My grandson asked me about shrimp and grits and requested it for dinner one night. I love his curious mind and his willingness to try different foods.
Shrimp and grits was once called “shrimps and hominy” or “breakfast shrimp” but it really isn’t hominy as that is corn that has been nixtamalized, or soaked in a lye-based solution to remove the hull of the kernel. Grits, on the other hand, are a type of porridge made from boiled cornmeal.
Michael Twitty, a food historian and author of the James Beard award-winning book “The Cooking Gene,” traces shrimp and grits to Mozambique. The original dish may have been ground maize and shellfish.
In the 1950s, in Charleston, South Carolina, shrimp and grits was listed as a breakfast dish in the “Charleston Receipts” cookbook and in 1976, South Carolina declared shrimp and grits as their official state food. It used small, peeled shrimp which were fried in bacon grease, onions and green pepper. Gravy is then made, called shrimp gravy, to serve with grits.
Don’t know if you can make a healthier version because cream and cheese is needed for a great tasting dish.
Shrimp and Grits
Serves 6
Bring to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat:
3 cups chicken broth
3 cups water
Whisk in, reduce to medium heat, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 20 to 23 minutes:
1-1/2 cups uncooked stone-ground yellow grits
While the grits are cooking, heat in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat:
1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
Add:
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped poblano chile
Cook until softened, 8 minutes.
Add:
2 teaspoons garlic
Cook for one minute.
Stir in and simmer 5 minutes:
2 cups unsalted fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Add:
1 tablespoon butter
Cook, stirring often, until butter is melted.
Add and cook until just pink, 3-4 minutes:
1 pound peeled and deveined raw medium shrimp
When the grits are cooked, add and stir to combine with grits:
6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 teaspoon salt
Divide grits among 6 bowls, top with shrimp mixture.
Sprinkle with:
3 tablespoons green onions
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Pass the hot sauce, to be drizzled over the dish.
Do not over cook the shrimp. The flesh should be just pink and there are no brown or greyish-brown spots. When the shrimp turns into a tight “c,” the shrimp is overcooked and will be tough and rubbery.
Taste matters when it comes to where the shrimp is from. Gulf shrimp have an earthier flavor than shrimp from the Atlantic.
Atlantic shrimp, from the Chesapeake Bay down to the water off Key West feed on sweet spartina grass in the deeper coastal water, giving the shrimp a sweeter flavor.
Shrimp scampi is another favorite way to eat shrimp. It has been a popular dish since the 14th century in the city of Genoa, originally made with crayfish.
It became a popular dish in the U.S. in the 1950s when restaurants like Shrimp Scampi started popping up all over the country. Some say that these restaurants popularized shrimp scampi here.
Check to make sure the shrimp you purchase has not been treated with sodium or preservatives. If it is, skip the first step of brining the shrimp.
Shrimp Scampi
Serves 4
Dissolve in 1 quart of cold water in a large container:
3 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
Submerge in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 15 minutes:
1-1/2 pounds shell-on jumbo shrimp (16-20 per pound), shelled, deveined and tails removed, shells reserved
Remove shrimp from brine and pat dry with paper towels.
Heat in a 12-inch skillet over high heat until shimmering:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Add shrimp shells and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to turn spotty brown and the skillet starts to brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Off heat, carefully add:
1 cup dry white wine
4 sprigs fresh thyme
When bubbling subsides, return the skillet to medium heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Strain mixture through a colander set over a large bowl. Discard shells and reserve liquid (you should have about 2/3 cup). Wipe the skillet clean with paper towels.
Combine in a small bowl:
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
In the now-clean skillet, heat to medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic is fragrant and just beginning to brown at the edges, 3 to 5 minutes:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
8 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Add the reserved wine mixture, increase heat to high, and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium, add shrimp, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are just opaque, 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove skillet from heat and, using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to a bowl.
Return skillet to medium heat, add lemon juice/cornstarch slurry and cook until slightly thickened, 1 minute. Off heat, whisk in butter and parsley until combined. Return shrimp and any accumulated juices to skillet and toss to combine. Serve, passing:
4 lemon wedges
