Shrimp and Grits

Recipe: Shrimp and Grits

Ingredients:

For the Shrimp & Sauce:

• 2 lbs raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 medium lemons
• ½–1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 14 oz andouille sausage, sliced
• 8 slices pre-cooked bacon, finely chopped*
• 1 medium yellow onion, rough chopped/large dice
• 4 bell peppers (green, red, yellow, and orange), rough chopped/large dice
• 5–6 cloves garlic, minced (~2 Tbsp)
• ⅓ cup butter
• ⅓ cup flour
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup chicken stock or broth(white wine also works great if you happen to have some open)

For the Cheese Grits:

• 3 cups water
• 1 cup old-fashioned grits
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups half and half
• 2 cups shredded triple cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

Build:

1. Marinate the shrimp: In a large bowl combine the shrimp, juice of one lemon, cayenne, black pepper, and 1 tsp salt. Toss to coat and set aside.
2. Start the grits: Add the water to a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
3. Brown the sausage: While the water heats, preheat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sliced sausage and cook for about 5 - 10 minutes, or until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl.
4. Cook the grits: Once the water reaches a boil, add the remaining 1 tsp salt, half and half, and the grits. Reduce heat to low and cook for 25–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
5. Cook the bacon: In the same Dutch oven used for the sausage, add the chopped bacon and cook about 3 minutes until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the bowl with the sausage.
6. Cook the vegetables: Add the onion and bell peppers to the Dutch oven and cook for 5–10 minutes, until softened and the onions are translucent.
7. Make the roux: While the vegetables cook, melt the butter in a small pan or skillet over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 1–2 minutes, just long enough to remove the raw flour taste. Set aside.
8. Build the sauce: Add the minced garlic to the vegetables and cook for about 2 minutes.
9. Finish the shrimp mixture: Add the marinated shrimp (and marinade), sausage, bacon, roux, chicken stock, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the shrimp are cooked through and the sauce is thickened.
10. Finish the grits: Once the grits are tender, stir in both cheeses until melted and well combined. 
11. Finishing touches: Before serving, add juice of the remaining lemon into the shrimp mixture.
12. Serve: Spoon a generous portion of cheesy grits into a bowl and top with the shrimp, sausage, and pepper mixture.
13. Enjoy!

Note: 

*We recommend using pre-cooked bacon, or cooking bacon separately from the sausage. We find that the extra bacon fat tends to over power everything else if left in the dish. Also using the pre-cooked bacon greatly expedites the cooking process.

The short story:

While shrimp and grits can trace its origins back to as early as the 1700s, when fishermen would whip up a quick breakfast of shrimp in a simple gravy served over grits, the version most people know and love didn’t appear until the 1980s. That’s when Bill Neal, at Crook's Corner Restaurant in Chapel Hill, decided to take this humble dish and revamp it into the iconic staple it is today. From there it spread like wildfire, and the rest, as they say, is history.