When I got to NC, everyone kept telling me about Shrimp & Grits but before I could try it I had to research the different type of grits and whether they were gluten free or not. After finding out that grits are made from corn and I could eat them, we looked up local restaurants and I called them to find out their GF practices.
There have been two restaurants that do it right, and that I have been able to enjoy Shrimp & Grits at. One is Skeeter's in Atlantic Beach (http://www.amosmosquitos.com/). The other is The Chelsea in New Bern (http://www.thechelsea.com/). Both make their recipes differently, but both are delicious.
I took bits and pieces of each that I loved and came up with my own version. I'm going to give you my standard ingredients list followed by directions; that way you can buy your supplies first. However, these directions are going to be significantly more detailed because as I have found, there are MANY ways to mess this up. Some still taste good, but others leave you with lumpy chunky grits.
I would recommend reading through the full instructions one time before trying to cook because there is a level of coordination that goes along with getting this right.
So here goes...
Southern Shrimp & Grits
(serves 3)
Ingredients:
4 tbsp Bacon grease (I use this instead of butter, but you can use butter if you like)*I always get whole, raw shrimp. I peel and de-vein them myself. If you buy the pre-cooked, you will not get the good shrimp flavor in your dish and they will overcook and get rubbery. The shrimp will also not hold the seasoning as well. Also, get whatever amount per person your family will eat. I don't like a lot of shrimp but others in my house do, so we assume 4 each for them and 2 for me with the jumbo's.
1 large red bell pepper
1 bunch of fresh scallions
1 smoked sausage (Smithfield Natural Casing Smoked Sausage)
10 jumbo shrimp (or a dozen large*)
1 container of Chicken Stock (I get the box of Kitchen Basics Original)
1.5 cups half & half
3/4 cup of grits (Palmetto Farms All Natural, Gluten Free, Non-GMO, Stone Ground, White**)
1 block of cheddar cheese (Cracker Barrel Vermont Sharp White Cheddar)
salt
black pepper
cayenne pepper
**I get this on Amazon. I have used yellow grits before, but the best grits in my opinion are the white grits. Also the stone ground have a smoother consistency when they cook, so if you want your grits to be like fluffy clouds of deliciousness, then use this kind.
Directions:
The very first step in this is to prep all of your ingredients and tools. You will need a large sauce pan and also a large frying pan. Do not pre-heat either pan. You are going to want a cheese grater that offers a fine grate. I use the Pampered Chef Microplane Adjustable Fine Grater because it is the only way I can grate cheese without losing my fingertips and/or knuckles.
The first thing I do is peel and de-vein the shrimp and once they are thoroughly washed and drained, I put them in a bowl and season them, to taste, with salt, black pepper and cayenne (you can make it as mild or as spicy as your family likes). I let them sit in the seasoning to absorb the spices while I prep the rest of the ingredients.
Finely chop your scallions, so that they appear like the small pieces you see in the dried spices containers. Put them aside in a small bowl and set them to the side.
Next, I cut up my red pepper into a fine dice. I set them aside in a small bowl.
Next, take your smoked sausage and cut it into thin round slices (think pepperoni on a pizza). I also place these into a bowl and set them aside.
In your saucepan, measure 1.5 cups of half & half and 1.5 cups of chicken stock. Use a wooden spoon to stir this thoroughly. Next measure 3/4 cup of the grits and slowly pour them into the liquid while stirring so as to mix them thoroughly.
Place your sauce pan on a burner on medium-low heat and allow it to heat up slowly, giving it a stir every few minutes.
While your grits are warming, turn on your frying pan to just above medium heat and add in 4 tbsp of bacon grease (or butter) and your diced red peppers. Add a touch of salt and black pepper to your red peppers. You want them to cook until soft, and then add in the sausage.
Stir your grits again :)
The sausage is pre-cooked, so this is merely going to heat them back up. However, in doing so, the sausage will release its juices, which will blend with the pepper flavors giving a nice base for the sauce.
Keep stirring your grits frequently :)
When the sausage starts to shrink, add in chicken stock and lower the heat to medium-low. It is up to you, how much or how little you want to add. You want there to be enough liquid for each person and remember that it will blend in with the grits - they will absorb it in the end.
Stir the grits some more. If they start to bubble, lower the heat and stir continuously. Once they reach this point, do not stop stirring until all of the liquid is absorbed. The secret to fluffy cloud grits is the stirring. If you don't stir, and let them sit there bubbling, they will form clumps.
Once the liquid is absorbed and you have smooth, creamy grits, take them off the heat and use the grater to finely grate the cheese directly into the grits. I, personally, could use the whole block because I like super cheesy grits, but my family does not, so I only use half when I'm cooking for all of us. You can add more to individual plates after you serve the grits, if you have a cheese lover, like me in your house.
Use the wooden spoon to stir the cheese into the grits until it is soft and creamy looking. Now set your grits aside.
Check the broth level in the frying pan. Add more if you want to. Now, add in your shrimp, including any liquid that gathered in the bottom of the bowl they were sitting in - shrimp juices have lots of great flavor!
Stir until the shrimp are almost cooked and then reduce the heat.
Grab your bowls and spoon out the grits into each bowl. From the frying pan, you want to scoop out your cooked shrimp first and arrange them in the bowls. Next scoop out sausage and peppers onto the grits. You will then ladle the broth (now infused with pepper, sausage and shrimp flavor) over the whole thing. At first it will pool and that is good because that is how it is served. Finish the dish with a sprinkle of finely chopped scallions.
If your family is like mine, they will stir it into a big mush and it'll be gone before you remember to take a picture. Apologies that I don't have one at this moment, but I promise you that the next time I make it, I will post pictures here.
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