Whenever I think of a great breakfast spread, grits is always in the picture, even though it’s been decades since my childhood of eating them almost every morning. It wasn’t until many years beyond my childhood that I first had shrimp and grits, though, and now, they top my list as one of the great meals of all time. This Saffron Shrimp and Grits recipe is one of my favorites to date, serendipitously created one morning because I happened to spot my tin of saffron threads when I opened the spice cabinet.
Alter this recipe as you will to suit your tastes. It’s essentially a cream sauce thickened with a roux, which makes it a perfect candidate for flavor tinkering.
Saffron Shrimp and Grits Recipe
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This saffron shrimp and grits dish is extremely enjoyable with or without the saffron. But, if you have the saffron, use it. It gives an extra richness to the dish and perfectly accents the shrimp with the great side effect of being visually stunning.
Author: The Foodie Whisperer
Recipe type: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Cuisine: Seafood, Southern, French-influenced
Serves: Serves 2-4
Ingredients
- 1 pound U-15 Shrimp or Prawns, peeled and deveined
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion
- 2 tablespoon finely diced yellow or red bell pepper
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken or lobster stock
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 2 heavy pinches saffron threads
- chive sticks or chives for garnish
- Grits:
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tablespoon Knorr chicken bouillon powder
- 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
- 2 cups grits (depending on the style grits you use, you may need to alter the moisture added, check manufacturer's cooking instructions)
Instructions
- Heat water and milk to a boil, stirring in the bouillon powder. Add the dry grits and allow to simmer while whisking occasionally to prevent clumping and promote creaminess. Once grits are almost completed cooking, whisk in butter. Allow to rest covered or on lowest possible heat, to keep warm and moist. Note: you may have to add a bit more milk or water to desired consistency before serving if grits have thickened.
- Salt and pepper the shrimp to taste and lightly saute them over medium heat until just cooked, 2-3 minutes until just done. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a skillet, add the butter, garlic, onion and bell pepper. Cook for at least 3-4 minutes over medium heat to soften onions.
- Add the flour and saffron and stir continuously to make a medium blond roux, approximately 8-10 minutes. Note: the color will be a bright yellow or orange, but stir and cook long enough to ensure the flour loses it "raw" flavor.
- Whisk in the stock, cream and milk slowly to create the cream sauce. Cook and whisk at a light simmer until sauce thickens. If too thick, add more chicken stock or milk as needed to achieve desired consistency.
- Plate grits in a bowl, add 4-6 shrimp on top of grits and ladle cream sauce over the top. Garnish with chives or chive sticks. Enjoy and Cheers, my friends!
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