Nathalie Dupree’s Shrimp & Grits Cookbook
By Nathalie Dupree with Marion Sullivan
Photography: Chris M. Rogers
Shrimp and Grits
“Breakfast shrimp and grits” has long been a staple of the South Carolina Lowcountry, the favored morning repast during the busy summer shrimp season. Now, renowned Southern cuisine maven and author Nathalie Dupree is pleased to offer an entire cookbook dedicated to this famed Southern dish that will inspire people around the world to discover its appeal and versatility for any meal!
Shrimp and grits have emerged from their humble origins to become a signature for sophisticated Southern dining. The magical combination of shrimp and grits, whether for pre-dawn breakfast on a shrimp boat or as an entrée in the finest New York restaurant can be deliriously wonderful. Nathalie Dupree, along with Marion Sullivan, present the most cherished and famous recipes for this lowcountry classic. Their colorful recipes and no-nonsense approach share essential tips about how much and what liquid to use, what kind of pan to use, and how long to cook grits, along with information about how to catch, clean, freeze, and cook shrimp.
Recipes include:
•BLT Shrimp and Grits
•Short-Cook Shrimp and Grits
•New Orleans-Style Grits Cakes with Shrimp and Tasso
Plus a section of recipes for using grits in breads, crackers, and desserts!
“Dupree…advances the welcoming traditions of Southern hospitality.” –Publishers Weekly
“…the inimitable and unclassifiable queen of the Southern Kitchen.” –Pat Conroy
Nathalie Dupree and Marion Sullivan have worked on a variety of culinary projects, ranging from cooking classes to events, festivals, and more. They have collaborated on many books and over 300 television shows and specials which have shown nationally on PBS, The Learning Channel and The Food Network.
Sullivan has been the Project Consultant on several other cookbooks, including Magnolias Southern Cuisine and Entertaining at the College of Charleston, is a Post and Courier food columnist, food editor of Charleston Magazine, and Culinary Program Specialist at The Culinary Institute of Charleston. Both reside in Charleston, South Carolina.
This morning I saw Carolina Gold harvested, the dew still on the ground. Some people want gold metal, I wanted to see the Gold of novels and books, the heart of the culture of the state of South Carolina for centuries. One look at the field of rice makes clear the reason for the name,Carolina Gold. The most coveted and sought after rice of those centuries is golden, riding on a sea of tall green stalks. The rice’s gold signifies it is the right time to start to dry the rice. The stalks are removed with a hook (a scythe) leaving a foot or so of stubble that will be turned back into the ground later. The sheaths of rice are then spread on top of the stubble to dry before being collected. At one time it would have been harvested starting at four in the morning, to beat the heat of the day, after a cold breakfast. 
August was the usual time in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, according to the meticulous records the planters kept – detailing dialing weather and rainfall, among other things. Thomas Jefferson loved this rice, his favorite among 98 varieties he collected. (Stories abound about people coming up to him and slipping rice into his pockets. Finally the planters had to tell him to stop sending new varieties – they liked what they had.) The fields have been flooded with fresh water and drained three times. Now it is up to the sun. At Middleton, historically dressed workers scythe the tall grasses that were formerly worked by slaves. 
Charleston, once the richest city in America, had a population that was more slaves than whites. When South Carolina was at its richest, the rice most plentiful, the economy collapsed with the aftermath of the civil war. Makes me think about the adage about riding high before a fall. Feels similar to the economy’s collapse last year.