Shrimp and Grits with Pea Shoots
The Lowcountry plate, finished with a handful of pea shoots cut minutes before serving. The sweetness of the shoots lands against the salt of the bacon and stops the whole dish being one soft texture.
Grown on Johns Island · Delivered from James Island · Across the Lowcountry
Why pea shoots works here
Shrimp and grits is a dish of soft things: creamy grits, tender shrimp, silky gravy. It is also, if nobody intervenes, a dish that arrives beige. Pea shoots fix both problems in one move. They bring a fresh sweetness that reads against the bacon fat, and a genuine snap that the plate otherwise has nowhere to get.
Ingredients
- •1 cup stone-ground grits
- •4 cups water or light stock, plus more as needed
- •1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
- •3 tbsp butter
- •1 cup sharp cheddar, grated (optional)
- •4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
- •1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- •2 cloves garlic, minced
- •2 spring onions, sliced thin
- •Juice of half a lemon
- •A large handful of pea shoot microgreens, cut just before serving
- •Black pepper and hot sauce, to taste
Method
- Bring the water or stock to a boil with the salt. Whisk in the grits in a slow stream so they do not clump, then drop the heat to the lowest setting.
- Cook the grits 30 to 40 minutes, stirring every few minutes and adding a splash more liquid whenever they tighten up. They are done when a spoonful holds its shape but still moves. Stir in the butter and the cheddar if using, then keep warm.
- While the grits cook, render the bacon in a wide skillet over medium heat until crisp. Lift it out and leave the fat behind.
- Turn the heat up. Pat the shrimp dry, season them, and cook them in the bacon fat about 90 seconds a side until just opaque. Do not walk away from them.
- Add the garlic and spring onions to the pan for 30 seconds, squeeze in the lemon, and scrape the bottom of the pan into the sauce.
- Spoon the grits into bowls. Top with shrimp, the pan sauce and the bacon.
- Cut the pea shoots straight onto the plate at the table, off the heat. Do not stir them in and do not do this early – the whole point is that they are still crisp when the bowl reaches someone.
Notes from the farm
- Stone-ground grits are worth the extra time and cannot be rushed. Instant grits will work in a hurry but you lose the texture the dish is built on.
- If you have a living tray, cut the shoots directly over the bowls. That is roughly twenty seconds from plant to plate, which is not something you can do with a clamshell.
- Pea shoots will wilt in a hot bowl within a couple of minutes, so serve immediately once they are on.
Questions
Can I add the pea shoots to the grits while cooking?
No – they collapse in seconds and you lose everything they were there for. Add them raw at the very end, ideally at the table. If you want a cooked green in the grits, use kale microgreens instead, which hold up better in heat.
What can I use instead of pea shoots?
Sunflower shoots are the closest substitute: same sweetness, same crunch, slightly nuttier. Radish microgreens work if you want the dish to have a peppery edge, but they change its character rather than finishing it.
Cut clamshells from $6, or a living tray you cut yourself · 843.212.6932
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