Southern hospitality is a real thing. About 2 years ago I drove from Washington, DC to Atlanta to go house hunting. Mr. Hapanom had work responsibilities to attended to, so my my mom flew up from Florida to meet me. On our first outing to look at houses, I pulled into an empty bank parking lot to look at the map. I was scrolling through my navigation system to figure out our next destination, while my non-tech savvy mother had the giant paper map pulled out across the dashboard. I was engrossed in my GPS, when a man knocked on the window of my car, he obviously wanted to talk to me. Now I’m the type of person that thinks
that every stranger is out to get me, so when a man knocks on my window I immediately go into defense mode. I had my hand on the gear shifter ready to tear out of the parking lot just in case this guy tried anything funny. I cracked my window just enough to hear what he had to say and when I did, he warmly smiled and said, “do you guys need directions somewhere?”
I was shocked. In DC no one knocks on your window to be helpful. So with what I assume was a confused looking smile, I politely said, “Thanks, but I think we got it.”
He smiled warmly again and said, “Ok, well you ladies have a good day.”
The man turned around and got back into his car. I looked at my mom and remarked with great surprise, “Wow, he was nice.”
During our two years in Atlanta, Mr. Hapanom and I experienced countless acts of southern hospitality. That warm demeanor reflects in the food- it’s hearty, soulful, and it just leaves you feeling good inside. So the other day when I was craving southern food – shrimp n’ grits is what first came to mind… except this meal has an Asian twist to it – Salt & Pepper Shrimp and Grits.
This is a dish that makes a great meal anytime of day! Whether you want a big breakfast, a hearty dinner, or any meal in between; lightly crispy salt & pepper shrimp over cheesy grits, garnished with crispy bacon, scallions, and topped with a creamy poached egg is a dish that will keep you going!
- 8 cups water
- 2 cups stone-ground cornmeal (do not use instant grits)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- Kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- ½ pound bacon
- 1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined*
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 eggs
- 4 scallions, sliced
- In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium-high and slowly add the cornmeal (so it doesn't clump) and whisk constantly for 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to low and continue to whisk frequently for 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- In a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon, turning it until it’s browned evenly. Turn off the heat, remove the bacon from the pan, and let it drain on paper towels. Once the bacon is cool enough to handle, roughly chop and set aside. (Do not drain the pan, you'll cook the shrimp in the bacon grease).
- Rinse and pat the shrimp dry. In a dish, combine the cornstarch, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Dredge the shrimp in the cornstarch mixture, shake off any extra. Heat the pan you cooked the bacon in, over medium-high heat and cook the shrimp 1 minute per side.
- To poach the eggs, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Reduce the temperature to low and crack the eggs into separate bowls. Carefully slide them each into the water, as close to the waters surface as possible. Set your timer for 3 minutes for perfectly runny yolks. While the eggs are cooking, divide the grits among 4 bowls. Add the shrimp, bacon, and scallions. Using a slotted spoon, carefully lift the eggs out of the water, transfer an egg to each prepared bowl of grits. Serve and enjoy!
**If you would like to read about Polenta vs. Cornmeal, click here.
***Recipe inspired by David Chang, Shrimp and Grits
first you pull at my pacific northwest heart strings with your salmon summer roll share. now you mess with my deep south and asian dna by making a dish that is both deep south and asian. while the heat, humidity, mosquitoes, snakes, and fire ants are like a deep south-repellent for me, i do so miss the unique energy of the people and food. to honor that part of me, i do my best to bring the south here thru my southern accent, vibe, and kitchen shares. the asian part of me gets more than enough daily lovin’… not only does it seem as as if everyone up here grows up using chopsticks along with forks, my new forever home is a visual twin sister to both yokohama and northern japan. it is in this spirit that i grab this cool creative dish to make a go of it at a brunch i am serving this weekend. a friend of a neighbor is visiting from south carolina and i am taking them on a jeep run through some of the lower elevation forests on the peninsula. this will kick-start the day perfectly, yes? serendipitous…
ohhhhh, and i totally forgot to say… how you cut up the bacon for service = life changing. scallions with the grits and egg = i am doing back flips and freaking. both = clever, clever, clever on steroids.
