Shrimp n' Grits

February 16, 2014 2 Comments

You can't go wrong with Shrimp and Grits. We semi followed this recipe from Charleston and it came out just as delicious as the dish I ordered from the restaurant! The grits were super creamy, the shrimp were tender and the crispy bacon on top was the perfect final touch.

The grits take awhile, unless you cheat and buy the instant, which by all means, go for it. It takes a lot of patience, not to mention time for these, but the outcome is well worth it! We bought stone ground white grits on our trip to Charleston from this little country kitchen that had the best low country dishes ever. So we're starting with some half and half and water.

Add to it a couple tablespoons of butter and some salt.

The grits were soaking in some water, to get any excess hulls out. Stir them into the warming cream mixture.

Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat to low, put the lid on and let simmer for about an hour, stirring every 10 minutes. Now do you see where the patience part comes in? They will slowly start to thicken and become creamy and ooooh so yummy!

While the grits are busy getting yummy, we can prep for the shrimp and sauce. You will need a large shallot, a bell pepper, some garlic and fresh lemon juice. The parsley is for garnish at the end.

The recipe called for seafood stock or clam juice, I didn't have either, so I decided to just soak the fresh shrimp in some water and make my own shrimp broth. I let them soak in the water for about 30 minutes. I had originally planned on just making my own from the shrimp shells (just boil the shells in some water for a while and bam you have stock), but the shrimp I ended up getting were already cleaned and shelled. This worked just fine!

Once the broth is made, remove the shrimp and place in a bowl. Pour the fresh lemon juice over and let sit for about 7-8 minutes.

MMMMM.....now there's a site for sore eyes! A plate of crispy bacon can bring a smile to any sad face :) I cooked about 6 pieces of bacon, which will be used to crumble on top of the shrimp and grits at the end.

Have you been stirring your grits every 10 minutes?? They're getting creamier and creamier......

Heat some oil and get the shallots and garlic in to saute.

Add the bell pepper and continue to saute for about 3-4 minutes.

Add about 1/4 cup of flour to the mix and stir until it starts to turn light brown.

In go the shrimp and lemon juice. Combine with the shallots and bell pepper.

Stir in the shrimp broth.

By now the grits are about done and just need a few important finishing touches. Add another couple tablespoons of butter.

Some House Blend and some fresh ground nutmeg. If you haven't used fresh ground nutmeg, you must, it makes such a difference in taste.

And last but not least, some hot sauce. Keep the hot sauce out, you'll want to put some on top too!

Back to the shrimp! Add about a teaspoon of worchestershire sauce and a pinch of House Blend to the mix.

Is your mouth watering yet? How freakin' delicious does this look?! Fill a shallow dish with some of those creamy grits and spoon some of that rich shrimp and gravy over them. Top with crispy bacon and parsley. SO gooooooood!!!

 

RECIPE

SHRIMP N' GRITS

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 1 Hour

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4

Ingredients for Grits:

• 1 cup stone ground, white grits
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups half and half
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• SplenDishes House Blend
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce, plus extra

Directions for Grits:

In a large sauce pot, combine water, half and half, salt and 2 tablespoons of butter on medium high heat. Stir in grits and bring to a low boil.

Lower heat, put the lid on and simmer for 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes. Grits will thicken and get creamier every time you stir them.

Once grits are done, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, nutmeg and House Blend. Stir in hot sauce and keep lid on until shrimp is ready.

 

Ingredients for Shrimp:

• 1 1/2 pounds shrimp, 31/40 count or bite sized
• 1 large shallot, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 cup seafood stock or clam juice
• 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• SplenDishes House Blend
• 1/4 cup flour
• 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, reserve the bacon fat for later use
• parsley for garnish

Directions for Shrimp:

Add a few tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat to a large saute pan. Saute shallots, garlic and bell pepper until shallots are translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in flour and cook until flour is lightly browned.

Stir in shrimp and lemon juice and seafood stock, then worchestershire sauce and a pinch of House Blend. Sauce will start to thicken right away, cook until shrimp turn pink then remove from heat.

To serve, spoon grits into shallow dish and spoon shrimp and sauce over grits.

Top with crispy bacon and parsley, then devour!

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