Shrimp and Grits
Plump shrimp in a rich, savory sauce served over ultra-creamy cheddar grits. The grits cook low and slow until fully tender for an ultra smooth, creamy texture.
Ingredients
Grits
- 200 g old-fashioned white grits
- 600 g whole milk
- 600 g chicken stock
- 10 g salt
- 100 g water, as needed during cooking
- 40 g butter, unsalted
- 100 g cheddar, grated
- 30 g parmesan, finely grated
Shrimp
- 450 g raw 21/25 red Argentinian shrimp, thawed and drained
- 5 g salt
- 2 g ground black pepper
Sauce
- 150-175 g thick-cut bacon
- 2-3 Tbsp oil
- 2-3 Tbsp water, plus another 3T as needed while rendering
- 100 g celery, finely diced
- 200 g onion, finely diced
- 150 g green bell pepper, finely diced
- 2 g salt, plus more to taste
- 20 g garlic, minced
- 30 g water, as needed for deglazing
- 30 g tomato paste
- 40 g butter, unsalted
- 20 g all-purpose flour
- 5 g paprika
- 2 g cayenne pepper
- 20 g Better Than Bouillon chicken base
- 550 g chicken stock
Garnish
- lemon juice
- chives, finely minced
Instructions
- Bring milk, chicken stock, and 10g salt to a boil while stirring frequently. Lower heat to med-low and whisk in 200g grits and bring back to a simmer while whisking, til thickened a bit.
- Cover and cook over low heat for about 90 minutes, stirring every 5–10 minutes and scraping the bottom well after 1 hour. Add about 100g water if grits get too thick before they become tender.
- Cut shrimp in half lengthwise and season with 5g salt and 2g black pepper. Refrigerate.
- Prep the rest of your sauce and grits ingredients: Finely dice celery, onion, and green bell pepper. Mince garlic, grate cheddar and Parmesan. Dice bacon into approximately 3/4" squares.
- With about 40–45 minutes left on the grits, heat a dutch oven over medium and cook bacon in about 1-2 T oil and 2-3 T water for about 10 minutes until rendered and browned but still flexible. Add another 3 T water if the pot gets too dark. Transfer bacon to a bowl leaving the fat behind.
- Add celery, onion, bell pepper, and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium-high heat for 10–12 minutes until tender and browned.
- Add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Deglaze with a splash of water if needed. Add tomato paste and 40g butter and cook 1-2 minutes, until rusty red.
- Reduce heat to medium, stir in flour, paprika, cayenne until flour is incorporated. Add chicken stock and Better Than Bouillon and whisk to incorporate. Simmer about 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Stir the rendered bacon back into the sauce.
- Add the seasoned shrimp to the sauce and cook over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes, until opaque. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
- Once the grits are tender, stir in 40–50g butter, cheddar, and Parmesan. Add an extra splash of chicken stock to loosen up if they look too thick. I like a consistency similar to potato puree.
- Spoon the grits into bowls and top with the shrimp and sauce. Garnish with minced chives and a squeeze of lemon juice.
If you're using shrimp that are much smaller than 21/25, cook them whole.
Don't forget to stir your grits every 5-10 minutes while you're cooking the sauce.
Notes
To cook this grits recipe in a pressure cooker instead, substitute chicken stock for the milk in this recipe. Cook on high for 15 minutes then release the pressure naturally for 20 minutes.
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