Shrimp and Grits

 

 
Dinner-time is approaching, you're in Charleston, SC (or you wish you were) and you're thinking of shrimp and grits. No dish is more quintessential Low Country cuisine, nothing is more Charleston. But where would a native go for shrimp and grits? First off, you're about 12 hours late. Historically, shrimp and grits was breakfast for fishermen and their families during shrimp season (May to December). It makes sense also when you think of how true shrimp and grits is started, not in olive oil, not in butter, but in the fat of cooked bacon. A basic preparation might follow with softening onion, green bell pepper, some garlic, a handful of scallion, saute the shrimp, add a dash of lemon juice, a splash of Tabasco and you're done.

Of course, a host of dining experiences have risen in Charleston with locals and visitors alike ready for a fancier shrimp and grits. You can hardly see a fisherman deglazing his breakfast pan with white wine, or adding chicken stock to make a broth, but both are fine additions. At Husk, a Bon Appetit Best New Restaurant, they cook the shrimp with artisan sausage and ladle roasted tomato broth over the mixture to make more of a soup. Rachel Ray and Anthony Bourdain helped highlight Jestine's Kitchen, which features their own soupy recipe over grits. Southend Brewery will serve you something closer to cheese soup and Poogan's Porch will add a blue crab gravy to its shrimp mixture. The last frequent option is adding mushrooms, found at Hominy Grill and in many recipes you'll see. 

Me? I'm neither a fisherman nor a purist. I'm not even from the South, so I suppose that gives me plenty of room for my own style. I do like things a little saucy, but soupy seems wrong for shrimp and grits. While I like to keep things simple, I also like to take opportunities to capture and enhance flavors. Like any dish, make it your own with your own combination of ingredients and flavors.
   
A note on the grits, this recipe assumes 4 cups of liquid for 1 cup of grits. Instant grits might call for a different proportion of liquid to grits. Make the grits with the volume of liquid directed, and adjust the water, cream and stock mixture accordingly, feeling free to drop any of these ingredients as long as the liquid total is as recommended. Many also add cheese to their grits, but you won't find that here. Serves 4.
   
Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 cup cream
1 cup stock (shrimp, chicken or vegetable)
1 cup quick-cook grits
1 lb shrimp
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt/pepper
6 bacon slices
1 onion, diced
1/2 a green bell pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp flour
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup scallions, chopped white and light green parts
dash of Tabasco 
    
In a large sauce pan over medium-high heat, combine the water, cream and stock. Bring to a boil and slowly stir in the grits. Stir to combine, turn down the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for the length of time directed, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, combine the shrimp and lemon juice in a bowl, seasoning with salt and pepper, and set aside.
In a large saute pan over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon and and drain on a plate with paper towels. Break up the bacon into pieces when cool enough to handle. In the retained bacon fat, add the onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds further. Sprinkle in the flour and stir, cooking another minute to allow the flour taste to cook off. Add the white wine and scrape the bottom of the pan, deglazing and loosening the cooked bits. Cook down the wine somewhat and then whisk in the chicken stock.  Bring the sauce to a simmer to thicken. 
When the grits are cooked, add the shrimp and scallions to the sauce mixture. Cook the shrimp until opaque, about 3 to 5 minutes. Mix in the cooked bacon, a dash of Tabasco, if desired, adjust the salt and pepper seasoning, and serve immediately over the grits.