A Wonderful Southern Tradition

Shrimp & Grits is a wonderful Southern tradition, initially served as a breakfast item. I love this twist on the traditional breakfast, giving it a nice elegant sauce suitable for brunch, lunch, or dinner. As a Chef, this was requested for many wedding receptions I catered.

Shrimp

2 pounds of 21-25 sized shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails off
1/8 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter, cubed, dusted with flour
sea salt and pepper to taste

Heat a saute pan and add canola oil and garlic. Sprinkle Cajun seasoning on shrimp and add to pan, cooking over medium heat. Cook until shrimp are done, adding butter cubes to finish it off.

Grits

Enough grits for 4 people, cooked according to directions on package (Here I am not going to specify what type of grits to use. Whatever your choice will work.)
Add two cubes of chicken bouillon to the cooking water.
Once grits have cooked, add to them 1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 pound grated asiago cheese
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Dash of sea salt
1/4 cup heavy cream (Amount will vary depending on consistency of grits at this point. You want your shrimp to be able to sit up on top of the grits and not fall though.)

Tomato Rosemary Sauce

1 can (28 oz) dices tomatoes
1 teaspoon chopped fresh garlic
1 tablespoon sugar
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer for 30 minutes. Keep sprigs of rosemary intact and remove just before serving.

Spoon serving of grits into bowl and add shrimp. Ladle Tomato Sauce over the top for a delicious feast any time of the day.