Shrimp and grits

Ingredients

Grits

• 200 gstone-ground grits
• 700 mlwater
• 300 mlwhole milk
• 1 tspsalt
• 60 gbutter
• 100 gsharp cheddar, grated, optional

Shrimp

• 600 glarge shrimp, peeled, shells kept
• 1 tsppaprika
• cayenne, to taste
• salt and black pepper

Sauce

• 4rashers bacon, diced
• 200 gmushrooms, sliced
• 4spring onions
• 3 clovesgarlic
• juice of 1 lemon
• 150 mlshrimp stock, from the shells
• 2 tbspbutter
• 1 tbspWorcestershire sauce
• hot sauce

To serve

• chopped parsley
• lemon wedges

Directions

1. Use stone-ground grits, not instant and not quick. Stone-ground grits keep the germ and take 45 minutes to an hour, and they taste of corn. Put the grits in a bowl of water and skim off the chaff that floats to the top, then drain. That skimming removes the papery hulls and is worth the minute it takes.
2. Bring the water and milk to a boil with the salt. Rain them in while whisking constantly, because tipped in at once they clump into lumps that never break down. Turn the heat right down as soon as they are in. Now cook them for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring every few minutes.
3. Add more hot liquid whenever they thicken too much, and expect to add a good deal. They are done when the grains have swelled completely and there is no grittiness left on the tongue.
4. Taste them rather than timing them. Beat in the butter and the cheese at the end, off the heat. Season them properly, because unsalted grits are bland and no topping compensates. Keep them warm and loose, and loosen with hot milk if they stiffen. Now the shrimp stock, which takes five minutes and improves everything.
5. Fry the shrimp shells in a little butter until pink and fragrant, cover with water, simmer 10 minutes and strain. Season the peeled shrimp with paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper.
6. Fry the bacon in a heavy pan until crisp, then lift it out, leaving the fat. Fry the mushrooms hard in the bacon fat until browned. Let the mushrooms sit and colour before stirring, or they release water and stew instead of browning. Add the garlic and spring onion whites and cook a minute.
7. Cook them for 1 to 2 minutes a side and no longer. Shrimp are done the moment they turn opaque and curl into a loose C. Take them out of the pan while you finish the sauce. Add the shrimp stock, lemon juice and Worcestershire and let it bubble and reduce for a minute.
8. Whisk in the butter off the heat to give it body. Return the shrimp and bacon and toss briefly to coat. Pile the shrimp and sauce into the well and pour the pan juices over. Scatter spring onion greens and parsley and serve with hot sauce and lemon. Serve it immediately, because grits stiffen as they sit.

Technique

• Anson Mills and similar millers revived stone-ground grits and they are worth ordering.
• The Gullah Geechee origins of the dish are increasingly acknowledged and were long overlooked.
• The plain original, shrimp cooked in bacon fat over grits, is excellent and much simpler.

Substitutions

• Coarse polenta in place of grits, which is close but not identical.
• Any large prawn in place of shrimp.

Variations

• The plain Lowcountry breakfast version, without mushrooms or cheese.
• With a tomato-based sauce, as made in Charleston.
• With andouille sausage.

History

A Lowcountry Gullah Geechee breakfast; Bill Neal’s version at Crook’s Corner, written up by the New York Times in 1985, made it famous.

Frequently asked questions

What is Shrimp and grits?

Shrimp and grits is a main from United States: lowcountry creamy corn grits topped with sautéed shrimp. A Lowcountry Gullah Geechee breakfast; Bill Neal’s version at Crook’s Corner, written up by the New York Times in 1985, made it famous.

How long does Shrimp and grits take to make?

Shrimp and grits takes 20 min of preparation and 1 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Shrimp and grits?

Yes, within limits. Coarse polenta in place of grits, which is close but not identical. Any large prawn in place of shrimp.

What is the most important thing to get right in Shrimp and grits?

Bring the water and milk to a boil with the salt. Rain them in while whisking constantly, because tipped in at once they clump into lumps that never break down. Turn the heat right down as soon as they are in. Now cook them for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring every few minutes.