Food is always coming out of my kitchen. So it seems most folks are envious of my other half. He must have it pretty good, they assume. But to be quite honest, dating me isn't always as delicious as it seems.
As a food blogger, I have a very strange cooking schedule. Mainly, "dinner" is usually made in the middle of the afternoon, in an attempt to catch the best natural light. And some days can be all dessert, all the time. We actually rarely sit down for a traditional meal together – although I'd like to.
I'm often giving food away (offering it to friends, neighbors, and coworkers) in an attempt to keep "most" of the temptation away, which means he never seems gets his fair share (in his humble opinion, anyway). Or I go on major cooking benders when he's not around. In fact, I made a fabulous creole-style jambalaya last weekend for my parents and all he got was a measly cell phone photo. Poor guy.
So I finally asked him. "What would you like for me to cook for you, darling? It can be anything. Something I've made. Something we've never had. Whatever you want." His response? Shrimp and grits. I think I can handle that. Needless to say I happily obliged.
It doesn't get much more satisfying than this low country favorite. Recipes abound, but my version keeps it classic. No frills or unnecessary add-ins. And if you can manage stirring the grits and sautéing the shrimp at the same time, then it's quite simple, too. (Me on the other hand? Let's just say multitasking isn't my forte.)
The boyfriend was quite pleased with the end results. Actually, he said it may be some of my best work yet. I'll let you find out for yourself.
For the grits
4 cups milk
1 cup stone ground grits
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon butter
For the shrimp
1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 lemon, cut in half
For the gravy
6 slices bacon, diced
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
Kosher salt, to taste
Thinly sliced green onions, for garnish (optional)
For the grits, bring milk to a gentle boil in a heavy sauce pan. Add grits and reduce heat to medium low. Whisk occasionally at first, then whisk more frequently as the grits begin to thicken, watching carefully to make sure the bottom of the pot does not scald. Cook until the grits are thick and creamy, about 45 minutes to an hour. Add salt and butter, adjusting to personal taste. Meanwhile, prepare the shrimp and gravy.
For the shrimp, sprinkle them with Old Bay seasoning and the juice of one half a lemon. Set aside. (Please note, I left the shrimp tails on for styling purposes. It is much easier to eat them with the tails off, but it is entirely up to you.)
For the gravy, heat a large fry pan or braiser over medium-high heat. Cook until bacon is brown and almost crispy (but not quite), about 12 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Drain all of the bacon grease except for 2 tablespoons. Lower the heat to medium, add the shrimp (in batches if necessary) and saute, flipping once, until pink and cooked through, approximately 3 - 5 minutes. Remove shrimp with their cooking liquids. Squeeze with the juice of the remaining lemon half and set aside.
Heat the butter in the same pan over medium to medium-high until melted. Add onions and saute until tender, about seven minutes. Throw in garlic and cook for another minute. Sprinkle flour over the onions and cook until it is absorbed, about 1 more minute. Add wine and reduce until the mixture is thickened. Add chicken stock and continue cooking until the gravy reaches your desired consistency, about 5 minutes. Season with kosher salt, to taste. Return the bacon and shrimp with its juices to the pan and reheat shrimp. Adjust seasoning as necessary.
To serve, spoon the grits into bowls. Pour shrimp and gravy on top and garnish with sliced green onions.
To reheat, add a little chicken stock to the grits and/or gravy and warm over medium-low heat.
Related: Recipe Roundup: Grits
(Images: Nealey Dozier)
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I make mine with instant grits, and believe it or not, it is still delicious! Also, I add lots of sharp cheddar cheese. I've never made it with the extra gravy, it seems to be very creamy after adding butter just to the finished grits. Must serve with cornbread too
I know what I'm making soon! Thanks for the recipe it sounds great!
whisk a little (or a lot!) cheddar cheese into the grits before spooning it out! ::drool::
it's got to be cheesy grits.
After the earlier post today, I think we all want to nix the gravy and just add the Philly Original Flavored Cooking Creme to make it extra special. ;) ;)
..but seriously? Looks tasty!
This is a nice classic recipe.
I'm a pescatarian though, so I leave out the bacon and make lighter grits and shrimp. I make my grits with stone ground and no milk (stock or water instead) and with sharp white cheddar.
For the shrimp, bacon is left out and the gravy isn't made separately--there's a light sauce that comes from sauteeing the shrimp in liquid.
