Shrimp and Grits

A couple of years ago, I visited Charleston, SC and not only loved the city, but mostly the food which was simply divine! The signature dish was shrimp and grits, unbelievably delicious. This is a version from Whole Foods website. Unlike most recipes for shrimp and grits, this one has less fat and no cream. My husband deemed it blog worthy. (Not every I recipe I try makes it to this blog. It has to be something we enjoyed enough that we would definitely make again.) This recipe serves about 4-5 people.

Recipe:

3 slices bacon

1 cup grits (I used yellow)

3 cups water or chicken broth

salt, pepper

1 small yellow onion, sliced thin

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 bell peppers sliced thin (I used one yellow, one red)

1/2 to 1 lb. shrimp, shelled and deveined

2 T lemon juice

2 tsp hot sauce (like Tobasco not salsa)

Cook bacon in a wide skillet. Remove bacon and leave some of the grease in the pan but set aside 1-2 T to use later in the recipe. Bring 3 cups water with 1 tsp salt (or substitute chicken broth) to a boil in a deep pot. Add grits, stir well, and lower heat to medium or med. high. Cook for 5 minutes (or according to package directions.) Stir often and you may need to slightly cover with a lid to keep the grits from popping up at you. When done, cover tightly with the lid and set aside.

Cook garlic, onions and peppers in skillet in bacon grease until very soft and wilted. Add a little salt and pepper. Remove pepper mixture from skillet. Add the rest of the bacon grease and cook the shrimp with a little more salt and pepper. After the shrimp is cooked through, put the pepper mixure back in, add the lemon juice and hot sauce. Mix well. For each plate, place a mound of grits topped with the shrimp mixture. Crumble the bacon on top.

I boiled the grits in water but my husband and I agreed that the grits could use a little more flavor. So, next time we're going to use chicken broth instead. I served this meal with a green salad. It was very filling. Make sure you include a little Southern hospitality with your meal!