I’ve had a hankering for shrimp and grits ever since I enjoyed them at Crook’s Corner in Chapel Hill, NC. Lo and behold, Crook’s Corner released the recipe to Southern Living and it’s available online. It seemed fitting to prepare this dish with help from some fellow G.R.I.T.S. – Jami, who hails from Baton Rouge, and Leslie, a North Carolina native who’s so serious about ground corn that she actually orders her grits directly from Crook’s Corner. She was kind enough to share some with us on New Year’s Day, when we had some friends over to watch football and enjoy a good ol’ Southern meal.
Now, let’s talk for a minute about grits. Ain’t nothing more southern than grits. If you’ve never had them, I would say they’re similar to polenta, but with some definite differences between the two. Done poorly, grits are watery, tasteless and blah. Done correctly, they’re heavenly and comforting, perfect with bacon and eggs or as a creamy alternative to traditional starchy side dishes. As evidenced by this recipe, grits pair exceptionally well with shrimp – and Crook’s Corner takes it to another level with bacon, mushrooms and cheese. Because I made the recipe exactly as written, I’ll encourage you to check out the original in lieu of posting it here. Get ready for a healthy dose of southern comfort!
grits…where to begin? one of the best memories of my Mimi was that she would always make garlic cheese grits for breakfast on holidays…HOLY YUM. i could eat those suckers all day long! i’ll be making this next week!
When can I come over for this?? I’ll bring Peets, I promise!
This looks INCREDIBLY similar to Paula Dean’s heavenly grits (minus the mushrooms). My aunt made them for us in October and Shaun ate about half the pan and couldn’t stop raving. I need to find a way (if there is one) to do these dairy free. If not, maybe I’ll make them for my hubby and eat something else that night
Chelsea, you could definitely make grits with something like Earth Balance or a similar vegan spread, and omit the cheese. They’ll taste good, they just won’t be as creamy.
Any time, Carol!
mmm…garlic cheese grits!
Before I ventured into the world of food blogs, I had NO CLUE that grits were only a southern thing. That’s just how common they are down here; I had no chance to realize that they might not be so common somewhere else. I love grits on toast with bacon crumbled on it for breakfast, but shrimp and grits holds a close second. I’ve even seen this served at weddings!
Until I moved to Missouri and went to Alabama with a friend for Spring Break, I thought grits were something you kiss. =) I’ve probably had them once and don’t remember much of them except that they kind of reminded me of Cream of Wheat. Polenta didn’t enter my culinary vocabulary until much later. I must see about crashing your next grits party (except I’ll skip the shrimp). =)