Shrimp & Grits for Dinner

Why not?

This morning after reading discussion about CJ's Eatery I got thinking about shrimp and grits and how they might make a nice Sunday fall dinner. So, I thumbed through my copy of The Lee Brother's Southern Cookbook and found a mostly traditional recipe, made a short shopping list, and headed to the store.

Cookie and I have had mixed results with this cookbook so far, but I'm pleased to say that this was a successful endeavor. One of the things I liked most about the recipe was its one minor departure from a traditional shrimp and grits recipe: The gravy, made from a quick shrimp stock, is spiked with a little tomatillo puree and minced jalapeno. This really lifts the gravy's vibrancy and flavor, without veering the whole recipe off into a new territory.

Shrimp, gravy, peppers, onions, and bacon over grits. What breakfast could be better on a brisk fall evening?



Best,
Michael

eatchicago wrote:Why not?

This morning after reading discussion about CJ's Eatery I got thinking about shrimp and grits and how they might make a nice Sunday fall dinner. So, I thumbed through my copy of The Lee Brother's Southern Cookbook and found a mostly traditional recipe, made a short shopping list, and headed to the store.

Cookie and I have had mixed results with this cookbook so far, but I'm pleased to say that this was a successful endeavor. One of the things I liked most about the recipe was its one minor departure from a traditional shrimp and grits recipe: The gravy, made from a quick shrimp stock, is spiked with a little tomatillo puree and minced jalapeno. This really lifts the gravy's vibrancy and flavor, without veering the whole recipe off into a new territory.

Shrimp, gravy, peppers, onions, and bacon over grits. What breakfast could be better on a brisk fall evening?



Best,
Michael

Do I spy a breakfast beer in the background?
Jamie

I enjoy the flavor combo of shrimp and pig; not really sure what it is, but it could be that the sweetness of the crustacean syncs up nicely with the pork. This surf and turf combo works for me in a way that lobster and beef filet never do -- the latter seeming just a way to put two high-priced proteins together on a plate, regardless of whether they actually taste good together (not that lob and beef taste bad together; rather, they just don't seem to bring out the best in each other).

Michael,

Looks interesting, I want to try making shrimp and grits now.

How did you make your grits? A recipe on Epicurious, recommends using polenta or corn meal.

Thanks!

eggplant wrote:How did you make your grits? A recipe on Epicurious, recommends using polenta or corn meal.

Well, if you want grit-making advice from a Jewish-yankee-city-boy, I'm happy to oblige, but I'm sure there are other, more qualified individuals.

Corn grits, what I made here, and polenta are identical cousins, both made from coarsely ground corn meal. (Hominy grits are another story). The recipe on epicurious was not a recommendation, it was a fact. If you want to make corn grits, there is no other way than to use corn meal.

The corn meal is slowly cooked with 3xs the amount of liquid (milk and water in this case, usually stock or water for polenta). They're stirred frequently and it generally takes at least 45 minutes to get them to taste right at the right consistency.

Best,
Michael

eatchicago wrote:
Well, if you want grit-making advice from a Jewish-yankee-city-boy, I'm happy to oblige, but I'm sure there are other, more qualified individuals.

Corn grits, what I made here, and polenta are identical cousins, both made from coarsely ground corn meal. (Hominy grits are another story). The recipe on epicurious was not a recommendation, it was a fact. If you want to make corn grits, there is no other way than to use corn meal.

The corn meal is slowly cooked with 3xs the amount of liquid (milk and water in this case, usually stock or water for polenta). They're stirred frequently and it generally takes at least 45 minutes to get them to taste right at the right consistency.

Best,
Michael

Thanks! Since I have never made grits you do know much more about them than I do. I am going to try this and report back.

eatchicago wrote:Why not?

This morning after reading discussion about CJ's Eatery I got thinking about shrimp and grits and how they might make a nice Sunday fall dinner. So, I thumbed through my copy of The Lee Brother's Southern Cookbook and found a mostly traditional recipe, made a short shopping list, and headed to the store.

