As obvious as is seems, shrimp and grits was originally a breakfast meal. Shrimpers and fishermen in the Low Country of South Carolina ate it often because it was simple, hearty and available.  I’ve seen it called “‘working man’s food” a lot more often than once or twice.

So, what happened?All of a sudden, it was as if the dish was on menus everywhere! Not only that, there were a lot of versions of it. As almost always happens to a good thing, it got ‘made better’ too many times by too many chefs and it kinda lost its way home.

It’s about the same thing that happened to fajitas. Butchers could barely give the poor cuts of beef away…until somebody got a big write up in a newspaper and a fad was born. (There is no such thing as a chicken fajita, by the way. Marketing. That’s all that was. It’s actually just a chicken taco. But you can’t sell tacos for $15…but you can sell fajitas for that! So, they became chicken fajitas on a menu. Just not in real life. )

That is exactly what happened to shrimp and grits. According to many — but notably Southern food guru John T. Edge — it got popular because of a review in the New York Times.  The chef was Bill Neal, originally from South Carolina, but working in North Carolina at the time. To him, the breakfast delight was a staple of his childhood. He did fancied it up a little bit, but kept it relatively true to its roots. Craig Claiborne from the NYT had a taste and the rest is history.

Next thing you know, Canadians for example — some of my best friends are Canadian — started adding things like Swiss cheese to shrimp and grits.  Well, that doesn’t work. But it happened. And adaptations like that happened here, there and yon  (short for ‘yonder’), and before you know it, you’ve got two dollars worth of ingredients bumped up to three dollars worth and put on a menu for $19 a pop when it’s all said and done.

So. Which one is ‘right’? I’ll leave that up to you.The answer is, obviously, whichever one you like best. Historically? Well now that you know the road it took to get here, you probably have a good idea.

If King Solomon had a web site about shrimp recipes…and he were to include a shrimp and grits recipe, my bet is he would use one of each;  One traditional and one kind of fancied up.  Sounds like a plan.

Traditional Charleston Shrimp & Grits

A Simple Version

A Little ‘Fancied-Up’ But Still Traditional

An adaptation from A Real American Breakfast by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison.

Takes about an hour to fix.

Ingredients:

• · 1.5 pounds medium shrimp, peeled, halved lengthwise, and deveined if you want to.
• Juice of a lemon
• Tabasco or other pepper sauce
• 1.5 teaspoons salt or more to taste
• 1 .5 cups stone-ground grits, not instant or quick-cooking
• 6 thick slices of bacon, chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
• 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 or 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup (about 1/4 pound) grated medium to sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions:

• Combine the shrimp with the lemon juice and a a few splashes of hot sauce. Let it sit.

• Make the grits in a large heavy pan. Bringing 6 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of the salt to a boil. Add the grits a few handfuls at a time and stir as you add.  When you have added all the grits — and they have begun to bubble — cut the heat to a low simmer.

• Cook over low heat for 35 to 40 minutes. Stir occasionally at first and and then more often at the end.

• While the grits are cooking, get to work on the gravy. Fry the bacon until it’s brown but not at all crispy. Add the onion, the green pepper, and the garlic. Keep cooking until the onion and pepper are limp. That will take about 5 minutes. Add the scallions, sprinkle the flour over the mixture, and continue sautéing for 5 minutes longer. Stir in the stock and remaining salt and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove it from the heat and finish up the grits.

• When the grits become thick and creamy, add butter. As much as you want.  Then add the cheese. Add a splash of hot pepper sauce and a little more salt if you like. Just taste it. the bacon will add a lot of flavor…and a lot of salt. Cover the grits while you finish the gravy.

• Return the gravy to medium heat and stir in the shrimp. Cook until the shrimp are opaque. That will take about 5 minutes. Serve right away! Make a mound of grits in bowl or on a plate. Cover them with shrimp and gravy.

• Apply lips.

Serves 4 normal people — or 2 of me.

