We Asked Carla Hall How to Make the Best Shrimp & Grits—Here Are Her Top 4 Tips

Shrimp and grits is a staple in Southern cuisine, and Carla Hall has whipped it up in her own kitchen countless times. So it was an obvious choice for the Nashville-raised host to explore the classic dish further in her new show Chasing Flavor, now streaming on Max.

“I grew up eating grits, so I don't know what other people don't know until I talk to them,” Hall tells EatingWell. “And I think that most people who don't like grits haven't had good grits.”

When we asked the chef for some of her secrets to making the best shrimp and grits based on her own experience, as well as what she learned while working on the sixth episode of Chasing Flavor, she gave us four tips to stick by. Here’s what to know before you make this delicious dinner at home—plus some recipes to help get you started.

1. Take your time when cooking grits and wait for the grains to “pop.”

“The instructions on the back of the box on how to cook grits do not make good grits,” Hall assures. “If you feel like when you're eating grits, you have to fix your teeth, kind of like a chipmunk, that means it's not cooked.” 

If the consistency of the grits is “watery” instead of creamy and you used the proper ratio of water to grits (four parts water to one part grits), this is a sign that they’re undercooked. Take your time when cooking your grits and let them thicken up. If you’re having trouble figuring out when your grits are fully cooked, Hall has a tip that she learned on her recent hosting journey.

“This expression that I learned on Chasing Flavor with a chef in Charleston is that the grits have to ‘pop,’” she recalls. “I didn't have that language or that visual before, but the grits have to cook and pop and each grain has to pop open to become soft. Then you know that they're done and they should be thick and creamy.”

Grits are made from ground corn, so waiting for them to expand—aka popping open—means cooking them long enough to soften.

2. Add your grits to cold water first.

Hall’s own grits are cooked low and slow, and she actually adds the grits to the water before boiling.

“In the beginning, I cook my grits from cold water,” she explains. “The instructions will say boil your water, add the grits. But I think that's when people are not cooking them long enough. I cook them from cold water to let them bloom in the water as the temperature is coming up. It makes a huge difference.”

Now that we have all of the grits techniques down, it’s time to tackle the shrimp. 

3. Have your ingredients ready before cooking.

The chef compares shrimp and grits to stir-fry, as the recipe is “fast” to build, so she recommends assembling your ingredients before combining everything together.

“Before cooking your shrimp, have all the ingredients ready because once the grits are cooked, it’s a very fast dish,” Hall says. “I sauté my shrimp, I put them aside and then I just sauté everything else.” Her other ingredients include fennel, scallions, garlic and fresh tomatoes to build her sauce.

To complete the comforting dinner, she makes a “gravy” with her own twist. Here’s what she does.

4. Make a lighter gravy.

Because the grits are already creamy and thick, Hall usually strives for a thinner sauce. 

“I have a very light shrimp and grits recipe,” she notes. “It's not gravy heavy; the key is to make sure that your sauce on your shrimp and grits is loose enough and brothy enough to coat your grits.” She also has a tip for an alternative to stock:

“My secret, instead of buying stock, is I use fennel tea,” Hall says. “I just use a tea bag and add a cup of water to make fennel tea. That becomes my stock for the shrimp and grits.” To make fennel tea, you can add fennel seeds to a tea bag for brewing, or you can use store-bought.

Hall finishes off her grits with her fresh herbs of choice, smoked paprika and chile flakes to taste. Her version reminds us of our own Shrimp & Grits with Tomato. Check out other versions like our Smoky Collards & Shrimp with Cheesy Grits and even our Shrimp-&-Grits-Stuffed Peppers.