Shrimp and Grits

Rice may be the belle of the ball in some parts of the country, but corn—that other staple of southern pantries—has a few good moves, too. This dish mixes land and sea in a colorful, salty, bountiful way. Thick, creamy grits create a soft bed for smoked pork sausage, shrimp, slivers of country ham, scallion, and tomato: a complete meal in a bowl.



I found this recipe in Gourmet Magazine, you can hardly go wrong with something found in that publication.

Start by boiling four cups of water and add 1 tablespoon of butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt in a heavy saucepan.

Jim didn't believe me that Polenta and Grits are the same thing. I found a very interesting answer to that question here.

Stir in grits and reduce heat to low. Cook, covered, stirring frequently and adding more water as needed, until grits are thick and creamy, about 40 minutes.

While grits are cooking, lets prepare the topping. You will need 1/4 lb country ham, julienned.

I took out half the package (whole package was 1 lb) and then julienned half of that amount.

Meanwhile, keep checking on the grits and stirring.

Sausage! This is a local Elgin Sausage that is sooo good. I'm using 1/4 lb smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds.

One minced clove of garlic (pictured in small white ramekin) and 1/4 cup sliced scallions.

1/4 cup seeded and diced fresh tomato.

Here are all the prepped ingredients.

It comes together super fast. Start with 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter in a skillet over medium-high heat until you see foam.

Saute ham and sausage until sausage begins to brown, about 4 minutes.

Add about 20 medium shrimp and saute for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add one mined clove of garlic.

My spice blend consist of a pinch of cayenne pepper, a pinch of paprika, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon Lawry's seasoned salt. You could alternatively use a pre-made cajun spice blend.

Stir and saute for 30 seconds.

Add scallions.

Add tomatoes.

Add 1 tablespoon of water and 1 tablespoon of butter, saute, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of skillet, until shrimp are cooked through, about one minute.

Before serving, remove grits from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cream and one tablespoon butter.

Serve spicy cajun topping over the creamy grits. This dish has tons of wonderful flavor and I will definitely be making this again. In the future I would add a small can of tomato paste to the topping so that it is "saucier." I would also remove the tails from the shrimp simply because I don't like pulling them off while eating. It does however make a beautiful presentation, doesn't it?

With the leftover grits, I pressed them into a pie plate and placed in the fridge. The grits firmed up in the refrigerator and we sliced this like a pie and served with other dinners. It has the consistency of corn bread, very nice accompaniment with saucy meals like beef stew.

For Grits
4 cups water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 cup stone-ground grits
1/2 cup heavy cream

For Topping
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1/4 lb country ham, julienned (1/4 cup)
1/4 lb smoked pork or andouille sausage, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
20 medium shrimp (9 oz), peeled, leaving tail fan attached if desired, and deveined
1/8 teaspoon minced garlic
Pinch of Cajun or Creole spice blend
1/4 cup sliced scallion
1/4 cup seeded and diced fresh tomato
1 tablespoon water

Make Grits:
Bring water, 1 Tbsp butter, and 1/2 tsp salt to a boil in a 3- to 4-qt heavy saucepan. Stir in grits and reduce heat to low. Cook, covered, stirring frequently and adding more water as needed, until grits are thick and creamy, about 40 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cream and remaining Tbsp butter. Keep warm.

Prepare topping while grits cook:
Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides. Sauté ham and sausage until sausage begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Add shrimp and sauté until almost cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and spice blend and sauté 30 seconds. Stir in scallion, tomato, and water and sauté, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of skillet, until shrimp are cooked through, about 1 minute. Stir in remaining Tbsp butter and serve over grits.