Incoming search terms:

• low country shrimp bisque
• new york times shrimp and grits recipe

Cashews, besides being eaten raw as snacks, are ingredients in many pastries, such as cookies and cakes, and sweet breads.  They are also used as topping for salads, fish, and chicken and are often mixed in ice cream and candies.  Cashews,  are  one of  the  edible nuts that add variety, texture and taste to recipes from around the world.

One of the most popular dishes is shrimp and cashews and it is served over rice and fried noodles. This delicious Asian dinner will soon become a family favorite and can be enjoyed at any time you have access to fresh or fresh frozen shrimp.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons peanut oil

2 pounds medium to large shrimp, shelled and deveined

1/4 Cup finely sliced green onions

2 Cups frozen peas

1 Cup chicken broth

1/2 Cup sliced water chestnuts

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 Cup soy sauce

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1 /2 Cup dry roasted cashews

Preparation:

Heat peanut oil in skillet.   Add shrimp and green onions.  Cook, stirring constantly, until shrimp turns pink and onions are tender. Add peas, chicken broth, water chestnuts, salt and ginger.  Cover, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes or until peas and shrimp are tender.

Separetly  blend soy sauce and cornstarch .  Stir into shrimp mixture and cook until sauce is clear and slightly thickened.  Stir in cashews.  Serve immediately with hot rice and fried noodles.

Yield 6 servings.

As you can see this dish is a  combination of vegetables, shrimp and nuts makes for a healthy and tasty well rounded meal.  The combination of succulent shrimp and crunchy cashews is truly a treat for your taste buds!

Thawing frozen shrimp should be done overnight. Simply place the frozen shrimp in a bowl, cover the shrimp, and place this in the coldest section of your fridge. If you want a quicker thaw, simply run the shrimp under tap water until they are pliable. You should never thaw frozen shrimp in hot or warm water and you should never microwave it since this will begin the cooking process.

After thawing the shrimp, the next process is cleaning. This should be done immediately after the thawing process. To clean your shrimp, simply rinse them thoroughly under cold running water. Some people prefer to peel off and to devein shrimp before cooking, some after cooking, and others eat their shrimp without peeling and deveining it. If the heads have not been removed, remove them before cooking. You should pinch off the legs and remove the tails and the shells before cooking. To devein your shrimp, slice the back and use your finger to scoop it out. You should do this under cold running water.

There are different recipes that you can use to cook shrimp. Some recipes require that you butterfly the shrimp. This is basically the cutting open of the shrimp. One of the most popular ways of cooking shrimp is poaching. This method is better than boiling since the shrimp is too delicate for boiling and it leads to overcooking. To do this, simple place the shrimp in your simmering water or source at boiling temperature, but this liquid should not be bubbling. You should let the shrimp simmer for between 3 and 5 minutes or until the tails curl or the shrimp turn pink. After cooking, drain the liquid before serving. Another way of how to cook shrimp is sautéing. This is a quick cooking method where the shrimp is cooked in a little butter or hot oil. First heat the butter or the oil and then place the shrimp on your pan. You should turn the shrimp just once. The shrimp will be done3 in about 3 minutes or until it is pink or the tail curled. Other popular methods are grilling, pan frying or scampi, deep frying, and brining.

Also, while most people are familiar with various techniques and recipes for cooking fish and meat, not everyone’s knowledgeable about grilling shrimp. If you’re concerned about the same thing, you can stop worrying because the recipe and related guidelines below will ensure you produce the best tasting shrimp that your loved ones have ever tasted.

Sugar Cane Skewered Shrimp Recipe

Sugar cane skewers are quite difficult to find, though. If you have a Vietnamese market, grocery, or food supplier nearby then great! They’re the best source for sugar cane skewers. But if not, you can always purchase them online and have them delivered to you.

You’ll also need larger than usual shrimp for this recipe. If you’d like to use prawns in this case, that would be good, too. You can use regular skewers to create guide holes in your sugarcanes. Season your shrimp with salt and dab them with the tiniest bit of vegetable oil before grilling.

Switch on your firepit ahead of time so that it would be hot enough when your shrimp’s ready to be grilled. But before placing the skewered shrimps on the grill, double-check to ensure that the grates have already been brushed with oil.

