I tried Shrimp and Grits for the first time at B. Matthews Eatery in Savannah, Georgia. It was delicious! And actually this was my first time eating grits. Something about the name didn’t sound right to me so I avoided them in the past. Luckily, I was traveling with my grits guru friend who guided me in the right direction. Cheesy grits, locally caught shrimp, and tasso ham all met her approval. Fleet Landing in Charleston, South Carolina served their Shrimp and Grits with a brown tasso ham gravy with slices of Andouille sausage instead of the tasso ham. Both versions were delicious, but B. Matthews’ Shrimp and Grits set the bar high with the white wine cream sauce and actual tasso ham pieces in the dish.
This dish is really open to limitless possibilities. I bought a package of stone ground grits at the Charleston City Market to take home and experiment. I learned “stone ground” are the grits of choice from the grits guru. For my first experiment, I started with the recipe on the grits package with a few enhancements. I used butter instead of bacon and added slices of andouille sausage because I could not find tasso ham anywhere near me. I left out the green onions and bell peppers. The sausage was cooked in butter which was then made into a sauce with milk and corn starch. The shrimp cooked in butter with a chipotle garlic seasoning. The grits were made per package directions with Vermont Aged White Cheddar Cheese. It turned out really good. I’m already thinking of ways to make it even better.
