I’m starting out the new year with a great old Southern classic, Shrimp and Grits, an example of low-country cooking at its absolute best. Using readily available local ingredients to produce something so mouth-watering, so delicious that it almost takes your breath away. Shrimp and Grits is thought to have originated as a breakfast recipe along the Carolina coast. Most people say that it was generally unknown outside of the low country until Craig Claiborne wrote an article about it in 1985 for The New York Times. It may have taken an introduction from The New York Times to bring the dish to the national consciousness, but it has certainly become a sensation on its own. Even Bobby Flay, best known for open-flame grilling and southwestern cuisine, says in Bobby Flay Cooks American, ”If there is one dish that makes me want to march down Fifth Avenue waving the American flag, it’s shrimp and grits.”
Now, there are about as many recipes for Shrimp and Grits as there are cooks and this is my version. Others include mushrooms in the recipe and some prefer to serve over plain grits instead of cheese grits. There are so many variations on the combination of shrimp and grits, that one of the most famous of Southern chefs, Nathalie Dupree, wrote an entire cookbook on the subject. Browsing through the pages on Amazon, I see so many variations I want to try!
I’ve enjoyed Shrimp and Grits in many restaurants, but the best I’ve ever had were at Blackstone’s Cafe in Beaufort, South Carolina. Maybe I was especially hungry that morning, but that serving of Shrimp and Grits was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten in my life. If you ever find yourself in that area between Savannah and Charleston, be sure to stop by Blackstone’s. You’ll be glad you did!
Combine the shrimp with the lemon juice and Tabasco. Set aside while preparing the grits and sauce.
Chop the onion, green pepper, garlic and scallions and set aside.
Prepare the grits and hold over a very low heat until needed.
In a large sauté pan over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until brown but not yet crisp.
Add the onion, green pepper and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Add the scallions, sprinkle the flour over the mixture and continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes.
Stir in the stock or broth and salt. Cook for a minute or two until sauce is thickened.
Add the shrimp to the sauce and cook until shrimp are opaque – no more than three minutes!
To serve – ladle a generous amount of grits into a shallow bowl and top with shrimp and sauce.
Enjoy!
Sauteed shrimp with bacon, garlic and green onion served over creamy, stone-ground grits with cheddar cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and halved lengthwise
- Juice of a lemon
- 6 dashes Tabasco sauce
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- ¼ green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 tblsp. chopped scallions
- 2 tblsp. all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 cup chicken broth or stock
- 1/2 cup quick-cooking grits (not instant)
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- couple dashes garlic powder
- 3-4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Instructions
- Combine the shrimp with the lemon juice and Tabasco. Set aside while preparing the grits and sauce.
- Bring the water and salt to a boil in a smallish saucepan.
- Add the grits to the boiling water using a whisk. Using the whisk ensures that you don’t get lumps in your grits.
- Now cover the pot, lower the heat to a simmer and cook the grits according to the package directions.
- When the grits are done, stir in the black pepper and garlic powder.
- Next, add the grated cheddar and stir until well blended.
- Hold the finished grits over a very low heat until needed.
- In a large sauté pan over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until brown but not yet crisp.
- Add the onion, green pepper and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
- Sdd the scallions, sprinkle the flour over the mixture and continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes.
- Stir in the stock or broth and salt. Cook for a minute or two until sauce is thickened.
- Add the shrimp to the sauce and cook until shrimp are opaque – no more than three minutes!
- To serve – ladle a generous amount of grits into a shallow bowl and top with shrimp and sauce.
- This makes two generous servings of Shrimp and Grits. Multiply as needed.
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Yum.
Just yum.
Shrimp and grits sums up my family (and food) heritage to a tee — Gulf coast Southern — and it’s a dish that really deserves to be more widely made. For reasons totally unclear, my husband decided years ago that he was the s&g expert in our family and always makes it for us. I wonder if I could get away with gently (very gently) suggesting your perfect recipe to him? Love it, Lana!
I’m sure your hubby’s S&G is fabulous! It would have to be wonderful coming from your kitchen.
I absolutely LO VE this one! It is going on my to make list!
Thanks, Shelby. Hope you enjoy it!
This is one of our favorite meals! I can’t wait to try your variation. Thanks for all your great recipes and pictures.
You’re welcome, Angela, and thank you for the kind compliment.
This looks amazing! I’ve never had grits before and now I really really want to try them
Wow…shrimp and grits are one of my favorites but I’ve never made them. I think I’ll give it a try soon! Thanks!
Man oh man this looks delicious! My husband cheered when I mentioned this dish, so I’m very excited to give it a try! Thanks for posting this little gem.
You absolutely have me salivating! None Southerner moment here… are grits similar to polenta? I’m not even sure I’ve seen grits in Nova Scotia but we certainly do have cornmeal to make polenta.
I love shrimp and this looks tasty. But…I’m embarrassed to say, I dont know what grits are. Is it the similar to polenta?
Okay, so how do I explain to non-Southerners what grits are? Hmmm…well, technically grits are ground hominy. The corn for hominy is processed differently than for the polenta but they’re both essentially just ground corn. Here’s an article from Wikipedia about grits: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grits
I think you could use polenta for this recipe, but it won’t be exactly the same. If you want to try it with the “real deal,” here’s an online link to Southern Connisseur where you can purchase the same brand of grits that I use all the time: http://www.southernconnoisseur.com/diliqugr.html
ain’t nothing better Lana – great way to start off a new year is with an old classic and you sure got one going here, just perfect, and I’ve made my share of this one to know
Oh my lands. Just the phrase ‘shrimp and grits’ is enough to make my stomach growl at any time of day! This looks heavenly! I think my recipe might be identical.
Paula (Bell’alimento) told me about your site-I’m so happy to find it! :) It’s nice to meet a fellow Southerner!
So glad you found me! And many thanks to Paula for the recommendation!
When I lived in Texas, I tried grits, but only as a breakfast side. Will it shock you to know that I’ve never even heard the phrase “shrimp and grits”? This sounds like something I should try… as soon as my diet is over.
Oh, no! It takes a lot more than that to shock me, Susan :-)
Lana, I am a southern girl also, and I have eaten shrimp and grits all over the south. If it is on the menu, I order it. This is my first time on your website. Beautiful pictures and recipes that I will definitely try, starting with s & g.
Thanks for visiting, Linda. I hope you’ll find some old favorites and a few new things to try here.
lord jesus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i can’t wait to get started. love the recipes with shrimp.
I’m suprising my wife with this tasty looking recipe tonight and can not wait to get started! My co-workers are getting tired of me talking about it all day. Is it going to be ok to use the instant grits Lana? I’ll be trying some of your other great looking recipes here soon too!!
Sam – I surely would not use instant grits! They’re nothing like the “real” thing :-) and the quick cooking grits only take about 5-10 minutes.
Hey Lana. I made the Shrimp and Grits and it worked out great! My wife and I loved them. I had a question about egg yolks though. I am trying to make a Garlic Aioli sauce and the recipe I found calls for mixing raw egg yolks with lemon juice and there is not cooking involed… Is it safe to eat raw egg yolks when mixed with lemon juice? Didn’t know if the acids in the juice have any role in this? Oh, and if you have a good garlic aioli sauce recipe I’d love to try it, thanks!
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