Shrimp and Grits

 

Shrimp and Grits
SO Good and Addicting!

This is my first time to fix Shrimp and Grits and I have to say, it turned out pretty good. I'm very pleased. I've looked up at least 50 recipes on Pinterest and YouTube,  looking for just the right one & I even have cookbooks with the recipes. I'd been reluctant to make it because the first time I ever had it was in Fairhope, Alabama when my brother took me there. I thought it was to die for! I'm crazy about grits anyway, but this is a totally different experience. Since that restaurant (Locals) in Fairhope doesn't give out their recipe I just had to go by a picture I took and the taste. I'm really excited about how it turned out. The restaurant in Alabama said their Shrimp and Grits is in the style of the "low country" in South Carolina. I've read many recipes that claim to fix their dish in this style but none of them have all the ingredients I used tonight & remember eating at Locals in Fairhope, Alabama. I didn't measure anything, so I'll just list the ingredients I used.

Ingredients and Instructions

Fresh shrimp

Quick grits, cooked in chicken broth & butter. Gouda cheese & cream added at the end. I kept adding that til it tasted the way I wanted it to. Some say they add cream cheese or mascarpone cheese and I'll try that next time.

In a frying pan I cooked the smoked sausage I'd cut up & bacon I had chopped in small squares, til crisp. I removed both, leaving the grease in the pan to cook the Shrimp on both sides (removed it after a few minutes so it wouldn't get overdone) and then cooked the following ingredients in same pan. I had chopped  them into squares ahead of time:

Green pepper

Red sweet pepper

Sweet Onion

Fresh mushrooms, sliced

Minced garlic

I didn't cook them till they were too tender. (Just softened a little)

After the vegetables were partially cooked I added the cooked shrimp & added some chicken broth and a little cooking sherry. At this point some recipes said to add about 1 tablespoon tomato sauce, and I'll try that next time. Then after about 2 minutes of simmering, I added real cream. Also made a slurry of cornstarch and cold water to thicken the liquid a little. I didn't add salt bc it was too salty from the powdered chicken broth I used, but I did add pepper. I kept tasting it and added more cream. Just add to your taste. Oh and I was going to add Cajun seasoning but I only had Creole seasoning so I added a dash of that. If you like spicy food (like I do), add more Creole or Cajun seasoning or add hot sauce or add some chopped fresh jalapeno. I'll definitely add that next time.

After everything was done, I put some grits in a bowl, added the shrimp, vegetables & creamy sauce. I meant to add a squeeze of fresh lemon, but forgot. Then I sprinkled the top with crispy bacon, little squares of smoked sausage, chopped green onions and chopped fresh parsley. It was delicious and I didn't feel like it was missing anything. I will definitely make it again! Let me know what you think!