Chef Brett McKee Cooks His Shrimp and Grits Twist on The Food Boat
To those who have heard Brett McKee referred to as “Charleston’s best chef”, it may be surprising to learn that he’s not a southern native– but rather a New Yorker from Brooklyn. Despite his Northern roots, the chef moved to Charleston in 1989, and his decades of experience with Southern cuisine soon began.
Chef McKee’s Cooking Experience
Upon making the move, McKee purchased Hugo’s– his first restaurant in the area. After the notorious hurricane’s devastation, this restaurant of the same name was McKee’s way of focusing on the local community.
His cooking experience began in Brooklyn, where he learned from those in the surrounding ethnic neighborhood. Here, he learned to cook Italian, German, Polish, and Kosher recipes– so naturally, he took a similar hands-on approach to learning in the South. He sought out Charleston locals to teach him all about grits, collards, red rice, and soul food delicacies. With that knowledge, his Southern cooking has since gained such a good reputation, you’d think he’d been eating grits all his life.
Cooking Charleston’s Best Shrimp and Grits
Brett McKee’s shrimp and grits takes a spin on the original. His recipe inspiration begins in Italian cooking with the hunter-style broth base. The mushrooms and multi-colored peppers, he says, also add a taste of Tuscany. Then, he pulls in a touch of New Orleans with the Andouille sausage, and combines this all with the classic shrimp and grits recipe to create his own global flair.
The Shrimp
McKee’s cooking begins the right way– with the freshest ingredients possible. This episode of The Food Boat begins with the chef pulling fresh-caught shrimp straight out of Shem Creek. In terms of quality, it can’t start any fresher than that.
Instead of overpowering the shrimp, McKee prefers to let their simplicity speak for itself. The rest of the shrimp and grits dish revolves on heavier textures and flavors, so the lighter seafood helps create balance.
This recipe keeps the shrimp separate from the heavy cream sauce. McKee quickly sautés them in butter and garlic with seafood stock and a dash of salt and pepper, then throws a touch of parsley on top for garnish.
Colorful Pepper Andouille Sausage Gravy
The pepper and sausage gravy helps create the powerful flavor shrimp and grits is best known for. Mushrooms for meatiness are combined with red and yellow peppers, onion, and celery to create a hearty base for the Andouille sausage which comes later. An addition of fresh thyme takes this dish to the next level.
McKee sautés this mixture in melted butter with garlic for a few minutes, then adds small-cut Andouille sausage. The colorful mixture gets flour, which becomes the roux. Then comes the chef’s homemade seafood stock. An addition of heavy cream gives the dish its needed creaminess to ensure balance. Finally, Old Bay, Tabasco, and Worcestershire give the gravy its diverse flavor.
Creamy Grits with Cheddar
There are many ways to start out a grits recipe– some prefer water, some like stock, and others like milk– though here, rich whole milk makes up the base. McKee mixes one part grits to three parts milk, then sprinkles in his spice mix– ¼ garlic powder, ¼ salt, and ½ pepper. After the mixture cooks, he adds more butter, and stirs until fully thickened. Sharp Wisconsin cheddar then finishes it off, making the cheesy grits worth of its name.
After plating up layers of smooth grits, colorful gravy, and fresh-caught shrimp, you’re left with a masterpiece of creamy, buttery deliciousness. This resulting comfort dish is the definition of soul-warming Southern food– good enough to make even the Lowcountry locals proud.