Mmmm…. bacon 😛
That was exactly the inspiration for this dish! My hubby and I just moved from Atlanta, where we lived for 2 years! The food was great – grits, bbq, pimento cheese, etc (it was a fantastic food experience)!
I tease my dad that I think he’s the only Japanese guy on the east coast. Since moving out to the SF Bay Area, it’s been great to see and experience more of the Japanese food and culture (something you don’t get nearly as much of back east).
I hope you guys had a great time riding through the forests over the weekend – sounds like an awesome day! 🙂
kathleen, i was drinking a cup of water when i read this reply back to me. “the only japanese guy on the east coast” made me laugh so hard i spit a bit of water onto my desktop screen then went into a coughing laughing choking eyes getting watery session. if i were there, i would punch you on the arm for that w-a-a-a-y funny comment. i can relate x 1000000000000000000. cheers~
now, see.. here i go again without finishing my thought… everyone loved the grits dish so much that seconds were passed around the table. the couch that jimi sits on while people eat allows him to see the top of the table and i could see him getting all weird concerned about not getting leftovers (he did not know i put some shrimp aside for him before i served the table). the plate scraping was kinda intense; wonderful music to hear, right? the trip to the peninsula was beyond cool. the visiting east coaster could not believe her eyes. she said she was all pissed off now that the moss over there was not the “twilight movie” kind of moss. i told her i remembered being scared of the grey scraggly hanging moss in the south throughout my childhood, but here… it is like the entire world is covered in deep green velvet. when she saw the mountains i could see her look dazed and freaked out from all the intense beauty. it is wonderful to see others embracing the blessing of west coast life for the first time. so yeah… good trip and then some. thank you for the recipe, kathleen. i am going to be making this often. until~
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed the dish and that Jimi got a few shrimp 😉 Arlo has an obsession with eggs, if I just tap an egg on the counter, he starts pawing at his bowl. So every weekend when I make breakfast, I make sure to save a bite for Arlo and Otis. It’s like doggie crack! (Just one more hit man!)
Ooo, ooo, is the ‘grey scraggly hanging moss’ in the south you’re referring to, Spanish moss? I LOVE that stuff! It’s SO beautiful! But I could see if during your childhood, it looks like the stuff haunted stories are made of 😉 Sounds like you guys had an awesome time exploring the beauty of the Pacific NW! I’m assuming you’re Washington now?
LOL @ the moss has a name? i always thought it looked like arame seaweed, so i have forever called it, “witchy tree arame”. i honestly cannot believe it never dawned on me that it had a proper name. man… and to think i consider myself smart? what an ego slap, right? toooo funny. i love it! googled as soon as you educated me then came here to confess. alright… jimi is giving me the evil eye (because he can tell time) so i am going to stop typing and do jimi stuff.
signed,
moss specialist, NOT.
Huh… now that you mention it, it does look like arame seaweed! So who’s educating who?! 😉 Go have fun and do ‘Jimi stuff’. Arlo and Otis are passed out in my bed.
Signed,
I need a bigger bed because of my dogs 🙂
oops… seattle, yes
Oh… my cousin used to live in Seattle. She recently moved with to Issaquah with her growing family. She loves the whole area! I’ve never been, but hope to visit sometime soon!
Buhahaha! You laugh because you know it’s kinda true 😛 Seriously, if you’re in the area, let me know! I think we would probably do a lot of ‘arm punching’ 😉
Both Thomas and I love shrimp and grits! This is one of the dishes he made for me when we just met each other and it reminds me of good old days 🙂 We have grits in China too, but we always cook it sweet. This dish opened my mind!
Love your photos as always. Pinning and sharing!
Ooo… sweet grits?! I’m going to have to check that out! Don’t you just love when a food/dish reminds you of those ‘good ol’ days’? 🙂
Oh my goodness! This looks like an amazing meal! I love grits! Nothing like southern hospitality!
Thanks, Kelley! I love grits too! Even when it’s with just a little (ok maybe more than a little) butter and some salt 😉
Dat yolk tho…. Seriously to die for. I did a service trip to Atlanta a few years ago and I was amazed by the culture. People are nice to each other? Huh – whaaaat? It’s amazing to see. You’re making me want some grits now!
I know, right?! It took me a little while to get used to strangers smiling at me walking down the street. It was nice 🙂
It’s absolutely true, Kathleen. Both of my husband’s parents are from Memphis, and they just know how to treat guests / family! I love everything about this dish – honestly, the perfect comfort food.
