Pop quiz time, people: Which of the following dishes is not a classic example of Southern cooking?

A. Fried chicken

B. Shrimp and grits

C. Chicken and dumplings

D. None of the above

Stumped? It’s B. Though everyone below the Mason-Dixon these days has their own recipe and signature twist, shrimp and grits didn’t start swimming onto menus until the late 90s. What began as a fisherman’s breakfast in the Carolina low country has evolved into an entrée often embellished with exotic mushrooms and bacon.

I had shrimp and grits for the first time in the mid 90s at my dear friend Austin Ford’s house. Austin loves Creole cooking, has stacks of Creole cookbooks and served shrimp and grits for a luncheon. I thought it was utterly delicious and loved it ever since.

In the summer of 1999, Garnie and Kara opened a restaurant at the Inn, which was still a B&B at the time, and needed a few solid recipes for their menu. I asked Austin for his shrimp and grits recipe and it was such a success I featured it on the Farmhouse menu when I took it over in 2009.

People think it’s absolutely loaded with butter, which isn’t true at all — it’s the combination of chicken stock and olive oil that gives Austin’s version its creamy, decadent flavor.

Do it buffet-style for a party: the shrimp sauce can be made ahead of time and refrigerated and the grits can also be prepared in advance and warmed in the oven or in a bain-marie on the stove.

 

Austin Ford’s Garlic Shrimp and Grits

• 2 pounds wild caught shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 9 garlic cloves , minced
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/8 cup lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
• 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
• 1 recipe creamy stoneground grits

Heat oil in saute pan and cook the garlic for 30 seconds.

Add chicken broth and lemon juice.

Season with salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce

Add shrimp and cook 1 – 2 minutes until pink.

Place hot grits in large serving bowl. Pour shrimp and hot liquid over grits.

Garnish with parsley.