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I’m not from the south. I am through and through Brooklyn all the way and I say that with pride. But there are some things that make me wish I grew up in the south. One of those things is Shrimp and motherf*cking grits. I’ll be honest, this is not something I just knew how to cook. My momma didn’t teach me this. And honestly, at this point, I’m still not a true expert at making it. But I know that I love it and I know how it should taste, so that’s good enough for me.
That being said, I always make my boyfriend, Devin cook the grits. He grew up on this stuff, and I sure didn’t. I can remember having grits maybe once as a kid and hating it. Probably because my mom was doing it wrong (sorry mom). I asked Devin to teach me how to make them his way but every time I try to do it on my own it’s just not the same. His way has a certain technique, finesse, it’s not easy to replicate but for you all, I will try to explain and make this simple as possible. Here are a few crucial rules:
Rule #1: Don’t follow the cooking directions on the box. They are wrong. They need to sit down.
Rule #2: You MUST use a bouillon cube if you're using only water or mix your water with chicken stock. Just plain water is just plain.
Rule #3: Grits are not a thing without cheese. I know you’re trying to watch your waistline, lose 5lbs or whatever. If that’s the case, why are you eating grits anyway? Make better choices.
Now that we’ve established the rules, here’s what you need to remember. The water, stock, butter, salt and pepper all goes in one pot and boils together. Once it’s boiling, the grits go in, then the cheese right after. Yes, you read correctly. The cheese goes in now, before the grits absorb the liquid. This way, the cheese flavor gets embedded into the grits and doesn’t just coat the grits. The grits will start to thicken and aggressively boil after a minute or two. Cover it or you’re asking for a huge mess all over your stove or some first degree burns, whichever comes first.
While the grits cook, turn your attention to the shrimp. I find it extremely necessary to cook the shrimp and sausage together. You want to infuse the shrimp with the flavor of the sausage. So if you are a pescatarian, flexitarian, sometimes-vegan-vegetarian-but-still-eat-seafood-and-cheese-but-not-meatitarian like some people I know, then you’re shit out of luck! I kid, I kid, it will still come out really good but unfortunately you don’t know what you’re missing if you’re not using that sausage. For the rest of us meat lovers, cook ‘em together, season the lot with Creole seasoning and you are golden!
So now your grits are done and shrimp/sausage are done. Grab a large bowl, fill it up with your cheesy grits, smother in the shrimp and sausage, grab a big ass spoon and get down to business. Let me know in the comments how it turned out after you wake up from your nap. It’s okay, I will wait!
- 20 to 25 large peeled shrimp, tail on
- 1 cup grits
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 1/3 cups water
- 1/4 cup milk (optional)
- 1 cup asiago or parmesan cheese, shredded
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 8 oz andouille or kielbasa sausage
- 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp corn starch
Instructions- Bring 2 cups of water, 2 cups of chicken broth, 3 tablespoons of butter, salt and pepper to boil. Stir in grits and cook on medium heat for 2 minutes. Turn to low and add cheese. Once grits begins to bubble add milk, if using, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Heat cubed andouille sausage in a medium saute pan. Cook for 6 minutes. Add in remaining butter and shrimp and season with Creole seasoning. Cook for 3 minutes or until shrimp turns pink. Dissolve corn starch in remaining 1/3 cup of water and add to shrimp and sausage. Cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add more creole seasoning to taste, if needed.
- Serve in a bowl, ladling shrimp and andouille sauce over grits.
DetailsPrep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 4-6 servings