Thanks, Marissa! Are you back from Paris yet?! So jealous 😉
I love the south and never want to leave! It doesn’t get much more southern than shrimp and grits and you totally got it right with that runny egg on top!
Wow! Thanks so much for the compliment, Rachelle! I was hoping I would get a real-deal southern stamp of approval 🙂 xo
Hahahaha! I laughed out loud when you were talking about the guy knocking on your window and your Mom with the giant paper map. Do they even make paper maps anymore? Let me tell you, I luv grits so much. Grits and gravy is the one of the best comfort foods ever! I’ve had shrimp and grits many ways but never with a creamy egg. Sheer brilliance, my friend, and I can’t wait to try this recipe for brunch at home next weekend 🙂
Yes, yes they still make those large paper maps that you can never re-fold quite right. In fact, my parents have a navigation system in their car, yet they still go to AAA before ever trip to get a map – bless their hearts 🙂
Omg! Kathleen, I LOVE your asian spin on this! I totally adore salt and pepper shrimp AND shrimp and grits- so combining the two sounds magically delicious! I am swooning, drooling and Pining for sure! Side note- your story definitely made me giggle! That’s exactly how I felt when I moved to NC! Talk about culture shock. Makes you realize some places (orlando, *ah hem*) are just filled with A-holes. Hope you are getting some west coast hospitality in your new digs!! Xoxo
Lol! I had to laugh at your comment 😉 People on the west coast are certainly more friendly than the area of the east coast I grew up in – but not quite the same as that ‘southern hospitality’. There’s a lot of great people in Oakland, but I don’t think I’ll be rolling my window down for anyone anytime soon 😛
Wow, this meal does just look like a bowl of pure Southern comfort! I love all the ingredients and textures you’ve got going on. It looks so incredibly yummy! And I know what you mean about Southern hospitality. My uncle just got back from Nashville, and he said he walked into a Subway and asked an employee if he knew where a nearby bagel shop was that he could get to by walking (since he didn’t have a car), and the employee said that the bagel shop was a few miles away and then offered his own car for my uncle to use!! I couldn’t believe it when I heard the story. That would never happen here in California! lol It’s so nice to be in such a friendly, warm community. 🙂
What?! Seriously?! On occasion I’ve heard of people offering to drive you somewhere, but I’ve never ever heard of someone offering a stranger their car! Crazy! It’s too bad we all can’t be so trusting… and trustworthy. We’re in Oakland now, and I think you’d have to be certifiably nuts to give your keys to a stranger 😛
Southern hospitality is such a real thing! Over the summer, I attended a baking retreat in Nashville with a ton of Southern baking bloggers and they are the nicest people on the planet! I love genuine, real hospitality! you can’t beat it! and I love this shrimp and grits!!! delicious!!!!
Yes, it certainly is! Alice, a baking retreat sounds like SO much fun! And Nashville is such a beautiful city too 🙂
Southern hospitality is real 🙂 Love the story! And I also love Southern food! This shrimp and grits looks perfect! Need to make it 🙂
Thanks, Mira! I hope you enjoy 🙂
What a lovely story you have shared here, Kathleen. And this dish sounds and looks so divine. Have a happy Friday.
Thanks, Anu! Happy Friday to you too!!
I love it when I learn about regional cooking from my blogging buddies, Kathleen. I’ve heard about grits before but actually didn’t know they were cornmeal … until now! I guess they must taste a bit like polenta?
In any case, I’m loving the sound of them with all those other goodies on top (Look at that beauty of an egg!)
Being a ‘northerner’, I was never entirely sure what the difference was either. Living in the ‘grits belt’ for 2 years certainly helped understand the distinction a bit, but it still gets a little fuzzy. Essentially both grits and polenta are made from cornmeal. The distinction lies in the type of corn used and how many times it’s been milled. Grits can also take on a some varieties within itself – like yellow grits, white grits, and hominy grits.
Unless you’re a grits and/or polenta aficionado, you probably won’t notice much difference, particularly if you’re using yellow cornmeal to make your grits. In fact, my husband who loves polenta yet says he hates grits, couldn’t tell the difference when I served him this dish and called it polenta 😉