Shrimp and Grits
No matter where you come from, there is something innately comforting about the combination of creamy corn grits and savory seafood. Grits are one of the original American comfort foods; for thousands of years, Native Americans have been grinding corn and cooking it into a simple, satisfying porridge. Along the coast of the southeastern US, people started pairing grits with the abundant local shrimp. Over time, cooks began to enrich their grits with butter, cream, and cheese. They added seasonings like black pepper and paprika, and garden vegetables like onions, garlic and bell peppers. Our recipe features plump gulf shrimp, topped with bacon and sofrito, but this southern classic is just as delicious with salmon or other seafood.
- Total Time: 75
- Yield: grits: 6; shrimp and sofrito: 2
Ingredients
Cheesy Grits
- 2 cups cornmeal
- 6 cups water; or, for a richer version, use 4 cups water and 1 cup stock of your choice (chicken, seafood, bone broth) and 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 6 oz grated melting cheese, like cheddar, gouda, or provolone
- 2 tbsp butter
Sofrito & Bacon Topping
- 4 slices diced bacon (or sausage)
- 6 oz diced fresh pepper of your choice (here we used red bell, jalapeño and poblano)
- 1/4 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
Shrimp
- 12 oz shrimp or any seafood (salmon and lobster work great)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp paprika, hot or sweet, or both! We love the Kitchen Garden Farm Paprika from our Farmer’s Pantry Share.
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion and garlic powder
- Dash of cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1/4 tsp celery seed
- 4 slices diced bacon (or sausage)
- 6 oz diced fresh pepper of your choice (here we used red bell, jalapeño and poblano)
- 1/4 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
Instructions
- Add water, stock and cornmeal to a heavy-bottomed soup pot. Do not heat water first or cornmeal will clump. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 40 min. Scrape the bottom of the pan every 10 minutes to prevent sticking.
- While the grits simmer, clean and peel shrimp. Chop ingredients for sofrito and dice bacon.
- Stir dry spices into the shrimp. Salt to taste. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
- While the grits cook, saute the bacon until crisp. Set the bacon aside and leave two tablespoons of rendered fat in the pan to saute the vegetables. Saute onions and peppers until most of the moisture is rendered, adding the garlic halfway through. Vegetables should be soft and slightly charred.
- Once grits have finished cooking, stir in grated cheese and butter.
- Ladle your cheesy grits onto a plate and top with sofrito, bacon bits and shrimp.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 60
- Category: recipes
- Cuisine: southern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: grits: 6; shrimp: 2