The sweetness of shrimp, perfectly seasoned and served atop flawless Grits! It doesn’t get better than this.
We get a lot of requests to review products. And these three Sarge’s Shrimp and Grits essentials top our list of the best way to put a complete dinner together just by basically turning on your stove. They’re all from an “army brat” named Julian West. As he followed his Air Force Sargent dad around the country, Julius joined his mother in the kitchen. She took the flavors of true Southern cooking everywhere the West family went. When Julius finally settled down in Raleigh N.C., he was inspired to open a food truck. The most popular item on the menu was…(drum roll…) Shrimp and Grits. In a nod to Dad, it was called “Sarge’s”.
First, there’s a seasoning mix—a perfect combination of garlic, onion, sugar, and paprika.
Sarge’s mix takes it a step further than just plain seasoning. Add to it are rice hulls which Julius discovered are a natural ‘anti-caking’ agent. So the seasoning doesn’t stick together on the shrimp. Other
seasoning mixes rely on silicon dioxide. Does that sound like something you want to eat? And if you’re like me, you won’t confine Sarge’s to shrimp. It’s great on seafood of all kinds. Fried, baked, broiled, or grilled, in stews or in soups, this will be our go-to seafood seasoning.
Sarge’s Shrimp and Grits Seafood Sauce—the Key to Great Shrimp and Grits
The luscious creamy savory sauce blends together chicken broth, flour, garlic, herbs, and spices and bumps up the flavor with hot sauce, sriracha, bell peppers, salt, and Worcestershire sauce. Sarge’s Seafood Sauce makes what is normally the ‘hardest part’ of making the dish, an absolute snap. You just heat it up, add a little chicken stock and it quickly cooks the shrimp while the grits are being made.
Sarge’s Yellow Stone Ground Grits complete the dish.
Specifically ground to create a creamy mixture and robust flavor, Sarge’s grits are made from dried, ground dent corn, which has a higher starch content than other corn. Because they are stone ground, they’re the least processed form of grits and have the most fiber. Whole dried corn kernels are coarsely ground so they keep their whole-grain nutrients—including fiber and B vitamins.
A bit more on Shrimp and Grits…
The low country of the Carolinas and Georgia is famous for the dish. It’s an African import. The enslaved people of the deep south brought this mix of ground maize and shellfish with them when they were forced to leave Africa. Shrimp and Grits remained a local dish until in 1985, New York Times Food Editor, Craig Claiborne ‘discovered them’ and published a recipe for them. They took off and soon graduated from breakfast food to a fine dining staple. There are so many variations of the original recipe that the doyenne of Southern Cooking and a great friend of ChewingTheFat, Nathalie Dupree 
wrote an entire cookbook of them. (https://www.amazon.com/Nathalie-Duprees-Shrimp-Grits-Dupree/dp/1423636651). But fortunately for us, we can get the entire dish just by going to https://www.easyshrimpandgrits.com/ and getting all three Sarge’s sent straight to your door.
Here’s the recipe along with a couple of Nathalie Dupree favorites too.
Effortless Shrimp and Grits
The sweetness of shrimp, perfectly seasoned and served atop flawless Grits! Three Shrimp and Grits essentials top our list of the best way to put a complete dinner together just by basically turning on your stove.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs peeled and deveined Shrimp
- Sarge's Seafood Seasoning
- 1 12oz. jar Sarge's Low Country Shrimp and Grits Sauce
- Chicken Broth
- 1 Sarge's Yellow Stone Ground Grits (3 Cups to serve 6)
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 4 oz. unsalted butter
- Salt to taste.
Directions
- Step 1 Peel, devein and set aside shrimp.
- Step 2 In a bowl, season shrimp well with Sarge’s Seafood Seasoning. Set aside.
- Step 3 To Cook the Grits: Bring 3 cups of water to a boil and add 1 cup of heavy cream and salt to taste.
- Step 4 Whisk in one cup of Sarge’s Grits, and add a half stick of butter.
- Step 5 Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
- Step 6 For Creamier grits add more water or cream and cook longer.
- Step 7 To make the Sauce: Simmer Sarge’s Shrimp and Grits Sauce in a large skillet adding Chicken Broth in small amounts until it reaches your desired creamy consistency.
- Step 8 Add Shrimp to the sauce. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Step 9 Serve over grits.
- Step 10 Top with chopped peppers, parsley, scallions, or bacon if desired.
Nathalie Dupree’s Mississippi Caviar from "Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking"
Thanksgiving Way Out West: Easy Squash and Corn Pudding from Nathalie Dupree