Shrimp and Grits

This is one of those southern dishes that are unforgettable and absolutely delicious. My love of shrimp and grits started during my stint in the Gulf Coast region in the years just prior to, and after, Hurricane Katrina. For those that don’t know my story, I spent over 2 years in the region doing hurricane relief from 2004-2006, and during this time I was fortunate enough to meet some of the most fabulous people and eat the most satisfying All-American cuisine. New Orleans, Biloxi, Hattiesburg, Mobile, and Pensacola – were all my stomping grounds at some point and these incredible cities offered me the food I seem to relate to the most. Shrimp and grits, fried chicken, black eyed peas, fried green tomatoes, collard greens and banana pudding are just a few of the dishes that still call to me.

In my years of being adventurous in the kitchen, I never attempted to make my own version of shrimp and grits. I was nervous that I could never do it justice and it would ruin my memories of a fabulous dish. For a foodie, this is our worst nightmare. I know that in order to make grits “the right way,” it requires spending 40-50 minutes in front of the stove stirring occasionally – a task that is hard for me to do after a long day’s work. So I never gave this dish a shot until now. I cheat by using quick cooking grits, but they are fabulous because of the butter and cheese that we add in at the last minute. I didn’t follow a recipe so that made this adventure extra fun; and I managed to get my husband in the kitchen to take part in my dinner fun. Southern cooking should never be a labor of one…

I hope that you enjoy my take on this down-home comfort food.

Time from Prep to Eating: 40 minutes

What You Need:
1 large sauté pan
1 medium sauce pan
1 cookie sheet

The Stuff:
½ lb. peeled and deveined raw shrimp
4 slices of hickory smoked bacon, cut into ½ inch strips
2 scallions, chopped
½ cup cheddar cheese, grated
¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
¾ cup quick cooking grits
2 garlic cloves, 1 thinly sliced and the other finely diced
2 tomatoes sliced into ¼ inch pieces
Bread – slice the loaf into ½ inch pieces
1 Tbsp butter
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Here’s What You Do:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. On the cookie sheet place the tomato slices in one single layer and top with the garlic slices, drizzle the olive oil on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in the oven for about 5 to 10 minutes.

In the meantime, sauté the bacon in the pan until crispy (about 4-5 minutes) over medium heat. Take the cooked bacon out of the pan with a slotted spoon and reserve for later use. Reduce the heat to med-low and add the diced garlic, cooking for about 1 minute and constantly stirring. Add the shrimp and cook for about 4 minutes. Towards the end of the cooking time, add in the scallions, bacon pieces and salt and pepper to taste.

At the same time you’re cooking the bacon and shrimp, cook the grits in the sauce pan following the instructions on the box. At the end of the cooking process add the cheese and butter until melted through, then salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, spoon the grits in a bowl then top with the shrimp, scallions and bacon. For your side dish, top the slices of bread with the roasted tomato and garlic.