Cookie and I have had mixed results with this cookbook so far, but I'm pleased to say that this was a successful endeavor. One of the things I liked most about the recipe was its one minor departure from a traditional shrimp and grits recipe: The gravy, made from a quick shrimp stock, is spiked with a little tomatillo puree and minced jalapeno. This really lifts the gravy's vibrancy and flavor, without veering the whole recipe off into a new territory.

Shrimp, gravy, peppers, onions, and bacon over grits. What breakfast could be better on a brisk fall evening?



Best,
Michael

You can find an adaptation of this recipe here.

imsscott wrote:You can find an adaptation of this recipe here.

Yep. That's the exact recipe from the cookbook.

Thanks, imsscott.

I tried the Lee Brothers' recipe too and enjoyed it quite a bit. I added a little extra cayenne and used some of the jalapeno seeds because I thought it needed an extra kick, and I finished it off with some crushed black pepper. However, I think the result would have been better if I had used a mix of red tomatoes and tomatillos. Here is how my dish turned out using only tomatillos:





I purchased 4 lbs of freshly stone ground grits from Hoppin' John's. They're quite good, you can freeze them, and I'm a huge grits fan so they don't last too long in my house.





And with some Blue Marble whole buttermilk on hand (does anyone in this city even sell anything but that awful low-fat buttermilk?), I had to make some buttermilk biscuits:

Those biscuits look wonderful...what recipe did you use?

Sorry for the threadjack, but where did you find your buttermilk? The last time I made my favorite buttermilk biscuits (Martha Stewart's recipe), I used Dean's and it must have gone bad (wait, is that possible?) because the biscuits didn't turn out right, and they are usually fantastic.

keeping ontopic, Just so happens I have some shrimp today, must see if I have any cornmeal...

Saint Pizza wrote:Sorry for the threadjack, but where did you find your buttermilk? The last time I made my favorite buttermilk biscuits (Martha Stewart's recipe), I used Dean's and it must have gone bad (wait, is that possible?) because the biscuits didn't turn out right, and they are usually fantastic.

keeping ontopic, Just so happens I have some shrimp today, must see if I have any cornmeal...

I know nothing about your recipe, but I wonder why you blame the buttermilk.

I will take a wild guess, did the biscuits not rise enough? Is it possible your baking soda was old? Buttermilk is there to activate the baking soda. The acid in the buttermilk interacts with the base baking soda.

I have heard of some people who let their buttermilk age before using. Fresh from the Dean's container is too sweet for them.

Regards,

Aaron Deacon wrote:Those biscuits look wonderful...what recipe did you use?

Thank you. I used this recipe for Boarding House Biscuits which is also provided in Art Smith's cookbook Back to the Table. I made a few small changes, such as adding 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar (no, they aren't sweet), freezing the butter and flour (White Lilly for the all purpose portion in the recipe), cutting the butter quickly in my Cuisinart, then quickly using a fork to stir in the buttermilk.


I edited the above, as I originally forgot the mention of the sugar addition.

Cathy2 wrote:

Saint Pizza wrote:Sorry for the threadjack, but where did you find your buttermilk? The last time I made my favorite buttermilk biscuits (Martha Stewart's recipe), I used Dean's and it must have gone bad (wait, is that possible?) because the biscuits didn't turn out right, and they are usually fantastic.

keeping ontopic, Just so happens I have some shrimp today, must see if I have any cornmeal...

I know nothing about your recipe, but I wonder why you blame the buttermilk.

I will take a wild guess, did the biscuits not rise enough? Is it possible your baking soda was old? Buttermilk is there to activate the baking soda. The acid in the buttermilk interacts with the base baking soda.

I have heard of some people who let their buttermilk age before using. Fresh from the Dean's container is too sweet for them.

Regards,

Not sure how the biscuits went wrong - could be so many things (flour, baking soda, baking powder, over-mixing, too warm ingredients, etc. . .). But I think buttermilk makes a huge difference, both in terms of flavor and texture. The Blue Marble buttermilk (sold at the Green City Market) tastes just wonderful. And because it is much higher in fat than the Deans and other crappy buttermilk available in the area (even Whole Foods only sells low fat buttermilk), you're adding more fat into the biscuit which absolutely affects the texture. Once you try Blue Marble, you'll swear at the Deans buttermilk every time you pass it in the store, for all of the biscuits and other foods it ruined.

