Shrimp & Grits
A thousand times I’ve been asked for my recipe, but the fact is I never really had one. Shrimp & grits usually just came together from whatever was around, which is a perfectly good cooking system until someone asks you to write it down.
So this is the written version: stone-ground grits, seasoned shrimp, a proper pan gravy, and enough flexibility that really you can make it any way you wish.
Proportions
- Yield: 2 hearty servings, or 4 smaller plates
- Timing: allow 30–45 minutes for the grits
- Shrimp: about 1 pound, preferably 26/30 or 31/40 count
- Main idea: start the grits first, then build the shrimp and gravy while they cook
Ingredients
For the grits
- 1 cup stone-ground yellow or white grits
- About 4 cups water, or a mix of water and chicken stock
- Salt
- 1 generous pat butter, plus more as needed
- Freshly grated Parmesan or another cheese, to taste
- Milk or cream, as needed for finishing
- Parsley and/or chives, optional
For the shrimp & gravy
- 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 medium white onion, chopped small but still chunky
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- ½ bell pepper, chopped
- About ½ lb bacon, tasso, prosciutto, diced kielbasa, or another fatty ham meat
- Garlic, to taste
- Garlic powder, onion powder, Old Bay, and tarragon, to taste
- Butter or cooking oil, as needed
- All-purpose flour, as needed for the roux
- Chicken stock, as needed
- Dry white wine or sherry, optional
Preparation
- Start the grits. Bring the water or water-and-stock mixture to a boil with salt and a generous pat of butter. Slowly stir in the grits, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 30–45 minutes. Stir every couple of minutes and scrape the bottom. Stone-ground grits reward patience; quick grits mostly reward having ignored this advice.
- Prep the shrimp. Peel and devein the shrimp, rinse them, and dry them thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper and a little oil. Dry shrimp cook better than shrimp that arrive in the pan wearing a raincoat.
- Build the flavor base. Heat a wide skillet over medium heat with enough butter or oil to coat the bottom. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and meat. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, Old Bay, and tarragon. When the vegetables are nearly done, add fresh garlic for the final minute. Remove the solids and leave the fat and browned bits in the pan.
- Cook the shrimp. Either sauté the shrimp in the same skillet, cook them in a second pan, or bake them at about 350°F on a lightly oiled rack until just pink. The important part is not the equipment; it is stopping before they turn into little pink pencil erasers.
- Make the gravy. Set the skillet over medium-low heat. You want a couple tablespoons of fat in the pan; add butter or oil if needed. Whisk in all-purpose flour a little at a time until the mixture forms soft clumps with a cookie-dough sort of appearance and no obvious grease. Cook until the raw flour smell gives way to something nuttier, then gradually whisk in chicken stock. Add a heavy splash of dry white wine or sherry if you like. Keep adding liquid until the gravy is where you want it, then season to taste.
- Finish the grits. Once the grits are thick and tender, stir in cheese. I usually use plenty of freshly grated Parmesan and whatever else happens to be around. Add milk or cream until they are creamy without becoming soup. Taste, adjust the salt, and add parsley or chives if desired.
- Bring it together. Spoon the grits into bowls, ladle over the gravy, arrange the shrimp on top, and add another spoonful of gravy for good measure. Serve those bangers.
A few notes
Use stone-ground grits
Yellow or white is fine. The important distinction is stone-ground versus quick or instant. This is not the moment to save eleven minutes – do not use quick or instant grits, at least not today.
Fresh is best; frozen is fine
Fresh local shrimp are wonderful when available. Good-quality frozen wild-caught shrimp are what’s in my freezer. I have used both plenty of times, and it’s great every time.
Adjust as you go
The cheese, dairy, stock, wine, herbs, and gravy thickness are all adjustable. Taste the food and fix what needs fixing – you do you, and everyone wins regardless.