I basically saute shrimp with lemon, wine, green onion, garlic, thyme, cayenne, and paprika, and sometimes mushrooms, bell pepper, and/or tomato. No Old Bay (more an East Coast thing) in the southeast. I like the recipe I mention as it's more light and earthy and without the cream that many recipes include, as well as the bacon, grease overload. (though I understand why some like that :)
My boyfriend and I debated over cheese in the grits. Most traditional recipes do call for loads of cheddar and/or Parmesan. But we used really amazing stone ground grits (check out Bradley's Country Store) and cooked them in milk so they were oh-so-very-creamy. In the end, we decided the shrimp and gravy were so divine that cheese grits would overpower that great flavor.
I'd say try these without any cheese, then if you feel that the flavor is really lacking, then by all means, add some cheese!
The best shrimp and grits I've ever had is from a placed called City Grocery in my college town of Oxford, MS. It's a staple of the city and is wonderful. Here is the recipe from John Currence the chef...
Grits:
1 cup quick grits
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup extra sharp Cheddar cheese (white)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
Tabasco to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Shrimp:
2 cups chopped smoked bacon
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds (20- to 30-count) shrimp, peeled
Salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 cups sliced white mushrooms
3 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups sliced scallions
Cook grits according to package instructions; as they are finishing, whisk in butter, cheeses, cayenne, paprika and TABASCO® Sauce to taste.
To prepare shrimp, cook bacon until it begins to brown; remove from heat and drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon and set aside. Strain drippings and set aside.
Heat a large skillet until very hot; add olive oil and 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings. As oil begins to smoke, toss in shrimp to cover bottom of pan. Before stirring, season with salt and pepper. Stir until shrimp begin to turn pink; let pan return to original hot temperature.
Stir in minced garlic and bacon bits, being careful not to burn garlic. Toss in mushrooms and coat with oil briefly. Add lemon juice and wine, and stir for 30 seconds or so until everything is well coated and incorporated.
When ready to serve, stir in sliced scallions and cook about 20 seconds.
Darn it, another one I just can't resist...
Looks soooo good!
Looks Amazing! Glad to see someone else knows about Bradley's Country Store. Used to live right around the corner from there. Best sausage in town.....or Florida for that matter. Can't wait to order their grits!
I'm making this tonight! I don't have a Southern bone in my body but I've become grits-obsessed lately. Thanks for inspiring dinner!
City Grocery! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.
Hi I am a faithful reader of your blog and a dyed-in-the-wool Southerner having grown up here in the Metro of Atlanta Georgia and eaten Shrimp and Grits many times and let me tell you I am not unimpressed with your interpretation, just surprised you took a recipe that isn't always that high fat and made it richer than normal. My two favorite place to make this here in Atlanta are "The flying Biscuit" and "Mary mac's Tea Room" Both prepare it roughly the same way. Fix Cheese grits with either water or milk or a combo of milk and cream for richer grits then steam the shrimp in old bay, lemon and cayenne. ( you should see a distinctly red hue on your shrimp and the "gravy" that comes with them) Normally they're pretty fat so you shouldn't crowd the bowl with more than four or five and the combo of cheese grits or buttered grits with firm, pink shrimp is quite tasty. If you so desire I will link you to my Youtube Channell and actually cook it for you step by step since I keep promising to cook something for my non-southern friends!
I am Southern so Fish and Grits is somethng I am very used to, but I saw this recipe and it stopped me dead in my tracks. Shrimp and Grits???? This looks and sounds amazing. One word. DAMN!!!!!!
I have got to make this.....this looks sooooooo good!!!!!
http://foodfashionandflow.blogspot.com/
Add a scant pinch of baking soda to the milk or water you use for the grits and you won't have to stir it constantly. They'll be smooth and creamy with no lumps!
Born and raised on grits. Love em! This looks tasty but ugh to the old bay seasoning. I loathe the taste of that stuff. Viva la Tony Cacheres!
I had never heard of shrimp and grits until a co-worker in Brooklyn talked about them. And I was raised in the south! I love shrimp... I love grits. Still not sure I can wrap my head around the two together.
Made tonight...delicious. I was tempted to add cheese to the grits because I have a hard time saying no to cheese, but took Nealey's advice and tried it first without. It was perfect without it.
Love shrimp and grits! Best I ever had was at Carolina Crossing in Chapel Hill. Not a fan of the bacon mushroom additions, so I might leave out the bacon and add a little thyme. Can't wait to try.