Friday, May 24, 2013

Southern Shrimp and Grits

When you ask any southerner what the most important element is of shrimp and grits, the majority will probably tell you the quality of the shrimp.  While I do believe that is important, I think the most important element is the quality of the grits.  I grew up eating the "just add water" instant grits, and always loved them. But little did I know that they could be so much better than that.  After college, I worked in restaurants for a few years, and took advantage of that time to learn some tricks of the trade.  One valuable lesson that I learned was that you never make grits with just water.   Here is my recipe for Shrimp and Grits.
 

The Grits: 

3 cups water

1 cup Heavy Cream
1/4 lb butter
S & P to taste
1 cup grits

Bring the 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add the heavy cream, butter, salt, and pepper.  Just as the water starts to come  back to a boil, add the grits.  Stir, and then reduce heat to simmer for about 25 or 30 minutes, stirring often.  These will be the fluffiest most decadent grits you've ever tasted, I promise you. (Serves 2-4)

The Shrimp: 

1/2 lb shrimp, peeled
2 TB lemon juice
salt
cayenne pepper
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper finely chopped
2 TB all purpose flour
1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken stock
2-3 strips bacon

In a bowl, sprinkle the shrimp with lemon juice, salt, and cayenne and set aside.  Cook the bacon until crisp, remove from skillet and save the bacon juice. (or as my mother calls it, the bacon essence) In this essence saute the onion and bell pepper until onions are transparent. Sprinkle the flour over vegetables and stir constantly until the flour begins to brown. Add the shrimp and stock, stirring constantly and turning shrimp so they cook evenly. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes until shrimp are done and the gravy is uniformly smooth, thinning with more stock if necessary. Crumble the bacon and sprinkle it on top. Serve over grits. (Serves 2-4)

3 comments:

  1. I am so going to try your grits recipe. I grew up eating shrimp and grits, but my fiancé has a shellfish allergy, so I don't even bring it into the house.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Heavy cream is a must, for sure! :)

    ReplyDelete

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