Grit Cakes with Shrimp
Grit Cakes with Shrimp is a fantastic way to use leftover grits. We freeze them, cut them and fry them to golden brown patties. Top them with delicious shrimp and. you have a whole new meal!
Shrimp and Grits Reinvented
Any good Southerner knows one of the staple dishes you must learn how to make is Shrimp and Grits. Every city in the South has a version they are famous for. Charleston, New Orleans and even Atlanta. All with a different spin on a true Southern classic.
Here at the Buttered Home, we are no different. Our version, however, is a little different. We make ours using leftovers! Yes, now you can make up some grits and shrimp just to do this recipe but I love preventing food waste. You can take a great recipe for our SPICY BBQ SHRIMP or our CRUNCHY BAKED SHRIMP and make that up just especially to do this recipe.
Don’t forget about the grits! If you are grit challenged like me, try this recipe for INSTANT POT CHEESE GRITS and you won’t have a bit of trouble and they are sooo good too! With that recipe you will have enough to have for supper one night and enough leftover to make this recipe.
How to Make Grit Cakes
Now, I am here to tell you, you can fry most anything and make it tasty. Heck, I have even had a fried snickers bar and it was to die for! Grits. They only get better once you fry them too. The corn grain is just made to be battered and fried. You pan fry them up in a flavorful olive oil mixed with melted butter and your life will be forever changed.
There is a trick to doing it though. Freezing the grits. They are much easier to handle and hold their shape better if you fry them frozen. And because we are not deep frying them, there won’t be much danger in doing so when they are cold. Let’s get to it!
~Ingredients~
- 2 cups leftover prepared grits
- 1/2 cup plain flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
- pinch of pepper
~Method~
Once grits are cool enough to handle, pour them in a greased loaf pan or casserole dish. Make sure you have at least enough grits to cover about a half an inch of the bottom of the pan. Put a little plastic wrap right next to the surface of the grits and cover. Freeze them at least 2 hours or overnight.
Carefully remove frozen grits and cut into squares. Mix up flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Roll each square in flour mixture.
In a cast Iron or heavy skillet, melt olive oil and butter over medium heat. Once bubbling, place grit cakes in and fry for 3 minutes. Carefully flip and fry other side for 3 more minutes or until golden brown.Feel free to add more oil and butter if needed.
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Drain, stack and serve with cooked shrimp over the top. We like to garnish ours with diced green onions.
Shrimp and Grits from leftovers
Like so many of our other recipes, you can tailor this one to fit any flavor profile you want. Take those pan drippings and mix in some more butter and lemon juice and make a delicious pan sauce for the shrimp. Drizzle it over the top and it can change the whole taste of the dish.
The point is, you can use the flavors already provided by using the leftovers or even add to them. There is no end to what you can do. Recipes like these teach more of a technique than a flavor. Isn’t it fun?
Tips and Tricks
- Pan – I like to use a loaf pan to freeze my grits in. It is the perfect size for those yummy fried cakes of heaven. I have a link below for a great loaf pan I use for this and to make bread and cakes in. Versatility is key in the kitchen!
- If the Cakes fall apart – there is no crying in cooking. Not unless you completely burn something or use salt where you should use sugar. If the cakes fall apart, no worries. Those can be the cooks pieces or better yet, serve them anyway. These boogers taste so good no-one will even care if a corner falls off.
- Pan Frying – like so many other pieces of advice I will give you, this is a great one. Get yourself a heavy cast iron skillet. The evenness of the heat is unparalleled. Not to mention, after using it over and over again, you will get a healthy dose of iron in your system and great flavor too. There is a link to a great skillet at the bottom of this post.
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Grit Cakes with Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 cups leftover prepared grits
- 1/2 cup plain flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
- pinch of pepper
Instructions
- Pour cooled grits into a greased loaf pan or casserole dish, covering about a half an inch of the bottom of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap. Freeze them at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Carefully remove frozen grits and cut into squares. Mix flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Roll each square in flour mixture.
- In a cast Iron or heavy skillet, melt olive oil and butter over medium heat. Once bubbling, place grit cakes in and fry for 3 minutes. Carefully flip and fry other side for 3 more minutes or until golden brown.Feel free to add more oil and butter if needed.
- Drain, stack and serve with cooked shrimp over the top.
