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Shrimp and Grits

Source of Recipe

From "Martha's American Food" by Martha Stewart


Recipe Introduction

"This Lowcountry classic has long been enjoyed at breakfast, especially in the fall, when the shrimp season is at its peak. These days, you'll find it at lunch and dinner as well. At its simplest, shrimp and grits is nothing more than that: a buttery heap of sautéed shrimp on steaming hot grits. There are countless variations, however; here, for instance, it's robustly sauced with bacon, onion, and bell pepper, and cheese is added to the grits. No matter what, buy the freshest shrimp you can find and search out stone-ground grits. When the dried corn kernels have been ground slowly between cool millstones, they retain the flavor and nutrition that is processed right out of mass-produced supermarket brands. And even though stone-ground grits take longer to cook (and usually longer than indicated on the package instructions), you will be rewarded with their deep, sweet, authentic flavor."

List of Ingredients

For the Grits:
â—¦ 3 cups water
â—¦ 3 cups milk
â—¦ Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
â—¦ 1 cup white grits, preferably stone-ground
â—¦ â…” cup grated mild cheddar (2 ½ ounces)
â—¦ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

For the Shrimp:
â—¦ 2 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into ¼-inch pieces
â—¦ 1 clove garlic, minced
â—¦ ¼ onion, finely chopped
â—¦ ¼ green bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped
â—¦ 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
â—¦ Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
â—¦ 1 tablespoon neutral-tasting oil, such as safflower
â—¦ 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
â—¦ ¾ cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
â—¦ 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice


Recipe

Make the grits:
Combine the water, milk, and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Gradually whisk in grits, then cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbling, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring frequently and scraping across bottom of pan, until tender and creamy throughout, 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese and butter, and season with salt and pepper.

Make the shrimp:
Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until beginning to crisp, about 5 minutes; transfer to a paper towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon. Cook garlic, onion, and bell pepper in rendered bacon fat, stirring occasionally, until just tender but not browned, 2 to 3 minutes.

Season shrimp on both sides with salt and pepper. Raise heat to medium-high; push vegetables to edge of skillet. Add oil and heat until shimmering. Add shrimp in a single layer; cook until seared on the first side, about 2 minutes. Flip and sear the other side 1 minute. Push shrimp to edge of skillet with vegetables; sprinkle flour into center. Cook, stirring flour into shrimp-vegetable mixture, 2 minutes. Add stock. Simmer, stirring, until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Add lemon juice and stir in reserved bacon. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, divide grits among warmed shallow bowls and top with shrimp and vegetable mixture.

Serves 4