Traditional Shrimp and Grits
My study abroad child will be coming home soon and has requested Southern food, which for her means grits and biscuits. I decided to experiment with shrimp and grits. I wanted to try a recipe with sriracha but my gang asked for a more traditional recipe, so I tried this one with andouille sausage.
The trick to good southern grits, is first to not use the instant kind, if you do, just cook them longer to get a creamier texture. So follow Joe Pesci’s advice form ” My Cousin Vinny”:
Vinny Gambini: How could it take you five minutes to cook your grits when it takes the entire grit-eating world 20 minutes?
Mr. Tipton: Um… I’m a fast cook, I guess.
Vinny Gambini: [across beside the jury] What? I’m sorry I was over there. Did you just say you were a fast cook? Are we to believe that boiling water soaks into a grit faster in your kitchen than any place on the face of the earth?
Mr. Tipton: I don’t know.
Vinny Gambini: Perhaps the laws of physics cease to exist on your stove. Were these magic grits? Did you buy them from the same guy who sold Jack his beanstalk beans?
If you want them really creamy cook them for 30-45 minutes. While you can use water and still have fairly good grits, if you use whole milk they are so much better, and if you want to be decadent, use cream. Since I used milk, I added a little fresh Parmesan which I think is just right with shrimp. You could also use goat cheese if you want a creamier base. I used pre-cooked andouille sausage but raw would add more flavor.
The sauce on this is so creamy and flavorful which is why it’s so good over grits. My motto is a little flavor goes a long way. I think my homesick Southerner will like these.
Adapted significantly from Jamie Deen’s Good Food
Shrimp and Grits
Traditional
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients
- GRITS
- 1 cup grits
- 4 cups whole milk
- salt and pepper
- 4 tablespoons parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 2 tablespoons butter
- SHRIMP
- 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 ounces andouille sausage, finely chopped
- ½ vidalia onion, chopped
- 1 tomato , diced
- ½ cup white wine
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 green onion, chopped
Instructions
- Grits: Boil milk and gradually add grits. Turn to low and simmer for 30-45 minutes stirring frequently. Before ready to serve, add butter, cheese and extra milk if needed.
- Shrimp: Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Heat butter and oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until melted and foamy. Add sausage and onion and sauté until the onion is tender and the sausage is browned, 5-6 minutes.
- Add the shrimp and cook for 1 minute per side. Once they are opaque, remove with a slotted spoon to a plate. Add the tomatoes to the pan with a big pinch of salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until they have softened another 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in wine and reduce until almost dry, about 3 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and reduce slightly. Return the shrimp to the pan and cook for another minute.
- Place grits on plate and top with shrimp and sauce. Garnish with green onions.
- Adapted significantly from Jamie Deen’s Good Food
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