Healthy Shrimp & Grits
For our first date, my husband and I went to a restaurant in Asheville, NC called Tupelo Honey. We both got the “veggie grit bowl” and so began my love affair with my future husband and southern cooking. That bowl of food had grits, okra, and black-eyed peas- all of which I had never had before. My husband, on the other hand, was born and raised in the south and grew up with a mom who is the queen of southern cooking. He learned to cook from her, and I have been lucky enough to reap the benefits of their shared love of food.
Shrimp & Grits has become one of my favorite meals, and it is the one that people always request my husband makes when they are coming over for dinner. We’ve taken the traditional recipe and modified it a bit to make it healthier, but it is still as rich and delicious as you could want. If you’ve never had grits before, then this recipe is about to open your eyes up to a whole new world of food. I hope you love it!
Ingredients
Grits:
2 cups of corn grits or polenta (Raw corn grits and polenta are the same things. Pro-tip- I really recommend Bob’s Red Mill. It’s about $4.00, delicious, and available at most grocery stores. DO NOT USE INSTANT GIRTS. They are so bland and are usually made with GMO corn.)
1 can of coconut milk (use the canned kind)
6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock (Water is optional here too.)
1 Bay leaf
1 tablespoon of butter
Sauce/Topping:
1 large onion
1 bell pepper
3 celery sticks
3 carrots
(All of these above need to be cut into bite-sized pieces)
3 large garlic gloves
1 cup of white wine (Optional but highly recommended. Use cheap wine.)
3 cups of chicken stock (fish stock and vegetable stock are also options.)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. Paprika
1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper
1 tsp. Granulated garlic
1 tablespoon of rosemary (fresh or dried)
1 tablespoon of thyme (fresh or dried)
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 of a lemon
4 strips of bacon
1 lb. of peeled shrimp (deveined)
(Fish or chicken are great options here as well instead of shrimp. If you want a veggie version, just take out the bacon and shrimp steps.)
Fresh Italian parsley or green onion for garnish
Salt and Pepper to taste
Note: If you do not have all of these spices, you can just use 1 tablespoon of cajun seasoning.
Recipe (serves 4-6 people)
Start by heating the liquid for the grits in a large pot with a lid. The ratio for creamy grits if 4:1. Four parts liquid to one part grits. Between the stock and the can of coconut milk, we have 8 cups. (Pro tip: Be sure to rinse out the can with water and add it in to make sure you get all of that creamy goodness.) Add in the bay leaf and salt and pepper. You are heating this up on high until it starts to bubble around the edges. You do not want a high rolling boil.
While you are waiting for this to heat up (medium-high) get a deep-sided saucepan hot (a cast iron skillet works great for this).
Once the pan is warm add in your bacon and cook until it is perfectly browned and just the way you like it. Take the bacon out and place it on a place with a paper towel and set it aside. Leave the fat in the pan because it’s delicious and even that little bit will make a big difference. Add in the onion, pepper, celery, carrots, and garlic. They should sizzle when you drop them in. You want to cook these until they are starting to get soft but have a little crunch still. About 8-10 minutes.
At this point, your grit liquid should be ready to go. With a whisk in one hand and grits in the other, add the grits in slowly but steadily, gently stirring while you do. Drop the heat to low and stir these every few minutes for 30 minutes total. They will thicken up a lot. Be patient. At the end, right before you serve, add the butter. If they get too thick, just add a splash of water.
Back to the sauce. Add the spices. This gives them a nice toast and wakes them up. After 2 minutes add the wine to “deglaze” the bottom of the pan. Be sure to scrape up those bits on the bottom from the bacon. Stir this around for 30 seconds and then add the stock, butter, and lemon. Let this cook down on medium until the grits are finished. You can drop the shrimp right in the sauce to cook for 3 minutes or sear them in a separate pan.
Chop the bacon into small pieces and add it back to the sauce right before you serve and add the garnish of your choice. At this point, you are good to go! Serve it up starting with grits and enjoy!
Be sure to taste everything before you serve! (The grits usually need more salt than you think.)