Shrimp & Blue Grits with Andouille Sausage
Recipes for this classic Southern dish vary greatly—some have sausage or bacon, some are loaded with mushrooms, some have a tomato-based gravy, while others have no gravy at all. Use this recipe as a good base, and feel free to experiment from there. The recipe and cooking technique work equally well with other types of seafood, from oysters to crab to leftover baked fish. With a simple dish like this, it’s important to use top-quality ingredients and let those flavors shine.
The grits used here are from Geechie Boy Mill, located on Edisto Island, South Carolina. Using historic antique mills, they coarsely grind heirloom blue corn, preserving the natural flavors and oils of the corn. They lend great texture to this dish.
Shrimp & Blue Grits with Andouille Sausage
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken stock, plus 1/2 cup for the shrimp
- 1 cup blue grits
- Salt
- 1 garlic clove, smashed
- 5 tablespoons scallions, sliced
- 6 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1/2 cup andouille sausage, sliced and then julienned
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 shallot, diced
- 3 tablespoons parsley, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 pound large shrimp (u-15 works well), peeled and deveined
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- Chives, minced for garnish
Instructions
Bring the chicken stock to a boil in pot over medium heat. Slowly pour in the grits and stir continuously until the stock comes back up to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer. Season with salt, and add the smashed garlic clove, 2 tablespoons of sliced scallions and 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir to incorporate and continue cooking for about 20 minutes, adding more stock if necessary.
While the grits are cooking, make the shrimp. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, garlic, shallot and parsley. Cook for a minute, then add the tomato paste. Stir to incorporate. Push the ingredients to one side of your pan, adding the shrimp to the empty side of the pan. Cook for 2 minutes, allowing the shallot mixture to sweat in the sausage fat and the shrimp to cook on one side. Add the rest of the scallions and stir, mixing all of the ingredients together.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan with the shrimp. Pour in 1/2 cup chicken stock, Worcestershire and lemon juice. Cook for an additional 2 minutes. Serve shrimp over the grits, garnishing with chives.
Photographs by Madeleine Hill.
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