A taste of lowcountry
We’re servin’ up some fresh Southern Cusine today with this Shrimp and Grits recipe that’s sure to capture your imagination and tastebuds. Traditionally, Shrimp and Grits was a breakfast item but this is a Dan-Good meal for any time of the day!
History of Lowcountry Style Shrimp and Grits
Now Shrimp and Grits is a classic Southern dish and really embodies the history of America. Originally, Shrimp and Grits was an African dish of ground maize, and shellfish. Shrimp and Grits came with the Enslaved Africans across the transatlantic slave route into the American South. The Africans were quick to adjust to American Maize, which while different still offered the same grain they were accustomed to. The dish was traditionally served as a breakfast item and defused from the enslaved Africans to fisherman of the Lowcountry who needed a simple one-pot ration to make when out fishing.
It was never really a restaurant staple, at least not at that time. The recipe first appeared in syndicated writing in 1891 in the Louisiana Review but wouldn’t be featured in a cookbook till the Charleston cookbook, Two hundred Years of Charleston cooking by Blanche S. Rhett in 1930. The recipe known as “Shrimps and hominy” at the time was credited to Rhett’s African-American butler, William Deas. Deas was around 78 at the time and claimed to have eaten the dish for breakfast every morning for as long as he can remember.
Over the years, Shrimp & Grits became more and more popular, capturing the imaginations of home cooks and chefs alike, and evolved into the dish we know today.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of Stone Ground Weisenberger Yellow Grits
- 4 Cups Beef stock
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 4 strips bacon, chopped
- 10 fresh jumbo shrimp
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- Dan-O’s Spicy
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ red bell pepper
- ¼ onion, sliced
Prep Time
15 Mins
Cook Time
45 Mins
Instructions
- In a pot, bring beef broth to a boil then add in your grits. Cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cooking and occasionally stirring for about 25 minutes.
- Add in your shredded cheddar cheese to the grits and mix until well incorporated. Keep warm to the side.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- While the skillet heats up, coarsely chop 4 strips of bacon
- Add your jumbo shrimp to a bowl and toss in cornstarch and Dan-O’s Spicy until coated then set to the side.
- Once your skillet is hot, toss in your bacon cooking till your desired level of done. Remove the bacon and set to the side
- Add your coated shrimp to the bacon greased skillet, and cook on both sides until firm then remove from skillet and set to the side.
- Add in ¼ cup of beef stock, enough to cover the pan’s area and deglaze the skillet.
- Add in your garlic, onion, bell pepper, and remaining ¾ cup of beef stock and cook until reduced and slightly thick.
- Add shrimp back into reduction, and simmer for 2 minutes.
- In a bowl, add your grits and line the edges with shrimp. Pour in your reduction gravy in the middle, then top with bacon.
- Serve hot and enjoy!
