Southern shrimp and grits-is this right?

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

I am southern, but have never made this dish. Does this recipe look right to you?

Southern Shrimp and Grits

A southern specialty, sometimes called breakfast shrimp, this dish tastes great for brunch or dinner, and anytime company’s coming. It’s down-home comfort food at its finest. —Mandy Rivers, Lexington, South Carolina

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 15 min. Cook: 20 min. YIELD: 4 servings.

Ingredients

2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups 2% milk
1/3 cup butter, cubed
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup uncooked old-fashioned grits
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

SHRIMP:
8 thick-sliced bacon strips, chopped
1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Cajun or blackened seasoning
4 green onions, chopped

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, bring the broth, milk, butter, salt and pepper to a boil. Slowly stir in grits. Reduce heat. Cover and cook for 12-14 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in cheese until melted. Set aside and keep warm.
2. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon; drain, reserving 4 teaspoons drippings. Saute the shrimp, garlic and seasoning in drippings until shrimp turn pink. Serve with grits and sprinkle with onions.

Featured Answer

Sherry8aNorthAL

6 years ago

Close to what I make. Parmesan instead of cheddar. Quick grits. Less bacon, less garlic. Add Worcestershire sauce, mushrooms, bell pepper, cayenne pepper, and flour.

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Comments (24)

Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
6 years ago
I think it sounds good. I like finely chopped tomato and bell pepper and I usually add smoked gouda - several cheeses, but there are a ton of variations. It's what i usually get in restaurants.
rob333 (zone 7b) thanked Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
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As I understand it, southern grits are made from dent corn--it has a soft endosperm and makes great grits. On the other hand, polenta and other types of corn meal are made from flint corn. Here's a posting from another site which is said to have originated at Anson Mills website, although I couldn't find it there just now: "Dent or Flint? Corn is classified by the type of starch (endosperm) in its kernels. The premier mill corn of the American South, known as dent (the name derives from the dent that forms on the top of each kernel as it dries), has a relatively soft, starchy center. Dent corn makes easy work of milling--it also makes phenomenal grits. "Flint corn, by contrast, has a hard, starchy endosperm and produces grittier, more granular meal that offers an outstanding mouthfeel when cooked. One type of American flint--indigenous to the Northeast--was, and remains, the traditional choice for Johnny cakes. In Italy, flint has been the preeminent polenta corn since the 16th century when Spanish and Portuguese treasure hunters brought Caribbean flint to the Piedmont on ships." The first corn was taken to Italy in the hold of ships to hide gold and other treasures from pirates on the high seas. However there were famines and the people used it for food. Finding that they liked it, they began to cultivate it in Italy and another New World crop became part of Italian cuisine." Be that as it may, both polenta and grits are cooked corn meal mush made from slightly different forms of corn. As far as the flavor of grits, it depends on both the freshness of the grits and the particle size. Good grits are larger and take a long time to cook; the smaller the particle size, the more quickly they cook and the more likely they are to taste like library paste. (Instant grits are an abomination.) But the most important part of the preparation has been mentioned by the late Lewis Grizzard, and that is to serve them 'with enough butter to choke a goat'.
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I must confess to not liking grits much...or at least I think I don't. I only had them once while in Florida many moons ago and swear they tasted like wallpaper paste. However I do like polenta so maybe it was just a very bad order of grits. It was at an IHOP so maybe thats a clue ! LOL Tyler cooked this recipe on his "Ultimate" show the other day and it looked awesome. Even this Canadian gal thinks she could manage to enjoy this dish! PS: patti LOL on your looking for a hot crap dip!! Thanks for a much needed giggle! Here is a link that might be useful: Tyler's Shrimp and Grits
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Hm... I haven't spent much time in the South, and I didn't see a lot of grits there, so I have no feel for authenticity. Every time I've seen shrimp and grits, both in person and on TV, the grits are white, so I assumed hominy. Then they put yellow cheese in them, so it could be hard to tell if it were corn. So I tried looking at Southern Living's recipe, figuring it could be definitive and I see your point. :) It doesn't say. Which goes back to try both and figure out what you like. :) There's a lot more traffic in Kitchens. You could post an OT there and see if you get some better responses.
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rob333 (zone 7b)
Original Author
6 years ago
All of the additions are piquing my interest. Both of your suggestions sound great. Hmm. All I know is my usual brunch place is closed this week (hit by the TN tornado stuff), so I am going to try and cheer myself up with trying a new dish and an old favorite, blood orange mimosas. Can't wait! Thank you!
Sherry8aNorthAL
6 years ago
It is just cheese grits (grits +cheese+cream) plus pan grilled shrimp. Add or subtract what ever you like. Add what ever "hot" you like, or not! I don't ever follow the "recipe" exact. Bacon is a must!
rob333 (zone 7b) thanked Sherry8aNorthAL
rob333 (zone 7b)
Original Author
6 years ago
:)

