Shrimp and Grits

UPDATE:  Shrimp and Grits is an oldie but a goodie, and it first appeared here in 2019.  It was high time for new photos, and it needed recipe cards, so I’ve updated it as of October 7, 2025.  Enjoy!

I am the luckiest girl alive.  The other day a friend texted asking if I wanted some crab claws.  She has a client who is a seafood distributor, and last week this most excellent client was moved to express her appreciation in material form.  I scored 2 pounds of beautiful, fat, flash frozen crab claws in the deal.

And then yesterday, another friend popped in with some Gulf shrimp.  Actually, what he brought was six pounds of gorgeous extra-large white Gulf shrimp.  I am not making this up. As I portioned them into 1 lb. packages for the freezer, I wondered whether the shrimp plus the crab claws constituted an embarrassment of riches.  Nope, I decided. I’m not embarrassed in the least.

Since I have been craving fall, and since it only got up to 87° today, I’ve decided to whip up shrimp and grits to mark this cold snap.  I love shrimp and grits, and these days you can find them absolutely everywhere. But twenty-something years ago, I had never even heard of them.  Then I landed in Charleston, South Carolina for a couple of years. It seems shrimp and grits had long been a humble breakfast dish in the Lowcountry, but had recently found its way onto dinner menus at upscale restaurants.  Shortly thereafter, Charleston began to really up her tourism game. The tourists came and they gobbled up the shrimp and grits. Then they carried their lust for shrimp and grits all over the South–and from there, the rest of the country–demanding them wherever they went.

Anyway, every chef in Charleston seemed to have his or her own recipe.  Some recipes were little more than shrimp in a sort of browned butter sauce with bacon, some were a thicker brown gravy with things like mushrooms in it.  I can’t remember the restaurant where I first ate shrimp and grits, but I do remember the dish itself: the shrimp were in a light, spicy, tomato-based gravy  with smoked ham. Turns out the tomato-based business was mildly scandalous, but that’s exactly how I learned to like it.  I was forced to come up with my own recipe, and of course it ended up with a Creole accent.  I’ve been making Shrimp and Grits that way ever since.

Also, I am very particular about grits.  I don’t get hung up on stoneground organic grits, or whether they are artisan (whatever that means on any given day), or what color the corn was before somebody gritified it.  No, I get hung up on whether they are creamy, properly seasoned, and wonderful to eat once they’re cooked. I am also partial to grits that you can reheat to good effect. If you follow the recipe for extra creamy grits below, you won’t be sorry.

Print Recipe

Extra Creamy Grits

Ingredients

• 4 cups mik
• 1 t. salt
• 1 cup quick--not instant--grits
• 1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

Instructions

• In a heavy-bottomed pot, bring the milk and salt just to a low boil.  Quickly add all the grits and whisk in well. Bring back to a boil while whisking constantly.  Turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 7 or 8 minutes, whisking occasionally. (You must whisk constantly and then occasionally or you will get lumps.) 
• When grits are tender, turn off the heat and with a wooden spoon stir in cheese a handful at a time. Cover to keep warm on the stove, or, if making ahead, scrape into a buttered casserole allow to cool. 
• Let come to room temperature if possible before reheating, covered, at 350° until hot.