Cookbook:Low Country Shrimp and Grits

Low Country Shrimp and Grits
Category	American recipes
Difficulty

Cookbook | Ingredients | Recipes | Seafood | North American cuisines | United States cuisine | Southern cuisine

Ingredients

• 3–4 strips thick smoky bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
• ½ onion, minced
• 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled (use peels to make stock)
• Salt
• 1 pint heavy cream, divided
• 2–2½ cups shrimp stock
• Butter
• Black pepper
• Cayenne pepper
• Paprika
• Chile flakes
• Lime juice
• 1 recipe coarse grain hominy grits, timed to finish when shrimp are ready to serve
• 3–4 scallions, sliced

Procedure

1. Fry bacon in a pan until not too crisp; remove and reserve.
2. Sauté onion and garlic in bacon fat until just softened (about 2–3 minutes).
3. Lightly season shrimp with salt and add to the pan; sauté until about half-cooked and just turning pink. Remove and reserve with the bacon.
4. Deglaze pan with sherry.
5. Add 1 cup (250 ml) cream, bring to boil, and reduce.
6. Add 1 cup shrimp stock, bring to a high simmer, and reduce. The liquid should thicken; if necessary, add floured butter at this point (beurre manié).
7. Season sauce with salt, pepper, chili flakes, cayenne, and paprika
8. Add bacon and shrimp to the sauce, and cook gently until shrimp are just done.
9. Add lime juice.
10. Serve over grits, and garnish with scallions.

Notes, tips, and variations

• Make the shrimp stock with shrimp peels and parts, dried shrimp flakes, mirepoix, and peppercorns.
• The scallions can be replaced with minced chives.