Shrimp & Grits: The Ultimate Southern Comfort Food

 

Shrimp and Grits is the ultimate Southern comfort food. A traditional low country specialty, it's served with a simple sauce and uses stone-ground grits with cheese, and often bacon, but can be made without. Yellow stone ground grits are classic. They are the steel cut oats of the grit world. The texture has some bite to it, and the flavour is, for lack of a better word, “corny.” To serve, spoon some cooked grits into a shallow bowl, and place some of the shrimp with some of the sauce on top. Then, sprinkle with the chopped bacon and some sliced green onions or fresh chives. 

Shrimp and Grits

Serves 4

Recipe courtesy of Saveur

1 cup white or yellow stone-ground grits
3⁄4 cup grated cheddar
1⁄4 cup parmesan
2 tbsp unsalted butter
Kosher salt
2 tbsp canola oil
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 lb medium shrimp, about 30, peeled
Freshly ground black pepper
6 button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1⁄2 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1⁄2 tsp hot sauce, preferably Tabasco
4 scallions, thinly sliced

In a 2-quart saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and whisk in the grits. Cook, whisking frequently, until the grits are tender and creamy, 30–40 minutes. (Whisk in more water for thinner grits.) Whisk in the cheddar, parmesan, and 1 tablespoon of butter and season with salt, then cover and set aside.

Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel–lined plate, and set aside, reserving the cooking fat in skillet.

Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Over medium-high heat, add the shrimp to the skillet and cook, turning once, until bright pink, about 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a plate with a slotted spoon. Lower the heat to medium, and add the mushrooms to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until golden, 1 minute. Raise the heat to high, add the chicken broth, and scrape bottom of skillet with a wooden spoon. Cook until the broth reduces by half, about 3 minutes. Return the shrimp to the skillet along with the lemon juice, remaining butter, and hot sauce and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens, about 1 minute. 

To serve, divide the grits between 4 bowls, and top each with shrimp and sauce, then garnish each bowl with bacon, scallions, and lemon wedges.