Cookbook:Low Country Shrimp and Grits

| Seafood | North American cuisines | United States cuisine | Southern cuisine

Ingredients

 * 3–4 strips thick smoky bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
 * ½ onion, minced
 * 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
 * 1 lb large shrimp, peeled (use peels to make stock)
 * Salt
 * 1 pint heavy cream, divided
 * 2–2½ cups shrimp stock
 * Butter
 * Black pepper
 * Cayenne pepper
 * Paprika
 * Chile flakes
 * Lime juice
 * 1 recipe coarse grain hominy grits, timed to finish when shrimp are ready to serve
 * 3–4 scallions, sliced

Procedure

 * 1) Fry bacon in a pan until not too crisp; remove and reserve.
 * 2) Sauté onion and garlic in bacon fat until just softened (about 2–3 minutes).
 * 3) Lightly season shrimp with salt and add to the pan; sauté until about half-cooked and just turning pink. Remove and reserve with the bacon.
 * 4) Deglaze pan with sherry.
 * 5) Add 1 cup (250 ml) cream, bring to boil, and reduce.
 * 6) Add 1 cup shrimp stock, bring to a high simmer, and reduce. The liquid should thicken; if necessary, add floured butter at this point (beurre manié).
 * 7) Season sauce with salt, pepper, chili flakes, cayenne, and paprika
 * 8) Add bacon and shrimp to the sauce, and cook gently until shrimp are just done.
 * 9) Add lime juice.
 * 10) Serve over grits, and garnish with scallions.

Notes, tips, and variations

 * Make the shrimp stock with shrimp peels and parts, dried shrimp flakes, mirepoix, and peppercorns.
 * The scallions can be replaced with minced chives.