Shrimp and Grits

A few months ago when Nate's parents visited us here in Raleigh we visited the Historic Yates Mill County Park. The mill served Wake County for 200 years prior to being converted into a working museum. We were lucky enough to go on a tour of the mill which included a demonstration. If you get the chance I highly recommend it, I've never been in a working mill before and it was definitely interesting to see how 1) mills actually work and 2) how much work went into something as simple as corn meal! The museum was established by a private group of citizens who funded the reconstruction and keep the mill running through donations and sales of their, you guessed it, corn meal! Nate's mom bought like 6 pounds (I may be exaggerating, I don't actually remember how many she bought) and gifted us with a bag that has been sitting in our pantry just waiting for an opportunity to be used.


I decided that I would try my hand at a southern classic: Shrimp and Grits. Before I continue I must confess that I hate grits. They're lumpy, they're slimy and just are extremely unappetizing to my palate. Despite this, I decided to give them a try and I'll admit that this variation made me loathe them a little less.


Shrimp and Grits

4 C water
1 C stone-ground corn meal
1 Tbsp butter
3/4 Tsp salt
Fresh-cracked black pepper
1/4 Tsp chile powder
2 C shredded cheddar cheese
6 slices of bacon, chopped
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1/4 C Italian parsley, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 C chopped scallion
Tabasco sauce (optional)


In a large pot, bring water, butter and salt to a boil. Gradually add in the corn meal and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Lower the temperature and allow the grits to simmer, stirring occasionally for 20-25 minutes or until creamy and the liquid is soaked up.


Once the grits are the proper consistency, add in the black pepper, chile powder and the glorious 2 cups of cheese and stir until combined. Keep the temperature on low.


In a separate skillet, fry the bacon until brown and crispy. Remove the bacon to a paper towel covered plate and reserve the grease.


Pat your shrimp dry with a paper towel and then layer them in the glorious bacon grease to cook. Cook shrimp until pink. Add in parsley, lemon juice, garlic, bacon and scallion and sauté for 3 minutes.


Serve the shrimp mixture over a big scoop of grits, add a couple dashes of Tabasco and enjoy!


The shrimp were plump and succulent (and had a fantastic bacon-infused flavor), the crisp bacon offset the creamy grits, cheddar makes everything better, and there was a subtle smokiness from the chile powder. To put it simply: YUMMY!


Hope your weekend and upcoming week is great, readers!