Recipe by: Mary Ann Willams

• 2 lbs of medium shrimp
• 1 head of Bib lettuce
• 1 ripe avocado

Dressing
• 1/2 c of mayonnaise
• 1 c of small-diced celery
• 1/2 c thinly sliced scallions white and green parts
• 1 tb of minced fresh parsley leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tb of Old Bay or to taste
• 2 tlb of fresh squeezed lemon

STEP 1:
Steam the shrimp until just firm and pink.  

STEP 2:
Cool and cut into small pieces.  

STEP 3:
Add dressing, finish with diced avocado.  

STEP 4:
Serve cold on Bib lettuce leaves.

This is a versatile recipe, Try substituting the old bay with yellow curry or your favorite seasoning.

Recipe by: Greg Smrdel

STEP 1:
Every good etouffee starts with the roux. Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy pot over medium heat for a minute or 2. Stir in the flour, making sure there are no clumps. Let it cook, stirring often, until it turns very brown. This should take about 10 minutes or so. It should darken very slowly. If it darkens too fast, turn down the heat. The roux will burn if the heat is too high or you don’t stir continuously. Be sure to stir all the way up to the edges of the pot. You don’t want any of the mixture to stay in one spot for too long.

STEP 2:
Next you’ll add the vegetables. So add the celery, green pepper, jalapeño, and onion, mix well and cook over medium heat for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes.

STEP 3:
You’ll then want to slowly add the stock, then the seasonings, and then the shrimp. Measure out 2 cups of the stock and slowly add it a little at a time, stirring constantly. The roux will absorb the stock and seize up at first, then it will loosen. Add additional stock as needed to make a sauce about the thickness of syrup. Next, add the Cajun seasoning, celery seed, and paprika and mix well. Add salt to taste, then mix in the shrimp. Cover the pot, turn the heat to its lowest setting, and cook for 10 minutes.

STEP 4:
Finally, you’ll want to add the green onions and hot sauce to taste. If I’m making it, the hotter the better!

STEP 5:
Add white rice to a bowl and ladle the etouffee over and serve with an ice-cold beer!

Recipe by: Nick Leinweber

STEP 1:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking pan with foil and place 8-10 strips of bacon on it and cook for 15 min, until bacon is crispy. 
Remove bacon from the pan and place on top of paper towels and set aside.

STEP 2:
In a large saucepan, bring chicken stock to a boil then stir in the grits. Return to boil, cover, and reduce heat; simmering for 5 minutes, or until the grits have thickened. Stir in ½ teaspoon of salt and Parmesan cheese and remove from heat. Crumble your cooked bacon and stir into the grits. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan and spoon the grits into it. Cover grits and place in refrigerator for about 2 hours until the grits become firm.

STEP 3:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove grits from fridge and turn the pan over on a cutting board to un-mold. Cut out 1 ½ inch circles with a cookie cutter, or a rim of a small glass, (you can also cut squares or any shape of your choosing). Line a baking pan with parchment paper, and brush with melted butter. Place the grits rounds on the pan and bake for 15 minutes on each side. Set aside. At this point, you can refrigerate the grits rounds to have them prepared ahead of time or proceed with the recipe.

STEP 4:
The rest is simple. Reserve one whole shrimp for every grits round you are serving and chop the rest of the shrimp into small chunks. Take a large bowl and combine the softened cream cheese, half and half, and about a half teaspoon of both salt and pepper. Stir in the Italian Cheese, green onions, and chopped shrimp.

STEP 5:
Top each grits round with the shrimp mixture and add a pinch of Old Bay seasoning to each one. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top of each round and place one whole shrimp on top. Broil on high for up to 5 min, until the cheese mix is slightly browned. Remove from oven and garnish each round with a pinch of fresh parsley and enjoy!