Hot. I just got through eating an el Diablo burger (Angus Beef, Pepper Jack, Habaneros & Serranos, Caramelized Onions, Salsa Roja, Chipotle Aioli). Can't be too hot for me! Well, almost.
Lars
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
I don't put milk, cheese, or bacon in mine, but I do add celery, onion, bell pepper, and Habanero. I don't like cheese with shrimp, but if I did use cheese, it would be Cotija or feta. While Cotija is typically from Michoacán, I found a brand from Oaxaca that I like better. It is very similar to feta. I don't consider my shrimp and grits to be typically Southern style - more like Cajun or Louisiana style. I sometimes add spicy sausage to mine also.
rob333 (zone 7b) thanked Lars
Sherry8aNorthAL
6 years ago
Lars, sorry, it may be a shrimp dish, but it is NOT shrimp and grits without cheese, butter, and bacon.
rob333 (zone 7b) thanked Sherry8aNorthAL
rob333 (zone 7b)
Original Author
6 years ago
spicy sausage sounds good too. I'm going to have to pick a direction, aint I?
sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
6 years ago
Make it what seems good. No rules.

We make extra grits for slices next day...polenta.
rob333 (zone 7b) thanked sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
6 years ago
rob333 (zone 7b) thanked sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
dees_1
6 years ago
Traditional for sure. My suggestion would be to make the recipe as stated. Tweak it next time.

The addition of diced andouille sausage would be it for me, along with adjusting seasoning. This should be all about the shrimp.
rob333 (zone 7b) thanked dees_1
Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
6 years ago
I like Emeril's recipes and also using heavy cream.
rob333 (zone 7b) thanked Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
rob333 (zone 7b)
Original Author
6 years ago
I'm going with, garlic, onion, bell pepper (sorry Dee!), maybe celery for the aromatics. I think it'll be 1/3 sharp cheddar and 2/3 parm. That's as tweaked as I'm going (looked for the commonalities and my cheese preference).

If I were to do the heat, it'd have tomatoes, andouille, more Creole-influenced.
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10
6 years ago
Shrimp & grits yes, but no bacon for me, thanks 😝
rob333 (zone 7b)
Original Author
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Et voila! Merci. C'est magnifique. I appreciate the guidance.

P.S. you may call it shrimp and grits without bacon, but it wont be Southern. Honeychild, we fry corn with bacon grease.
Jilly
6 years ago
^^ Looks wonderful!

Reata in Fort Worth makes my favorite grits — jalapeño grits. They serve it with elk sausage. So very very good.

(Picture not mine)
foodonastump
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Looks good, Rob!

I’ve made Emeril’s version before, the shrimp/andouille part not the grits part. Wife found it a bit spicy but I liked it.

https://www.emerils.com/122851/spicy-shrimp-and-andouille-over-charleston-style-grits

Jinx - I like the idea, and I’m sure it’s great. I’d have a hard time pouring three cups of heavy cream into a recipe though! Maybe on a special occasion.
rob333 (zone 7b) thanked foodonastump
WalnutCreek Zone 7b/8a
6 years ago
@Jinx, I am so glad you posted that recipe. Love, love, love jalapeño grits. Now I can make them myself.
rob333 (zone 7b)
Original Author
6 years ago
I think my next foray will have to be the spicy route. There was cayenne sprinkled on the shrimp, and that was my favorite part.

Cream? That does sound good
Lars
6 years ago
Emeril's sounds pretty close to what I make, but I have not yet made grits with milk and cream - only broth. I do add red bell pepper and Habanero chili, and so mine does come out spicy. Sometimes I add some frozen corn kernels to it, to enhance the corn flavor.
rob333 (zone 7b)
Original Author
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
I cut the recipe in half, making two servings. I've eaten twice today. Both were really tasty. Can't believe I ate it again already? I'm in love.

Confession? I've never EATEN it either. It's why I didn't know if it was a correct recipe. It's either really easy, or I got really lucky it turned out reasonably decent, but I'm happy with it.
momdino
6 years ago
The creator of this dish was the late Bill Neal, at Crooks Corner in Chapel Hill, NC. He passed away at age 41 in 1991.

This recipe seems pretty similar to most others attributed to Neal.

https://www.eater.com/2014/4/4/6274089/the-shrimp-grits-at-crooks-corner-in-north-carolina
Jilly
6 years ago
I’m sorry. Someone had to do it. 😉
Compumom11
6 years ago
Whoever is cooking, let me know because DH will be coming to join you! They all sound great!

Southern shrimp and grits-is this right?

Sherry8aNorthAL

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Bumblebeez SC Zone 7

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