Bobby Flay Shrimp 'N' Grits Recipe - TheFoodXP (2024)

FAQs

What state is best known for shrimp and grits? ›

The true origin of shrimp and grits is believed to be Charleston, South Carolina, where the recipe first appeared in 1950 as a breakfast recipe in the Charleston Receipts cookbook. By 1976, the meal was so popular South Carolina declared shrimp and grits the official state food.

Shrimp and grits on their own are good for you! Grits are a whole grain and shrimp are packed with protein. The only thing that makes it an unhealthy recipe is the addition of fats and oils like butter, full fat cheese, and heavy cream.

The best side dishes to serve with shrimp and grits are collard greens, biscuits, sweet potato fries, mashed sweet potatoes, tempeh, mac and cheese, rosemary bread, cornbread, green beans and potatoes, lima beans, cheesy breadsticks, creamy pea soup, baked potatoes, wedge salad, eggplant rollatini, fried okra, ...

It's a traditional southern comfort food dish consisting of creamy, buttery cooked cornmeal (similar to polenta) topped with butter sautéed shrimp. Our version takes this dish over the top by including caramelized bits of andouille sausage with the shrimp and stirring and melting shredded cheese into the buttery grits.

The word "grits" is derived from the Old English word grytt, meaning "coarse meal". In the Charleston, South Carolina area, cooked hominy grits were primarily referred to as "hominy" until the 1980s.

Originally an African dish of ground maize and shellfish, shrimp and grits migrated with people who were enslaved in plantation kitchens of the Lowcountry of the American South.

Southern Living Test Kitchen Director Robby Melvin prefers to cook grits in a mixture of water and heavy cream. "I use mostly water with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cream. The water does the trick to tenderize the grits, and the cream adds an obvious richness and creaminess to the finished product," he says.

Grits are a healthy and versatile food that can be enjoyed in a balanced diet. They provide carbohydrates, fiber, and several important vitamins and minerals. Grits are also naturally gluten-free and low in fat and sodium.

Feel free to embrace this classic Southern breakfast — shrimp and grits — which is diabetes friendly, says Maya Feller, RD, of Brooklyn, New York, the author of The Southern Comfort Food Diabetes Cookbook: Over 100 Recipes for a Healthy Life. This is especially true when you stick to the CDC recommended ½ cup or less.

If you prefer your shrimp and grits in this manner, look for a full-bodied white wine such as a New World chardonnay. Pairing a dish that includes cream — like grits — with a wine that has some weight will bring out the wine's subtleties.

What do Southerners eat with grits? ›

Serving Southern Grits

We often eat these grits as-is for breakfast (or topped with a fried egg or crumbled sausage). But they also make a delicious bed for stove-cooked beans or sautéed greens, and are a welcome side for weeknight dinners and holidays, too.

History of Shrimp and Grits

Many pin the dish's origins to the Lowcountry, where it was once called shrimps and hominy or breakfast shrimp. (Some in that region call cooked grits hominy.

Grits are known as a quintessential dish in Southern cuisine that has gone from a humble breakfast or side dish to the base for a tasty shrimp entree featured on restaurant menus. Grits actually have a much longer history; the word "grits" refers to any coarsely ground grain and was eaten by the Indigenous peoples.

You can leave the tail on or off: It's easier to eat without the tail in shrimp and grits, but it looks nice with the tail on.

There are four basic varieties of grits: traditional stone-ground, quick-cooking, instant, and hominy. While the base ingredient (corn) is the same in all of these, the way it's processed is different (more on that below). Grits are usually served one of two ways: creamy or cheesy.

In 1976, South Carolina declared grits the official state food, calling them a "symbol of its diet, its customs, its humor, and its hospitality."

Louisiana is the top harvester of shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico and has led the United States in shrimp landings every year since 2000.

Shrimp and grits has been a South Carolina specialty for generations.

At least three states honor the food: Grits are the official state prepared food of Georgia, the state meal of Oklahoma and the state food of South Carolina. 5. The World Grits Festival is held each April in St. George, S.C., the self-proclaimed Grits Capital of the World.