I don’t fall in love easily. But I develop crushes all the time. Food crushes, that is. I’ll find a dish I love and crush on it for years. Unabated. So, I’m sharing my go-to food crushes around town, hoping you’ll fall in love too. My favorite breakfast/brunch obsession is Hub & Spoke’s Shrimp and Grits.
I am a secret Southern girl at heart. Not by birth. I was grafted into Southern Foodways through my defacto grandfather, who grew up in North Carolina. I have fuzzy but fond memories of getting up early in the morning with him to “go shrimpin’” in central Florida. I don’t remember ever catching anything, but mornings on the waterways with the woosh of the net echoing over the misty still water stuck in my mind. Spanish moss and fog and salt were in the air.
I don’t remember the first time I tried shrimp and grits. But surely, it was at a diner after coming off the water with a hunger that only came from hours of unsuccessful fishing. It is one of my default comfort meals. If shrimp and grits are on the menu, you can put money on what I will order. But, truth be told, it is a risky choice. Shrimp are easily overcooked. Grits may be undercooked or show up at the table congealed. Sometimes, the bacon, chorizo or pork overshadows the sweetness of the shrimp. Or there is too much cheese in the grits, overpowering everything else. I have to confess, for someone who always orders shrimp and grits, I’m happy with my compulsive choice only about 10% of the time. Apparently, I’m a glutton for the shrimp and grits roulette.
Hub & Spoke’s shrimp and grits satisfy 100% of the time. Served piping hot in a cast iron skillet, the grits are properly creamy and have cheddar-y undertones, but still, each grit is distinct. They serve as an appropriately neutral foundation for the well-sauced shrimp. Saucy is also the word I’d use to describe the sauce. With a rich tomato base and sauteed leeks, it isn’t shy about coating the whole pan edge to edge. You’re guaranteed a scoop of sauce with every bite of grits.
The secret at Hub & Spoke is the house-smoked Cajun-style Andouille sausage. The smokiness permeates the shrimp and gives a nice red tint to everything in the bowl. Pickled peppers add a hit of acid at the end, just enough to ensure the dish isn’t too rich or heavy. I’ve had this dish at Hub & Spoke at least ten times over the years, and it is remarkably consistent, which is remarkably hard to do. Not once was the shrimp overcooked. That deserves a prize and a nod to the kitchen’s quality training and skills.
It comes with a generous portion of shrimp. I’m always disappointed when I order a dish called shrimp and grits and get four shrimp clustered together in the center of the bowl, looking lonely. It is not called “grits and shrimp.”
If You Go:
Hub & Spoke
1291 S. 1100 East, SLC
hubandspokediner.com
