Raised on Edisto Island, South Carolina, the author Theresa Jenkins Hilliard learned to make shrimp and grits from her grandmother, whom she honored in the cookbook Mama Doonk’s Gullah Recipes. “She used basic seasonings, but she had a way of capturing the essence of the flavor of the shrimp with every bite,” Hilliard says. Use this recipe as a framework, as generations of cooks have done on Edisto Island—in season, Hilliard swaps in fish or fresh oysters for the shrimp.
Food & Drink
How to Make Classic Shrimp and Grits
Take cues from generations of cooks on Edisto Island, South Carolina: Master this basic recipe, then build on it
photo: The Voorhes
Ingredients
Yield: 4 servings
4 slices bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
15 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups cooked white grits
Preparation
In a cast-iron pan, fry the bacon. Remove meat from the pan, and leave about 2 tbsp. of fat. Add the onion to the fat, and sauté 3–5 minutes or until soft. Add the flour and stir until it becomes light brown, about 3 minutes.
Add shrimp, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir with a fork until the shrimp are pink, about 2–3 minutes per side. Break the bacon into pieces and add them to the mixture.
Add about 1 cup water, depending on desired consistency, and simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes. Pour over warm grits.
Related Stories:
Food & Drink
Hugh Acheson’s Oysters Rockefeller
The Georgia chef shares his new Florida restaurant’s spin on the seafood classic
drinks
The Secret Ingredient in Your New Favorite Cocktail
A superb ginger syrup spices up the home cocktail
Food & Drink
Cast-Iron Potato Galette
Just potatoes, butter, salt, and your favorite pan
Trending Stories:
Food & Drink
The Mad Scientist of Pawpaws
Largely the domain of foragers, the biggest edible fruit in the South has mostly been forgotten. A quietly obsessed Quaker from West Virginia has made it his life’s mission to change that
Food & Drink
How an Award-Winning Pastry Chef Doctors Up Boxed Cornbread
Even Kelly Fields whips up a box of Jiffy every once in a while. Here’s how she makes the store-bought stuff her own
30
Slideshow
Arts & Culture
The Top-of-2021 Reading List for Southerners
G&G contributors, editors, and Southern book lovers share new releases and old favorites to read right away this year—and a couple forthcoming releases already on preorder