Just remember to follow the instructions here to the letter and you won’t encounter any major difficulties while grilling shrimps on your propane firepit. Afterwards, serve your shrimp hot and your family’s sure to crown you as their outdoor cooking champ of all time.

When I was a little kid, my family would occasionally make the trek from Vicksburg, Ms. to Jackson, Ms. — about 45 minutes — to go to Morrison’s Cafeteria after church. My little brother and I got to pick whatever we wanted. I always picked fried shrimp. Forty-plus years later, I still do, too often. Although shrimp and grits gets picked a little more often, these days.

Shrimp scampi recipes are really popular. Lots of variations on the shrimp scampi theme, too. Only one way to find out which one is these best…make them all and give them a try. (Hey, nobody said that being an authority on shrimp scampi was gonna be easy!)

Seems like people never tire of a good shrimp salad recipe either. The fact that it is so simple — not to mention down right delicious — probably has a lot to do with that. (Ever heard of a shrimp salad sandwich? Dee-lish.)

Recipes for grilled shrimp, coconut shrimp, boiled shrimp…you name it. Our aim is to have your favorite shrimp recipes here in one place for you. We also look forward to any comments you would like to add.

Three friends have dropped by the site and added their own recipes. Many others have threatened to send their favorite recipes, but haven’t yet. Pat’s Asparagus and Shrimp Risotto recipe was probably the most surprising! Linda’s Shrimp In Black Pepper is something else new and wonderful to these taste buds. And, naturally, anything from Chef Jerry is always amazing. Same goes for his Tyler Florence-inspired Shrimp Bisque.

If you have a shrimp recipe you would like to share, please jump over to the Contact Us page and let it rip.

Shrimp recipes are among the most sought after recipes online. No real wonder why either. It is a massively popular ingredient in cuisines all around the world. Above and beyond all else, shrimp simply tastes great cooked in many different ways.

Other than being high in cholesterol, shrimp is largely good for you. The nutritional value of shrimp is excellent. It is low in Saturated Fat and is a good source of Niacin, Iron, Phosphorus and Zinc. It is also a very good source of Protein, Vitamin B12 and Selenium.

All of that said, shrimp still just tastes darn good. In the end, that’s why I like it.

Incoming search terms:

• ;itt;e shrimp receipes

Ingredients

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup celery, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 pound shrimp, cooked, peeled and deveined

Cook your shrimp in a medium saucepan. Bring a couple of cups of water to the boil. Add unpeeled shrimp and cook for about 5 minutes… or until the shrimp are pink.  Drain then allow shrimp to cool. Throw them in ice to speed things along and stop the cooking even faster.  After they have cooled, remove the shells and devein the shrimp.

After mixing the first four ingredients in a fairly decent sized bowl – give yourself room to work — add cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp. Toss to coat with the mixture. Put them in the fridge for about a half  an hour before you serve.

With this basic recipe, you now have at least three easy ways to go…

1. Make a bed of cool, crisp lettuce – you choose which kind, but our family likes romaine – on a cold plate.

2. Put the mixture on the greens and enjoy.

3. Shrimp Salad Sandwich? Don’t knock it. TRY it!  Just put the assembled salad on a nice croissant or a fresh sandwich roll. Now you have a portable shrimp salad! (Didn’t even know you needed one, did you?)

When tomatoes are in season, , stuff the mixture in a tomato that has recently left a garden near you.

Here are some more ideas for variations on the theme…

• Asian Shrimp Citrus Salad
• Shrimp Salad with Red Onion, Mango and Cilantro
• Shrimp and Macaroni Salad
• Pickled Shrimp Salad
• Thai Shrimp Salad
• Shrimp Curry Salad
• Shrimp Salad with Chow Mein Noodles

Try these shrimp dishes and let us know which you liked best. I would also be interested to hear about any variations and adjustments you made that were particularly satisfying.

Do you have a shrimp salad recipe that you think we should include on the site, just let us know.  Same with any other shrimp recipes! We want to be the best shrimp recipe resource you can find.

