love
 
Print
Prep time
20 mins
Cook time
45 mins
Total time
1 hour 5 mins
 
A lighter take on a beloved Southern dish
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 4 cod fillets (or other mild, hearty whitefish, like halibut)
  • 1 teaspoon flour
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2-3 medium tomatoes, diced
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ½ onion, diced
  • 1.5 cups stone-ground grits
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups + ¼ cup heavy cream, divided
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro, diced (optional)
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Rinse and pat the fillets dry with a paper towel and set aside.
  2. In a fine mesh strainer, rinse the grits to separate the husks from the grits. In a large pot, bring the grits, water, heavy cream and ¼ cup butter to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Continue stirring frequently.
  3. While grits are simmering, heat a heavy saute pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil.
  4. Add onions and saute for 2-3 minutes until slightly browned and translucent. Add garlic and continue sauteeing for 1 minute.
  5. Add tomatoes, followed by white wine. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to simmer.
  6. In a separate saute pan, heat pan over medium-high heat.
  7. While pan is heating, season fish with flour, salt and pepper.
  8. When pan is hot, add remaining butter and olive oil.
  9. Place fish in pan and immediately jostle a little to keep the fish from sticking to the pan. Sear each side of the fish approximately 3-5 minutes (depending on thickness).
  10. Stir in ¼ cup heavy cream into tomato sauce.
  11. Serve grits in individual bowls topped with fish fillets and sauce. Top with cilantro and avocado.
3.2.1311

 

you might also like:
holiday venison recipes (marx foods recipe challenge!)
steamed littleneck clams with basil & garlic
Classic Apple Pie with Lattice Crust
whole30 thai sweet potato soup

SHARE THIS

1 Comment Filed Under: main courses, recipes

Yum
GET ALL THE LATEST FROM GRITS & CHOPSTICKS BY FOLLOWING ALONG ON Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter!

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. The Only Cookware You'll Ever Need - Grits & Chopsticks says:
    05.15.2018 at 7:46 pm

    […] is complete without at least one lightweight non-stick skillet for scrambling eggs and pan-searing delicate fish. Unlike cast iron, which sometimes might be temperamental for cooking softer foods, a good […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe:  

Primary Sidebar

East Meets South in London. I share tips about food, travel and home life inspired by where I'm from, the places I go, and what I eat.

READ MORE

find it

greatest hits

    • how to make fresh pasta without a machine! how to make fresh pasta by hand (without a machine)
    • panko crusted asparagus
    • Whole30 Banana Almond Chia Pudding
    • easy refrigerator pickles
    • raspberry and lemon chiffon cake Raspberry and Lemon Curd Chiffon Cake

Archives

search

Footer

Categories

follow me on social media

Archives

  • Current mood. . . . . . #mood #fireside #instagood #instadaily #instalove #gooddog #goldendoodle #goldendoodlepuppy #puppylove #photooftheday #photogram #abmlifeissweet #lightroom #loveislove #lovemydog #ikethedog #couchpotato #sofadog #dogsofinstagram #dogsofinsta #dogslife #doglife #doglovers #instapic #instadog #puppygram
  • E I G H T.
  • A cheap and cheerful shakshuka for dinner tonight, with chickpeas swirled in a smoky paprika tomato sauce with wilted spinach and feta, topped with a sprinkling of cilantro (coriander). Accompanied, of course, by a lot of hand-wringing, disbelief and wine. So much wine. . . . . . #food #targetstyle #thatsdarling #thehappynow #thekitchn #instayum #instafood #igfoodie #f52grams #chefmode #instapic #droolclub #bhgfood #goodeats #eatfamous #hungry #foodgasm #honestcooking #foodgawker #foodgram #foodstagram #eatstagram #foodshare #dinnerparty #foodie #foodblog #eeeeeats #yum #shakshuka #onedishmeal
  • In the absence of friends, family and parties to celebrate both, I spent this holiday season baking. Really baking. Cookies. Breads. Chelsea buns. Cupcakes. A buche de Noel. This weekend was the finale of a season of sweets, starting with a pistachio and raspberry roulade and then, using the last remaining bits of cream and egg whites I had laying around, a glorious pavlova slathered with leftover lemon curd cream cheese and topped with a cloudy layer of soft whipped cream, berries and toasted almonds. My neighbors have benefited from my baking largesse; my waistline thanks them for indulging me!
  • Will bike for cheese. . . . . . #cycling #cyclinglife #bike #instagood #cyclingphotos #bikelife #roadbike #ciclismo #cyclist #bicycle #mountainbike #roadcycling #instacycling #mtblife #cyclingshots #cyclingpics #fitness #cycle #outsideisfree #ride #sport #bicicleta #bikes #fromwhereiride #britishcheese #nature #bhfyp #cheese #nealsyard #photooftheday
  • Bucket list item #432: bring baby alpacas wearing tiny party hats to daughter’s birthday, cause heart explosions in otherwise dismal start to the year. ☑️ @mypetalpaca . . . . . #birthdayparty #alpaca #peruvian #babygoats #birthdays #abmbeautifullife #abmlifeisbeautiful #photooftheday #instagood #instadaily #instalove #instamood #llamallama #llama #kids #kidsactivities #todayparents #parenting #birthday #birthdaygirl #kidslife #familytime #quarantinelife #2021 #happynewyear #hello2021

Copyright © 2021 Grits & Chopsticks · Design by DESIGNER BLOGS · Privacy Policy