Of course, when it comes to frying chicken, I think that Deans and the like are fine, but I say this because of the amount of buttermilk used in the brine, the difference in results (Blue Marble is better but the difference is negligible when used for this purpose) and the cost comparison.

Blue Marble Dairy products are also available at the Evanston farmers market. I'm consuming all I can before the market fades away.

Jonah

Here is a link to an earlier discussion on buttermilk you may find of interest.

Regards,

Preparing to make shrimp and grits for dinner tonight and find it passing strange that Charleston Receipts doesn't include a recipe for a dish that is so closely associated with that city. Perhaps it's perceived as too "simple" to be in the company of such fancier fare.

David Hammond wrote:Preparing to make shrimp and grits for dinner tonight and find it passing strange that Charleston Receipts doesn't include a recipe for a dish that is so closely associated with that city. Perhaps it's perceived as too "simple" to be in the company of such fancier fare.

I think it's too simple for a recipe & you may recall I'm from S.C.

Actually on the coast of NC, my dad's side, we would eat this for breakfast w/ hot rice instead of grits.

Thanks for the fond memories.

Hammond, Shrimp and Grits is a relatively new food phenomenon in the lowcountry (with my own age being the method by which I cast judgment on what is "relatively new".

The first time I ever recall seeing it was on the menu at the Old Post Office Restaurant on Edisto Island in the late 70s or early 80s. From that modest beginning (and that restaurant did it particularly well) the dish's popularity began to spread like wildfire. People used to come from all over to the very remote Old Post office to try this spectacular dish they had introduced- particlularly the grits cooked in milk, veal stock and cream. It was a very unique dish at the time.

Today, you find so many variations of it in so many restaurants in the south, it is easy to think that S&G is a historical staple of the low country.

Its not a staple of the region historically like, say Shrimp Creole (I really love the sweet low country version), red rice, fish stew or Country Captain has been for generations of Charlestonians.

YourPalWill wrote:Hammond, Shrimp and Grits is a relatively new food phenomenon in the lowcountry (with my own age being the method by which I cast judgment on what is "relatively new".

No kidding? I kind of figured the dish had been around about as long as the shrimp and the grit had existed in the region.

The Wife did her own take on the dish tonight, and it was excellent.



She rubbed shrimp with "cajun seasoning" (brought back by eldest daughter from NOLA) and then pan-fried them in bacon fat, added to grits with some added tomato paste, and then a pan sauce, topped with bacon, really good with turnip/collard greens on the side.

David, that looks spectacular. I'm jealous.

Mhays wrote:David, that looks spectacular. I'm jealous.

It does indeed.

Last night, I had the shrimp and grits (available as an app) at Sepia, and got to say, it was nowhere near as good as The Wife’s rendition. Here’s why:

• Flavors very dialed down, even the shrimp (which, it must be said, were of the sustainable Laughing Bird variety and thus virtuous) lacked shrimpiness; it was just a flat, one-dimensional tasting experience.
• Texturally, it left a lot to be desired, in that the grits were soupy and, as with the everything else, very flat, no snap, no pizzazz, and the shrimps were relatively dinky, and although I’m no fan of gigantic, chewy shrimp, I think a good medium-sized shrimp provides a pleasant toothsomeness that was missing with these tiny little things.
• Bacon seemed largely MIA – though I thought I may have spotted a sliver now and again, and maybe it’s just me, but I like the taste of bacon, a lot, and because the flavors of pig belly and shrimp mate so well together on the plate, I missed enjoying those complementary flavors, together.

Now, it could very well be the case that Sepia’s rendition is more “traditional” or more representative of the way shrimp and grits are prepared in Charleston, etc., but me, I prefer more: flavor, texture, bacon.

