Shrimp and Grits
Slow-cooked, stone-ground grits finished creamy with butter, topped with shrimp pan-fried in bacon drippings and built into a light gravy with the pan's own flavor. Rooted in the Gullah Geechee food traditions of the Carolina Lowcountry, where shrimp, considered undesirable by enslavers, became a staple protein for enslaved and freed coastal communities, first appearing in print as "Breakfast Shrimp" in a 1950 Charleston community cookbook.
Seafood
⚠ Contains: Shellfish, Dairy. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 1 cup stone-ground grits
- 4 cups water or chicken stock, plus 1 cup milk, optional
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar, optional
- 450g large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 4 slices bacon, diced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 cup chicken or shrimp stock
- 1 tsp Cajun or Creole seasoning, or hot sauce, to taste
- 2 scallions, sliced, for garnish
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Steps
- Bring the water or stock to a boil, whisk in the grits and salt, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 25-35 minutes, stirring frequently, until creamy and thickened. Stir in the butter, and cheese if using, at the end.
- Season the shrimp with salt, pepper, and a pinch of Cajun seasoning.
- Cook the diced bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp, then remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan.
- Saute the onion and bell pepper in the bacon fat until softened, then add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Sprinkle in the flour and stir to form a light roux, cooking 1 minute, then gradually whisk in the stock to form a light gravy.
- Add the shrimp to the gravy and cook 3-4 minutes until just pink and opaque, seasoning to taste with hot sauce or seasoning.
- Spoon the shrimp and gravy over a bowl of hot grits, and top with the crisp bacon and scallions.