North Carolina white shrimp are increasingly abundant and harvested during winter months. During different times of the year, shrimpers also harvest pink and brown shrimp.
“North Carolina’s shrimpers harvest in internal, estuarine waters and the nearshore Atlantic Ocean. Internal waters include the Pamlico Sound and Core Sound, as well as portions of larger rivers like the Neuse, Pamlico, Pungo, and Bay. Historically, 75 percent of North Carolina shrimp are harvested in internal waters, with 25 percent coming from the Atlantic Ocean, mainly off our southern coast,” according to the N.C. Local Food Council.
While Macon County is nowhere near internal estuarine (rivers near oceans) waters and the Atlantic Ocean, fresh-frozen N.C.-caught shrimp can be purchased often at local chain and specialty grocers.
As the character “Bubba” opined in the movie Forrest Gump, shrimp is one of those highly versatile proteins to use in a wide variety of recipes. He said in the 1994 film: “… shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sauté it…”
The character went on to list a myriad of recipes. However, one recipe that farmers from Macon County, Belinda and Donnie Carringer, have enjoyed sharing is “Shrimp and Stone-Ground Grits.” The couple’s Carringer Farms, which was moved a few years ago from the Onion Mountain area to property they own in Newland, N.C., is part of the Appalachian Grown initiative to promote regional farmers and their harvests.
As Belinda explained pertaining to this shared recipe, “We love the process of taking seeds of different varieties and watching them turn into healthy vegetables that we provide to different restaurants, farmers markets, food hubs, and nonprofit organizations. The Jimmy Red corn was almost extinct about 20-25 years ago. We enjoy growing it for cornmeal and grits.”
She added, “We love using the stone-ground grits with this [recipe] because the texture is a coarse grind and the flavor is much better than instant or quick-cooking grits. Also, the Jimmy Red grits have red specs in them, which look beautiful with pink shrimp. This is a fairly easy recipe and seems to turnout the same each time.”
Shrimp & Stone-Ground Grits
- 4 cups water
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup stone ground grits (available at most chain and specialty grocers)
- 3 cups butter
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 4 tsp. lemon juice
- 2 Tbs. parsley, chopped
- 1 cup scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add a shake of salt and pepper. Add grits and cook until water is absorbed, about 20-25 minutes, stirring frequently to keep the grits from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Remove from heat and stir in butter and cheese.
Rinse shrimp and pat dry. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until browned. Remove, leaving grease in the pan. Place the bacon on a towel to drain.
Add shrimp to the pan with the bacon grease. Cook until shrimp turns pink. Add the lemon juice, chopped bacon, parsley, scallions, and garlic. Sauté for three minutes.
Spoon grits into bowls and top with shrimp mixture. Serves 4. Enjoy!