Shrimp and Grits Video Tutorial

Shrimp and Grits is a dish that is close to my heart for many reasons (see: ingredient list and region of origin). It also happens to be a fan-favorite amongst The Saucy Spork’s humble following and so when it came time to put together our first video tutorial, picking a recipe was a pretty easy choice. With the help of Onward Entertainment, we’re happy to share with you an in-depth lesson on how to cook the version of Shrimp and Grits that can be found on this website. But first, let’s explore a little bit of history.

History of Shrimp and Grits

It is well-known that grits are very much a “Southern” thing, especially with Georgia having named the dish as the state’s official “prepared food,” but how did that come to be? It’s actually the Native American tribe, the Muskogee, who once inhabited the Southeastern woodlands of North America who are credited with the origin of grits, at least as it pertains to the south. The Muskogee would dry corn and then grind it down with a stone mill. The resulting ground corn was called hominy. The tribe would later barter the hominy to the European settlers of the Southern states and eventually the inclusion of hominy made its way into the food culture of the settlers as well. The name hominy stuck for a while but it was ultimately the gritty texture of the food that won out, leading the way for the dish to now be referred to simply as “grits”.

So when did we start adding shrimp to our grits? The early origins of the dish stem from Georgia and the low country of South Carolina, especially in Charleston, where the local shrimp fisherman would add the smaller shrimp from the tidal creeks to their grits for breakfast during the shrimp season. Shrimp and grits didn’t reach national awareness, though, until 1985 when Craig Claiborne of the New York Times took a visit to my hometown of Chapel Hill, NC and stopped by Crook’s Corner where he ate chef Bill Neal’s famous preparation of it. It’s said that Claiborne was so enamored with the dish that he asked that Bill make it again for him the following morning for breakfast and he later published the recipe in his column for the Times. Since then, several different takes on the dish have started showing up both in local joints as well as upscale restaurants. From New Orleans’ Commanders Palace up Route 66 to Chicago’s Big Jones, the comforting-yet-luxurious flavors of shrimp and grits are hitting tables across America. In the video below, I’m excited to teach you how to make my version of this amazing dish.

Shrimp and Grits Video Tutorial

As this is an in-depth video lesson on how to make and prepare every facet of Shrimp and Grits, I thought it might be useful for folks to be able to reference a “chapter list” to know when various aspects of the dish are covered. That way even our busiest home cooks can learn something new – thanks for watching!

Chapter List

Time Stamps
00:00 – 00:45 : Introduction
00:46 – 07:34 : Roasted Garlic and Chipotle Aioli
07:35 – 09:39 : Cheesy Grits pt. 1
09:40 – 22:57 : Cut & Prep All Ingredients
22:58 – 25:27 : Cheesy Grits pt. 2
25:28 – 39:38 : Cooking Demonstration
39:39 – 45:22 : Finishing & Garnishing the Dish