The Essex Inn

Crab and Grits: Breakfast-Brunch

Servings: 12

Prep time:40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 

  1/2 cup tomato sauce

• 

  3 cups water

• 

  4 tablespoons butter

• 

  2 tablespoons Old Bay Spice - divided

• 

  1 cup Stone ground grits

• 

  1 tablespoon Cream or half and half

• 

  1 stick butter

• 

  1 4 oz. jar Diced pimentos

• 

  1 cup celery - diced

• 

  1 lb Fresh lump crab meat

• 

  2 tablespoons capers

• 

  juice from 1/2 lemon

Step 1:

For the Grits: Spray Dutch oven or very large saucepan with PAM. Add tomato sauce, water, butter and 1 T of Old Bay Spice and bring to a boil. Stir in grits and allow to simmer about fifteen to twenty minutes until grits are tender. Stir in cream. Turn off heat.

Step 2:

For the Crab: Melt butter in small frying pan. Add pepper (or pimentos), celery, and 1 T of Old Bay Spice and sauté until celery is tender crisp.

Step 3:

In mixing bowl, mix crab, capers and lemon. When peppers and celery are done, add to crab mixture.

Step 4:

For the Crab and Grits: Stir crab mixture into grits. This will keep warm for at least one hour off the heat.

Step 5:

We usually serve this dish with a poached egg on top for breakfast. Leftovers are very good reheated.