The Stuff:

• Large Shrimp – 1.5 – 2.0 pounds
• Clarified Butter – 1/3 to 1/2 cup
• Minced Garlic  — 4 table spoons
• Green Onions, thinly sliced – 5 or 6
• White Wine (Dry) — 1/4 cup
• Lemon Juice (fresh is best)  — 2 tablespoons
• Chopped Fresh Parsley — 2 tablespoons
• Add salt and pepper to taste

Makin’ It:

1. Peel and devein shrimp.
2. Rinse the shrimp and set them aside.
3. Heat the butter in a large skillet, medium heat.
4. Cook garlic 1 or 2 minutes or until softened but not browned.
5. Add shrimp, green onions, wine and lemon juice. Cook until shrimp are pink and firm, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Do not overcook.  (‘Poke’ shrimp with finger to feel firmness.)
6. Add chopped parsley and salt and pepper before it hits the table.

Other Thoughts:

I’m a big fan of lemon zest. Especially with fish and chicken dishes. I like to zest a lemon and toss it in the pan at the very end of this preparation. The flavor, aroma and freshness-boost it gives the recipe is perfect.

A Little History:

Scampo is Italian for Shrimp. Scampi is the plural of Scampo. Now that we have all of that squared away, on to something that you may actually find interesting.

This dish made its way into our country around the end of World War II. Between 1955 and 1960 it started finding its way to big city restaurant menus pretty regularly. As with everything else, there are several versions of several stories about how it was really made in The Old Country. Here are some variations on the theme that you may want to experiment with as you develop your preferences for making shrimp scampi in your kitchen…

Instead of using butter, use olive oil – not extra virgin, though. Some older Italian cooks shake their heads ‘no’ at the idea of adding garlic to shrimp scampi. I have seen some scampi recipes and preparation that call for nothing more than a medium – hot skillet with olive oil and lemon juice, there seems to be plenty of room for interpretation. And that is probably as it should be. Cooking is, after all, art.  So experiment. Have a little fun. You’ll be amazed at what you learn.

Incoming search terms:

• tasty garlic shrimp scampi recipe

Maybe you have seen the TV commercials that talk about “Wild American Shrimp.”  Believe it or not, that isn’t just marketing hype. There really is a difference. Wild shrimp get to swim around a lot more. They also eat seaweed and other things in the ocean that gives them a greater depth of flavor than, say, farm raised shrimp. If you have a choice and your budget can handle it, go with wild American shrimp. You will be able to create more delicious shrimp recipes with them.

When you buy shrimp there are a couple of things to keep in mind that will be helpful.

SMELL: There shouldn’t be any! If you smell anything but the ocean, forget it.

FRESH or FROZEN:  Nothing in the world wrong with frozen shrimp. As a matter of fact, frozen is the best shrimp to buy unless you live on the water where the fresh shrimp live. If you have your choice, pick frozen shrimp that hasn’t yet been peeled and de-veined. The shell will help protect the meat and keep the texture and flavor in tact.

WEIGHT:  A good rule of thumb is that a pound of shrimp that has not been peeled and de-veined will yield about a half pound of meat.

APPEARANCE: Raw shrimp should look translucent. There should not be a color to the flesh, unless it is a tiger shrimp. And they tend to have black markings that look like rings. That is ok for tiger shrimp, but not for any other raw shrimp. Pink OK? Nope. Not until the little beast is cooked.

COOKING: Boiled shrimp should be shocked in ice cold water the minute they come out of the boiling liquid, unless you plan to serve them immediately out of the boil. That will see that the meat stays firm longer.

FACTOID: 90+ per cent of all shrimp in the United States comes from the waters off of the Gulf Coast states, hence the name Gulf Coast Shrimp.

It is delicious and good for you. It is a very versatile ingredient, too. Fried shrimp, boiled shrimp, grilled shrimp,  — I’m starting to sound like Bubba in “Forest Gump” – regardless of your preference, shrimp is one of America’s favorite dishes.

I hope you enjoy these delicious shrimp recipes. If you have one you would like to share, let us know!