True Southern Comfort: Shrimp & Grits

For years, I thought the only thing worthy of adding to hot, buttered grits was crisp, crumbled bacon and, on rare occasions, typically on Sunday, cheese, eggs and Tabasco.

Moreover, shrimp were not to be included in stuff, they were good enough to be considered stuff all by themselves ---as in fried shrimp, shrimp cocktail, barbecued shrimp and just plain, old, boiled shrimp. A well made shrimp po’ boy on a freshly made french baguette, is a hard act to follow. Unless that act is a fried oyster po’ boy.

Fortunately, there is a great way to combine grits and shrimp, using the merits of both to go beyond the sum of their parts. It is, of course, shrimp & grits, as if it weren’t obvious.

Start with real good grits ...

Grits and corn meal became staples in the South because corn could be dried and kept long past the harvest and ground when you wanted it. This also has the tremendous advantage of preserving the flavors and freshness inside the grain.

It’s why hot milled, store-bought grits never taste as good as those from the freshly stone-ground corn. An added benefit to grits in the South both after the Civil War and during the Great Depression, was high food value relative to cost. In those times, many people were struggling.

Add some fresh shrimp

Due to the closeness of salt marshes in the Carolina Low Country and around the Gulf of Mexico, Southern coastal regions long have been prime breeding grounds for the marvelous little ten-legged crustaceans we know as shrimp. (Oysters, too, but that’s another story).

One thing Southern cooks are celebrated for is inventiveness and creativity with available resources --- long tested and strengthened over time by necessity. Nothing could be more natural for a “low country” cook than putting shrimp on top of hot grits for breakfast. Today it has become a gussied-up favorite for anytime of the day and you’ll find them in places as diverse as five-star restaurants and fish camps from San Fransisco to Charleston.

But not too hot!

I like to put the heat into the food rather than on it so I use fresh chiles to accomplish this. Dried and flaked ones work too but, fresh or dry, get them in during the cook-up. I use a couple of chiles chopped and seeded, and usually one more, seeds and all, and this usually gives the food the right degree of “warm glow” for my taste. Don’t try to make your stuff too hot just to prove how tough you are because you’ll bury the flavors in a fog of discomfort. I made this mistake myself. Once.

Making this recipe takes aproximately two beers, if you’re not real thirsty, or a couple of glasses of wine. Be sure to place your wine glass away from your cutting board in case it slips. I probably don’t have to tell you that this advice is born of experience!

Well, if you’re ready, pop a top on a cold one and let’s get started.

Shrimp & Grits (serves four normal people or two disgusting table hogs)
This plan will take you about 35-40 minutes, depending on the proximity of your wine glass to the cutting board.

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED FROM THE STORE:
Two pounds shrimp
Two or three fresh red cherry or red fresno chiles
(1 big jalapeno will work).
Onion (one, baseball-size)
Green onion (one bunch)
Parsley (you’ll use 1/3 bunch)
Garlic (you’ll use one clove)
Stone-ground white or yellow corn grits
Butter (unsalted!)
1 pound andouille
Half-pound ham slice
Wondra flour for sauces
Paprika
Wine (red or white)
Bay leaves
Tabasco
Salt & black pepper

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED IN THE KITCHEN:
Skillet (one with a cover).
Whisk
Couple of bowls.
Cutting board.
Cook’s knife.
Measuring spoons.
Four-quart pot with tight fitting top.
Measuring cup.
 
How to cook your grits
Into a 4-quart saucepan that has a cover put:
One cup white or yellow stone-ground grits.
One teaspoon salt.
Four cups water.
Four tablespoons unsalted butter
Cover, cook on medium-low 15-minutes,
stirring with whisk every 5 minutes.
Remove from heat. Leave covered up to 15 minutes or until served.

* For a creamier taste, you may use marscarpone cheese instead of butter
HERE’S HOW YOU PUT IT TOGETHER:
  1. Peel the shrimp and set aside
  2. Finely chop the chiles (leave the seeds in one) with onion, green onion, parsley & garlic.
  3. Saute this on medium-low 5-7 min. in a tablespoon of olive oil.  Drain and set aside in a bowl, leaving oil in skillet.
  4. Prepare grits covered in a 4-quart saucepan with butter & salt (see how-to section below).
  5. Add 1/8 inch water to the skillet, poach the andoiulle covered on medium-low heat (you will need 15 minutes), remove cover and allow to brown on both sides then turn off heat, remove and dice the andouille.
  6. In the same skillet, fry the ham on low heat adding 1/4 stick butter on medium heat (both sides) until browned.
  7. Remove browned ham and dice it, leaving juices in skillet.
  8. Sprinkle two teaspoons Wondra into the skillet and stir to blend on medium heat.
  9. Add a half-cup of dry wine.
  10. Add half teaspoon paprika.
  11. Add the sauteed vegetables from the bowl.
  12. Add the cut up andouille and the cut up ham with two bay leaves (or four small ones). Add more wine or a little water if needed.
  13. Add a few drops of Tabasco.
  14. Add the peeled raw shrimp.
  15. Add two green onions, finely chopped.
  16. Allow this to simmer slowly for 3-5 minutes, adding a little water or stock or wine if necessary.
  17. Spoon hot shrimp mixture with gravy over the grits as shown.
  18. Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and chopped parsley.

About SouthonaPlate  |  Grits & Syrup  |  Pancakes & Sausage  |  Coffee & Pecans  |  Treasure Box
Recipes & Stories  |  Southern Merchandise  |  Southern Photographs  |  Newspaper Parody  |  Home