Why I Love Charleston: Geechie Boy Grits and Shrimp Gravy

 

So I'm doing this a little backwards.  I was going to introduce you to the fabulous world of the Geechie Boy Mill & Market first and then stun you with a delicious recipe, but weekend plans got in the way and so I'm going to stun you first.

Was at the beach this weekend with my friends Deb and Scott who stepped up to the plate (literally) to be my guinea pigs.  I've never done grits before, but Betsy Johnsman at Geechie Boy gave me both her mother's recipe (available at the shop) and some helpful hints to smooth the way for my first venture.  Add in some super fresh coastal shrimp and we have a winner.

Geechie Boy's Shrimp and Grits
based on Boone Jenkins' recipe

grits
3 cups water
1 cup Geechie Boy stone-ground grits
1-1/2 cups half and half
salt and pepper to taste

shrimp gravy
1 tbsp. butter
1 medium tomato, finely chopped
1 medium Vidalia onion, finely chopped
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup white wine

Bring water to a boil over high heat.  Slowly add grits, stir lightly then cover and reduce heat.

As grits thicken, add half and half, about 1/4 cup at a time, making sure to stir it in fully each time.

Continue to cook all told for about an hour, adding half and half and stirring occasionally throughout the process.

For the shrimp gravy, melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add tomatoes and onions and cook until they begin to caramelize.

Toss in shrimp.  Using a wooden spoon, stir the shrimp, tomato, and onion until the shrimp turns pink.

 

Splash in white wine and continue to cook until the shrimp are done and wine is reduced.

Plate grits and cover with a generous serving of shrimp gravy.

NOTES

I have been informed that real GOOD grits take at the very least 45 minutes and up to 2 hours to be done right.

If you're wondering why my grits are yellow, it's because I bought yellow grits.  Geechie Boy had both yellow and white available.  I went with yellow grits and white cornmeal, just to shake things up a bit.

Because we bought very fresh still in the shell shrimp, we bought almost 1-1/2 lbs. so that by the time we de-shelled it we'd have just over 1 lb. We also cut our large shrimp into smaller bite-sized pieces to allow for more shrimp per bite in the gravy.

When I say "we" prepped the shrimp I really mean "thank you Scott for handling the shrimp so that I didn't have to worry about shrimp-stinky hands while I cooked." :)