Shrimp and grits’ origins are humble.
In the Lowcountry, a region along the southern coast of South Carolina and parts of Georgia, it’s a decades-old tradition for fishermen to start their day with a bowl of “breakfast shrimp.”
The simple dish is likely a descendant of the West African shellfish and corn dishes that enslaved people had brought to the region, but it’s also a clear reflection of the Lowcountry land: a base of golden grits made from ground native field corn, topped with river shrimp netted from the brackish creeks, and maybe some leftover country ham or greens if they’re on hand.
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The meal is cheap, filling, and beloved.
And over the decades, shrimp and grits migrated from fishermen’s kitchens in the Lowcountry to all over the American South. It became particularly popular in New Orleans, where the dish gradually transformed from a simple laborer’s meal into a full-blown flavor parade.
Restaurants in the city dialed up the richness and intensity, adding cheese to the grits and andouille sausage to the shrimp and cloaking the whole thing in a creamy, spicy sauce. Now, this dressed-up version of shrimp and grits is a classic in its own right.
Shrimping in the Bayou
In his extensive account of his travels in 1700s Louisiana, the French soldier Antoine Simon Le Page du Pratz writes of flamingos, mosquitos, crocodiles—and shrimp. “Although in other countries they are generally found in the sea only, yet in Louisiana you will meet with great numbers of them more than a hundred leagues up the river,” he wrote.
Louisianans have been shrimping for centuries. At first, shrimpers would simply catch the bayou’s abundant shellfish in large nets and sell them locally, but shrimp became an extremely important export in the late 1800s, when Chinese immigrants introduced seafood drying techniques to the region and canning became more accessible. Nowadays, shrimp is a key part of Louisiana’s culture (as demonstrated by its presence in po’ boys, jambalaya, and other classic dishes of the region) and its economy. Until just a few years ago, an estimated 25 percent of all shrimp consumed in the United States came from Louisiana—though the industry faces unprecedented challenges from rising fuel costs, climate change, and competition from cheaper imported shrimp.
A Corny, Cheesy Base
To coax out the sweet aroma and flavor of the grits, I knew the first step of my recipe would be to toast them in a little butter.
The process of toasting the coarsely ground dried corn kernels creates new nutty, popcorn-y flavor compounds, making the grits taste even more robust.
Once the grits became fragrant, I poured in the liquid: a mixture of chicken broth for savoriness and milk for richness (and because dairy and corn complement each other so beautifully).
After bringing the mixture to a boil, I reduced the heat to low to gently cook the grits through, ensuring that the grains had time to hydrate evenly.
Two Steps for Great Grits
The ideal bowl of grits is creamy and silky, with robust corn flavor. Here’s how we accomplished both.
Toast in butter
Toasting the grits before simmering creates new flavor compounds, particularly acetyl pyrroline, which lends the characteristic toastiness of buttered popcorn.
The acetyl pyrroline also synergizes with diacetyl in the butter to yield extra-flavorful grits.
Simmer, don't boil
Grits have a tightly packed crystalline structure, so they take a long time to fully hydrate.
By simmering the grits slowly, we allow water to reach the cores before the surfaces reach their gelation point, yielding evenly tender grits.
If the grits were boiled quickly, the outer surfaces would hydrate more rapidly and become mushy, while the interiors would remain tough and brittle.
The cooked grits were silky and smooth, but since this is New Orleans’s version of the dish, I needed to kick up the richness a notch. I took the cooked grits off the heat and then stirred in more butter and some cheese.
Tasters liked extra-sharp cheddar best—it added plenty of tanginess and richness but didn’t overwhelm the flavor of the grits.
The finished grits were just right: creamy and luxe as well as complex and flavorful.
There was just one problem—as they cooled, the starch in the grits crystallized and the fat in the cheese hardened, causing the once-creamy grits to stiffen.
In future batches, I’d need to withhold the cheese and butter until just before serving and thin the grits out again with a splash of hot water if needed.
A Succulent, Spicy Topping
The superflavorful mixture of spiced sausage and shrimp that tops the grits is classic New Orleans—its ingredients, cooking methods, and seasonings overlap with those of shrimp étouffée, shrimp creole, gumbo and other dishes of the city’s canon.
I began by sautéing finely chopped green bell pepper and onion in butter alongside slices of andouille sausage, which infused the whole pan with its richness.
Next, I further intensified the flavors in the pot by adding a teaspoon of Cajun seasoning, a vibrant, brick-red mixture starring paprika, garlic, and cayenne pepper that brings both punchy heat and savor to many of Louisiana’s dishes.
As the spices bloomed in the fat in the pan, their flavors awakened and deepened.
Once the vegetables were soft, I added fresh garlic and flour, cooking them briefly to drive off the raw flavor. Then, in went the broth and heavy cream, which quickly took on a beautiful ruddy tint from the spices and sausage.
After the mixture came to a boil, it was time for the shrimp, which I had tossed with even more Cajun seasoning (the mix seasons the shrimp, and the salt in it also helps the shrimp hold on to its moisture).
I turned the heat down and then added the spiced shrimp and allowed them to poach gently in the cream, which took only a couple of minutes.
With that, all that was left to do was stir in lemon juice, ladle the shrimp on top of the grits, sprinkle with scallions, and let the good times roll.
Louisiana-Style Shrimp and Grits
New Orleans' take on this iconic dish of the Southern American canon is cheesy, creamy, and studded with sausage.
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