Shrimp and Grits

Name: Shrimp and Grits
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: ¾ cup grits (stone-ground, coarse); 2 cup water; 1 cup milk (whole); 2 tbsp butter; ½ cup cheddar (sharp, grated); 1 lb shrimp (peeled, deveined, patted dry); 3 slice bacon (chopped); 2 clove garlic (minced); ½ cup chicken stock; 1 tbsp lemon (juice); 1 tsp hot sauce; ½ tsp smoked paprika; ¼ tsp cayenne pepper; ½ tsp black pepper (ground); 1 tsp salt; 2 tbsp scallion (sliced thin)

Noodles & Rice · American

16 ingredients · 50 minutes · 2 servings

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570kcal59.6g protein33.2g fat9.8g carbs*

Contains dairy, shellfish

Restrictions

Containsdairy · shellfishIt is in an ingredient you cannot leave out.

Diets

No alcohol · without one

Worked out from the ingredient list. It knows nothing about brands, shared equipment or cross contamination, and it is not a certification — if you have an allergy, you still have to read the label.

Ingredients

Servings:

¾ cup	grits (stone-ground, coarse)
2 cup	water
1 cup	milk (whole)
2 tbsp	butter
½ cup	cheddar (sharp, grated)
1 lb	shrimp (peeled, deveined, patted dry)
3 slice	bacon (chopped)
2 clove	garlic (minced)
½ cup	chicken stock
1 tbsp	lemon (juice)
1 tsp	hot sauce
½ tsp	smoked paprika
¼ tsp	cayenne pepper
½ tsp	black pepper (ground)
1 tsp	salt
2 tbsp	scallion (sliced thin)

Optional

Not counted above. The dish works without them.

1 tbsp	parsley (chopped)
2 tbsp	dry white wine
2 tbsp	cheese, parmesan (grated)
1 unit	jalapeños (minced)

Steps

Season5 min
room temperature, uncovered
- shrimp
- smoked paprika
shrimp + half the salt + smoked paprika + cayenne — a short dry cure pulls surface moisture, and dry shrimp brown instead of steaming when they hit the pan
Whisk3 min
liquid at a bare boil
- grits
- milk
water + milk + remaining salt, then rain the grits in while whisking constantly; dumped in all at once the outer starch gels on contact and traps dry cores that never soften
Simmer30 min
lowest heat, lid ajar, stirring every 5 min
grits, until each grain is swollen and no chalk remains on the tongue — coarse stone-ground corn needs the full half hour, and scraping the bottom on each stir is what keeps the starch from scorching and turning the whole pot bitter
Fry6 min
medium, cold skillet start
- bacon
bacon, until the fat runs clear and the meat crisps; lift the bacon out and leave about 2 tbsp of rendered fat = the cooking medium and half the seasoning
Sear3 min
medium-high, single layer
shrimp in the bacon fat, 90 seconds a side, pulled the moment they turn opaque and bend into a loose C — a tight O means the protein has contracted past done and squeezed its water out
Deglaze3 min
medium
+ garlic 30 seconds, then + chicken stock (+ white wine) scraping the browned fond loose, and reduce until it coats a spoon = pan sauce
Mix2 min
off the heat
grits + butter + cheddar, stirred until glossy; added over flame the cheese proteins tighten and weep fat, leaving a greasy, stringy porridge instead of a smooth one
Top2 min
grits in shallow bowls + shrimp + pan sauce off the heat with lemon juice + hot sauce whisked in + crisp bacon + scallion + black pepper — the acid goes in last so the heat does not flatten it