“Hiss of a Snake” — The Tabasco Gravy That Makes These Shrimp and Grits Legendary

When Guy Fieri pulled up to Aunt Mary’s Cafe, he found exactly what he was looking for: southern comfort food done right. The star of the show? A plate of Shrimp and Grits with Tabasco Gravy that had Guy declaring it “prime time” with “lots of flavor” and “balanced spice.”

But what makes this version stand out from the countless shrimp and grits you’ll find across the South? It all starts with making your own shrimp stock from scratch.

Building the Tabasco Gravy from the Ground Up

The chef at Aunt Mary’s doesn’t take shortcuts. The foundation of that signature Tabasco gravy is a homemade shrimp stock made with shrimp shells, fennel stalks, oregano, onion, bay leaves, and chopped garlic simmered in water for 30-45 minutes before straining.

For the gravy itself, butter goes into the pan — and not a little bit. “I’m going to add a fair amount of butter to this one,” the chef explained before adding chopped onion, red bell peppers, and more fennel. “I don’t know, something about fennel and shrimp works for me,” he noted, and based on Guy’s reaction, he’s onto something.

Here’s where it gets interesting: rather than making a separate roux, the chef works flour directly into that butter and vegetable mixture. As Guy observed, “that’s something they do in Louisiana.” Bay leaves, Old Bay seasoning, and that homemade shrimp stock come next — the stock hitting the pan with what Guy called “a hiss of a snake.”

The gravy gets finished with Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste for color, salt, and after a 30-minute simmer, cream gets stirred in before straining.

Stone Ground Grits and the Butter Barn

The grits at Aunt Mary’s are no afterthought. Stone ground yellow grits cook for a full hour and a half, then get finished with fresh butter. Guy couldn’t help but comment on the theme: “ladies and gentlemen is get a little butter in here” — a running joke throughout the segment as butter appeared at nearly every step.

For the shrimp component, the chef uses smoky bacon from Tennessee, red pepper, facilia peppers (chosen over green bells for their “interesting flavor”), red and white onion, and roasted tomato. The shrimp get seared with — you guessed it — more butter, salt, and pepper before getting hit with that Tabasco gravy.

The Finishing Touch: Goat Cheese Cream

What elevates this dish beyond typical shrimp and grits is a goat cheese cream made from cream, goat cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, and a little salt. Guy noted the “goat cheese is a nice little tang to it” that balanced all those rich, buttery flavors.

The plating comes together with grits on the bottom, gravy ladled over, shrimp laid out and “tucked down,” then finished with that goat cheese cream. The portion? Guy joked about eating “right out of the serving bowl that we bring to Thanksgiving” — it’s that much food.

Tips from Aunt Mary’s Kitchen

A few techniques worth noting from this segment: save your shrimp shells to make stock rather than tossing them; consider building your roux directly in the vegetables rather than separately; and don’t rush your grits — stone ground varieties need that extended cooking time to develop properly. If you’re a fan of southern-style cooking with a kick, this approach to shrimp and grits delivers what Guy called “really flavorful” results where the “shrimp had that sort of grilled flavor too, nicely spiced.”

For more comfort food that Guy loved, check out a Fried Chicken SMASHED Potato or Jamaican Jerk Chicken. And browse our restaurant directory to find more Triple D spots near you.