Southern Staples: Shrimp & Grits

Made iconic by Julia Sugarbaker in Designing Women, grits have become as synonymous with the south as brisket is to Texas. While grits have been a diet staple for many Southerners for centuries, the dish didn’t receive notoriety above the Mason Dixon until 1985 when The New York Times published a recipe for shrimp and grits.

Named grits after its “grist” texture, the dent corn is ground in a stone mill. The word grits came from the ground corn dish that native people shared with the British in colonial Virginia. Before the dish could be found on upscale restaurant menus, it was a simple Native American corn dish. Corn was relatively easy to grow and could be dried for long-distance travel, making it a popular ingredient on tables throughout the new world. The Muscogee tribe of Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida taught corn cultivation and nixtamalization (the process of making the corn safe from fungi and molds) to the settlers.

Thanks to the simple ingredients and filling nature, grits became a staple for slaves throughout the south. In coastal areas of South Carolina, the corn meal was combined with easy to catch shrimp, that would go unnoticed by plantation owners, for an inexpensive, filling dish. Over time, the dish that served as hearty breakfast for fisherman and workers evolved to tables throughout the United States.  

North Carolina Chef Bill Neal was the first to elevate the cuisine beyond the Lowcountry when Craig Claiborne, a New York Times food editor and critic, published the recipe. While Neal’s restaurant, Crook’s Corner, may no longer be in business, you can enjoy the dish in your kitchen with his time-honored recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cups water
1- 14 oz. can chicken broth
¾ cup half and half
1 cup regular grits
¾ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon hot sauce
¼ teaspoon white pepper
3 bacon slices
1 pound medium size shrimp, peeled and deveined
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sliced mushrooms
½ cup chopped green onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon hot sauce
Lemon wedges

Directions:

1.       Bring the first for ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually whisk in grits. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until thickened. Add cheddar cheese and next 4 ingredients. Keep warm.

2.       Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon and set aside.

3.       Sprinkle shrimp with pepper and salt; dredge in flour.

4.       Sauté mushrooms in hot drippings in skillet 5 minutes or tender. Add green onions, and sauté 2 minutes. Add shrimp and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes or until shrimp are lightly brown. Stir in chicken broth, lemon juice and hot sauce, and cook 2 more minutes, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet.

5.       Serve shrimp mixture over hot cheese grits. Top with crumbled bacon; serve with lemon wedges.

From creamy cheese grits to grit cakes, peppers and onions to bacon and mushrooms, the recipes for Shrimp and Grits are as numerous as the diners that enjoy the dish. Our coastal favorite is a simple dish that evokes the feelings and flavors of the south.