A child of the South, I've sampled Shrimp & Grits in more places than I care to admit. The standard for me is still the late Bill Neal's version...it's been written that while he didn't invent the dish, the signature dish at Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill put it on the culinary map. Here's the recipe:


Shrimp and Grits

Serves four
Cheese grits (recipe below)
1 pound fresh shrimp
6 slices bacon
Peanut oil
2 cups sliced white button mushrooms
1 cup minced scallions
1 large clove garlic, peeled and minced
4 teaspoons lemon juice
Tabasco sauce
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Prepare grits and hold in a warm place or in a double boiler
Peel shrimp, rinse, and pat dry
Dice bacon and sautè lightly in a skillet until edges of the bacon are brown, but the bacon is not crisp. Remove from heat, drain on paper towels, then crumble.
Add enough peanut oil top the pan to make a layer of fat about 1/8 inch thick. When oil is quite hot, add shrimp in an even layer. Turn shrimp as they color; add mushrooms, and sautè, stirring, for about 4 minutes.
Add scallions and garlic. Heat and stir for about a minute more. Season with lemon juice, a dash or two of Tabasco, salt and pepper to taste, and parsley.
Divide the grits among four plates. Spoon the shrimp on top, sprinkle with crumbled bacon, and serve immediately.

Cheese Grits
1 cup stone-ground or quick grits
(not instant)
4 cups water (or milk, for creamier grits)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Cook grits according to package instructions for 1 cup of dry grits. Turn off heat and add remaining ingredients to sauce pan. Stir until just mixed and serve.

LTH,

After reading Hammond's Shrimp and Grits Survey and this thread I, as we BBQ guys are prone to say, 'done flung a craving' No choice but to make Shrimp and Grits for dinner.

Shrimp and Grits

- Polenta, 3/1 water/milk, finished with butter.
- Caramelized onion about half way then added sliced mushroom, garlic, finely diced carrot and celery.
- Light brine on the shrimp
- Remove caramelized veg from pan.
- Saute shrimp dust with BBQ rub, I used my own rub, a somewhat spicy blend.
- When shrimp start to change color add back caramelized veg mixture
- Juice of half a lemon
- Finish with pat of butter.

- Plate polenta, add shrimp, top sparingly with scallion.
- Enjoy

Shrimp and Grits





Thanks for the LTH inspiration.

Enjoy,
Gary

The very same Shrimp and Grits Survey got me craving this dish that I've never eaten before, so I decided to give them a shot.

I don't know why, but I got it in my head that I wasn't feeling the whole gravy-fied shrimp concept, so my Googling revealed this Bobby Flay recipe, which I used as a very general template.

One of my tweaks was dusting the shrimp with GWiv's excellent BBQ rub, which gave them some much-needed zing. I also upped the amount of butter used to finish the grits (those 3 tablespoons looked so sad & small, I decided a couple more wouldn't hurt). Next time, I'll sub some of that water with milk.

Still, the end results weren't too bad, and both scratched the itch for shrimp & grits and have me wanting to try making them again:

Blurry pic, sorry

That was also my first attempt at making grits...I can definitely see putting them into rotation more often.

G Wiv wrote:No choice but to make Shrimp and Grits for dinner.

Another round of shrimp and grits. Used the same basic recipe, but more rub, slightly longer brine, less caramelization on the veg and more sauce. Both Ellen and I liked this version better. Next time I'll use bacon grease to cook the shrimp and crisp bacon with the scallions to finish.

Shrimp and Grits

Pork and shrimp love each other. There's no explaining it. It's a match made in heaven. These two flavors mesh so excellently. So...yes, more bacon grease, yes.

David Hammond wrote:So...yes, more bacon grease, yes.

No bacon the last two Shrimp and Grits as my bride is currently abstaining from Friday meat. I had nice chunk of bacon I almost used but remembered, luckily, at the last minute.

G Wiv wrote:No bacon the last two Shrimp and Grits as my bride is currently abstaining from Friday meat. I had nice chunk of bacon I almost used but remembered, luckily, at the last minute.

Another round of shrimp and grits, bacon lent a subtle smoky note and a trick I just read, though I do not remember where, of adding cream cheese to the polenta a feint suggestion of tangy richness.

Shrimp and Grits/Polenta, round three