Shrimp 'n Grits, Hominy Grill, Charleston, SC

[Tiger66]

Went to the Hominy Grill for brunch today. Good news: no wait. Better news: signature dish shrimp 'n grits was just outstanding.

It's a rare dish where the sum of the ingredients exceeds the ingredients themselves. I'm not sure what does it, but all of those flavors and textures just work wonderfully together.

I want to go back tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that, and ...

[3MTA3]

Visited Charleston for the first time, had Shrimp 'n grits 3 times in five days (why would I search for the best Shrimp 'n grits in Maryland ?). Ate at Hucks on my first night on Isle of Palms. Yeah. I've been in food and beverage since I've been 15, and this is one of those dishes, that after the first bite, that proverbial 'light bulb' appeared over my head. By the way, starting with good quality grits,they don't have to be 'cheesy', and mushrooms don't fit. K.I.S.S.

[Sue in Mt P]

Oh boy, I just learned something!

[minealone]

Funny thing, I just had Shrimp 'n Grits for dinner last night, my hubby is getting really good at it now and after reading this I just had to go take a look at the Menu and boy does that sound good! I would love to figure out how to make it that way, we love Chorizo and it's readily available here in Bermuda homemade, add peppers and onions to that and it would be heaven! So I guess I would need to figure out how to make the Sausage Sage Gravy first - I wish they had a cookbook like Hominy does, it sure would make it easier ;) If anyone has any ideas please pass them on!!

[Sue in Mt P]

It really is a matter of personal taste. You can make it your own. As I stated up thread, like keeping it simple. I don't like to cover up the taste of really fresh shrimp with anything.

Do you know how to make gravy? By frying flour in the sausage drippings?

[mikeh]

Chef Robert Stehling of Hominy Grill uses the Bill Neal recipe for shrimp and grits which he learned from Bill when he worked at Crooks Corner in Chapel Hill, NC many years ago. Bill Neal has since passed away, but you can still get this signature rendition at Crooks Corner. Hominy's presentation is probably superior given the availability of fresh, local seafood right there in Charleston, but Crooks Corner will do in a pinch if you live in the northern carolina and want to appreciate the general approach.

[ToothTooth]

I make shrimp and grits at home fairly frequently using Bill Neal's recipe:

http://www.dukemagazine.duke.edu/duke...

Although this simple peasant food will most certainly knock your socks off, I can't fathom making a special road trip just to eat this dish. After all, the ingredients are easy to acquire and its dead simple to prepare. Enjoy!

[danna]

funny, i didn't remember there being cheese in the grits at HG.

[Tiger66]

No cheese in the grits at HG, but it's surely a personal preference. My take is that cheese in the grits would have been one MORE flavor to deal with. I'm not sure that would add a whole lot. The beauty of the HG's shrimp 'n grits is the simple ingredients that are blended together to complement each other.

[danna]

I agree. S&G is one of those dishes where the quality of ingredients makes all the difference. Good stone ground grits and very fresh shrimp. A little butter and or bacon fat and I'm done. I don't mind the occasional mushroom, pepper or tomato bit...but I can't stand to go to restaurant that turns the dish into a delivery system for cream gravy.

oooh...and salt. I had some pretty decent shrimp on s&g at STone Soup in Landrum, SC on sunday...but the big , nicely cooked shrimp would have been much better if they were properly salted.

[veganhater]

I want some form of sauce in shrimp and grits. Creamy gravy sounds tasty.

[Zevonista]

Funny, I was just at Hominy Grill last Thursday, and I'm not from the area! Agreed, the dish was outstanding. I could swear there was cheese in the grits, but it was very subtle. My wife had the catfish stew, it was also quite good.

[minealone]

Actually I just returned from Charleston, where I was thrilled to eat at HG as I have their cookbook, and there is cheese in their Grits, they use sharp cheddar and parmesan cheese. I believe the sharp cheddar is white because they sure didn't have that orange look and they use a special stone ground grit, which they sell and I happily bought. This was by far my favorite dish of grits, all though I liked every dish I tasted while there. They were so creamy and delicious I can't wait to make this dish at home and see if I can come any where near what I was served! This is the recipe from their website:
http://hominygrill.com/wp-content/the...

I highly recommend giving this recipe a try - they also do an amazing Buttermilk Pie and their Fried Green Tomatoes with homemade Ranch was heaven!

[Jesco]

I sugggest cooking your grits with at least of the liquid being cream. Also, do use the sharp white cheddar.

[minealone]

I did swap out the water in HG's recipe and used milk per the recipe from Bill Neal because I did want that creamy consistency. But the rest of it I followed from HG. I used the white sharp cheddar because sometimes the yellow can be a little oily and I remember not seeing the cheese in the bowl meaning it had to be white!! I will however next time use the smaller size shrimp instead of the medium - I was full from eating the shrimp and didn't get to finish my grits :( But it was amazing and I'm glad that I picked up the bag of grits from HG because I'm having a hard time finding them here in Bermuda! Next up is the Buttermilk Pie!!

[Sue in Mt P]

I should come over to your house ;D

You can always order grits more here:
http://www.ansonmills.com/grits.htm

[minealone]

Thanks Sue!! Can you tell me which are the best ones to buy?? The Antebellum Coarse Grits - White or the Carolina Whole Hominy Quick Grits - White - I may have popped my cherry but I'm still a newbie ;)

[Sue in Mt P]

Hehe. I like the white coarse, but try a couple and see what suits your taste. I don't do cheese in grits, but,again, it depends on your taste.

[wintersummer]

Mikeh - I live right here in Chapel Hill and have had Shrimp and Grits at Crooks with some regularity. I'll admit - because it's always on the menu, I don't order it that much, preferring to try different things. However, I can't wait to try Hominy Grill's version.

[mikeh]

Would love to hear a comparison once you try it out. I've never had HG's rendition myself since Crooks Corner was right in my backyard, so I always went for the locally-caught fish (especially triggerfish) with two or three veggie sides from the chalkboard at Hominy Grill for my entree, followed by buttermilk pie.

[wintersummer]

Thanks for this post. We're making a trip to Charleston next week and will have to try Hominy Grill.

[Sue in Mt P]

Welcome to the world. Are you a virgin?

[Tiger66]

Sue- I've been lurking for a while, and I always enjoy your comments. I liked my shrimp 'n grits today at Hominy Grill so much that I had to tell someone, so I signed on to Chowhound.

More later

[cackalackie]

I should probably know this, but where is the Hominy Grill? (What city?)

[Terrie H.]

I loved tiger's review and wanted to put it on my list, so I googled it. Afraid Charleston isn't close.

Welcome to you Tiger and please keep on contributing - it's great to have new and enthusiastic people join in. A small hint - this Southeast board covers so many cities, so it will help us if you add the location when you post.

Now I want shrimp and grits.....

[Sue in Mt P]

Me too! But that's just biz as usual around here. Welcome, Tiger66, and thanks!

The shrimp and grits are excellent at High Cotton, Husk, and Atlanticville on Sullivans too. If you want to get serious, buy Miss Nathalie Dupree's book, "Shrimp and Grits". There are lots of different preparations and I've never had any I didn't enjoy.

[Terrie H.]

You know, Sue, what was probably my first "foodie" road trip was probably 25 years ago to eat shrimp and grits at a Nathalie Dupree restaurant. They kindly handed out the recipe for her grits and greens.

[Sue in Mt P]

She is wonderful. She lives here now and writes for the Charleston paper. So if you like her recipes you can google her.