Charleston Shrimp And Grits With Crab Gravy

4.69 from 16 votes

Charleston Shrimp And Grits With Crab Gravy

Charleston Shrimp And Grits With Crab Gravy is not only spectacular to taste, but also as true to original as the Gullah method reminds us.

Prep Time15

Cook Time55

Total Time1 10

Course: Breakfast, Main Course

Cuisine: African, American

Servings: servings

Author: Jenny DeRemer

Cost: $1.56 per serving

Equipment

non-stick sauté pan
large heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven
wire whisk

Ingredients

for the cheddar cheese grits

4 ½ cups water at a rolling boil
1 cup stone ground grits
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
¾ cup cheddar cheese white or yellow, freshly grated
¼ cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
4 tablespoons butter
black pepper freshly ground
hot sauce I am using Red Clay Hot Sauce

for the shrimp and crab gravy

8 - 12 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into individual tablespoons; *SEE NOTE IN INSTRUCTIONS
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic peeled and minced
1 large sweet onion like Vidalia
2 ribs celery well diced
1 red bell pepper well diced
1 ¼ cups flour
2 tablespoons sage leaves fresh, muddled with the back of a wooden spoon
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
⅔ cup dry sherry
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon nutmeg freshly ground
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 ½ to 4 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth may substitute or use in conjunction with clam juice or fish stock if desired; *SEE NOTE IN INSTRUCTIONS
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Kosher salt
black pepper
3 pounds shrimp large fresh; peeled and deveined
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat fresh or a 1-lb can of Maryland lump crab, picked

Instructions

for the cheddar cheese grits

In a non-stick sauté pan, bring the water to a rolling boil. Whisk in salt and grits in that order and immediately reduce heat to simmer.
Cook for 35 to 40 minutes stirring frequently.
When the grits are tender, turn off the heat but leave the sauté pan on the hot burner. Stir in both cheeses and the butter. Allow to melt and whisk gently to well incorporate.
Season to taste with black pepper and hot sauce if desired and place a lid on the pan. Keep warm while you make the gravy.

for the shrimp and crab gravy

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven set over medium heat, melt 8 tablespoons of the butter with the olive oil. Add garlic, onion, celery and pepper, and sauté until onion is translucent, stirring often, approximately 10 minutes.
Adjust heat to high, sprinkle the flour and whisk briskly to make a roux. NOTE: mixture will appear dry and somewhat lumpy. Add additional tablespoons of butter one at a time IF NECESSARY until you are able to smooth out the roux. Continue cooking until the mixture begins to brown and take on a nutty aroma, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low, and continue to cook, stirring often, for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, until the mixture has turned a deep brown. The deepening of a roux is a slow process, so have your heat adjusted appropriately and be careful not to burn it.
Add sage, thyme, sherry, Worcestershire sauce, nutmeg, cayenne pepper. Slowly add 3 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock to begin (may substitute or use in conjunction with clam juice or fish stock), and stir to combine. NOTE: add additional stock in 1/2-cup increments whisking after each addition until you reach a desired consistency. I try to make mine just a bit runnier as the gravy will thicken significantly as it continues to cook. Return the heat to medium. When the mixture begins to simmer, add tomato paste. TASTE FOR SEASONING. Add salt and pepper if required keeping in mind that the crab and shrimp will lend a degree of salt to the finished dish.
Cook for approximately 15 minutes, stirring often. Add shrimp, cook 3 to 4 minutes, then gently fold in the crab meat and simmer an additional 10 minutes to heat through. Serve ladled over creamy cheddar cheese stone-ground grits.

Notes

Make Ahead:

Peel and devein shrimp up to 1 day in advance. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Cook the grits up to 1 day in advance. Butter a 13 x 9 glass baking dish. Once grits are cooked and cheese incorporated, pour the grits into the baking dish and allow to cool. Place plastic film over the baking dish and refrigerate until ready to use. To re-heat, use a sharp knife to cut grits into "cakes." Melt 1 teaspoon of butter in a non-stick skillet and brown on both sides of the cake. Serve hot in a bowl with shrimp and crab gravy.

Make the gravy up to 2 days in advance. Follow the method in this recipe but stop before adding the shrimp or the crab. Allow mixture to cool completely before transferring to a container with a tight-fitting lid. Refrigerate until ready to use. To reheat, transfer back to clean Dutch oven and heat on medium low for 20 to 30 minutes and steaming. NOTE: you will likely need to add additional stock to reconstitute; do so in 1/2-cup increments and taste for seasoning keeping in mind that the crab and shrimp will lend a degree of salt to the finished dish. Follow with remainder of recipe where you left off.

Pro Tips:

There are many varieties of grits to include stone ground, quick cooking, and instant. For the purposes of this recipe, I am specifying stone ground grits. There are links to stone ground grits in the post for purchasing.

Nutrition