Classic Shrimp And Grits
Shrimp and grits is a Southern dish from the Lowcountry of coastal South Carolina and Georgia. It's traditionally served at breakfast, but you can often find it on lunch or dinner menus. Nobody is quite sure when the ingredients were first served together, but the first known published recipe appeared in the 1950 edition of Charleston Receipts (the oldest Junior League cookbook still in print). It’s traditionally a breakfast or brunch dish, but it is also great for lunch or dinner.
Stone ground grits are classic, and some would say are required for this dish. They are the steel cut oats of the grit world. The texture has some bite to it, and the flavor is, for lack of a better word, super “corny.” They do, however, take longer to cook than quick cooking grits or instant grits. If you are pressed for time, you can certainly use one of these as a substitute, but choose stone-ground grits or coarse hominy grits for the best results. Also see Difference Between Polenta, Grits, and Cornmeal.
The Different Ways To Cook Shrimp And Grits
Lowcountry Shrimp And Grits: It’s good to begin with a classic before exploring those creative recipe twists. The original interpretation of this beloved Lowcountry dish starts with seared bacon, garlic, and green onions, and is served over cream-infused grits.
New Orleans-Style Shrimp And Grits: Cajun and Creole cooks in Louisiana have their own favorite versions of shrimp and grits. Whether the preference is a cajun browned roux or the creole tomato-based sauce, both make use of the Holy Trinity of onions, bell pepper, and celery plus the tang of spice. They don’t shy away from adding flavorful meat, it’s common to see Tasso, a spicy smoked pork shoulder known as ‘Cajun ham’ or Andouille sausage. A welcome addition of Tabasco finishes the plate.
Classic Shrimp And Grits
from https://www.southernliving.com/
The essential Southern dish doesn't get any better than this. This recipe is just one take on the dish, made using stone-ground white grits, pancetta, and plenty of sharp Cheddar cheese. It doesn’t use tomatoes or sausage, but gets its flavor from a vegetable base made with bell pepper, onion, and garlic that turns into a rich sauce with the help of chicken broth.
1 1/2 lb. large raw shrimp
5 cups water, plus more as needed [milk or half and half instead? or shrimp stock made from shells?]
1 1/4 cups uncooked stone-ground white grits
3 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 (4-oz.) pkg. diced pancetta
1 cup chopped yellow onion (from 1 medium [about 11 oz.] onion)
1 cup chopped red bell pepper (from 1 small [7 oz.] bell pepper)
2 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tsp.)
1 1/2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
1 cup chicken broth
8 oz. sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
Sliced scallions, garnish
Dash of hot sauce (optional)
Peel and devein shrimp, discarding shells. Place shrimp in a medium bowl; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Bring water to a boil in a medium pot over high. Whisk in grits and 2 1/2 teaspoons of the salt. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring often, until grits are tender and liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes. If grits thicken before they are tender, add more water, and continue cooking. Remove from heat, and cover to keep warm.
After grits have cooked for 15 minutes, heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add pancetta, and cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy and fat has rendered, about 4 minutes.
Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened and charred lightly, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; add flour and 1 tablespoon of the butter, and cook, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and flour has mixed into vegetables, about 1 minute.
Slowly add broth, stirring constantly, until fully combined. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high. Add shrimp and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are cooked through and opaque, and sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat.
Stir cheese and remaining 3 tablespoons butter into grits.
Divide grits evenly among 4 shallow bowls, and spoon shrimp and gravy evenly on top of each bowl. Garnish with scallions and hot sauce, if desired. Serve.
Servings: 4
Classic Shrimp And Grits
from https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/
This traditional low country recipe uses bacon and is served with a simple sauce and uses stone-ground grits with cheese (but it’s easy to adapt to have no bacon, or other flavors and ingredients).
You don’t have to whisk grits continuously. Some traditional Southern cooks may be rolling in their graves right now. Many people think that you do have to whisk or stir them for almost the entire cooking time. The thought is that the more you whisk the grits, the more starch is released, and the creamier the grits become.
I find that grits will get creamy no matter what, and it’s not worth the labor of constantly attending to them. Instead, I whisk them every few minutes for about 10-15 minutes. Then, when they are creamy but still not quite done, I cover them and remove them from the heat to let them steam the rest of the way. It comes out perfect, with much less labor.
You can make a thicker, more luxurious sauce by making a simple gravy. Remove the shrimp from the skillet and sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of flour into the leftover bacon fat along with a tablespoon of melted butter. Whisk together for a minute or so to make a roux. Then, add one cup of chicken stock and whisk together, continuing to cook until heating.
2 1/2 cups chicken broth divided
2 cups whole milk
4 tablespoons butter divided
3/4 cup stone-ground grits
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
4 strips bacon (or 2-3 thick-cut slices)
1 lb. jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined
kosher salt to taste
black pepper to taste
[cayenne or other hot pepper for heat]
thinly sliced green onions for garnish (optional)
Bring 2 cups of the chicken broth, the milk (2 cups), 3 tablespoons of the butter, and a pinch of salt to a gentle boil in a medium sized pot. Add the grits and whisk together. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until grits are soft and creamy, whisking every few minutes. Cover and set aside off heat – they will finish softening up while they sit.
Cook the 4 bacon strips until crispy in a nonstick or cast iron skillet. Set aside on a paper towel lined plate. Once cool, chop into small pieces.
Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease from the skillet.
Rinse the shrimp with cold water and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper, and any other spices you want to add (optional). Cook in the bacon grease until only just cooked- about 2 minutes per side.
Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and 1/2 cup of chicken broth to the shrimp and stir until melted and broth is heated.
Stir the cheese into the grits (1 cup) until melted.
Serve the shrimp mixture over the grits, making sure to spoon some of the liquid from the skillet over the grits, and sprinkle with the bacon pieces and sliced green onions, if using. Serve immediately.
4 servings
