A Carolina native, Lee is co-founder of Maverick Southern Kitchens, a group of three Charleston restaurants-Slighty North of Broad, High Cotton and Old Village Post House-and the kitchen store Charleston Cooks. With a passion for fresh, local produce and seafood, and multicultural flavors, he has been named Restaurateur of the Year. SNOB (Slightly North of Broad) has garnered accolades as Restaurant of the Year and was also tapped for the Fine Dining Hall of Fame.
Although he wears many hats, Lee doesn't wear the traditional chef's floppy hat. Instead, patrons might catch a glimpse of him wearing his every-day baseball cap dotted with red chiles. Those red chiles seem to symbolize the cook's tendency to spice up standard fare. That includes the official state food of South Carolina-grits. There's even an annual World Grits Festival in St. George, South Carolina.
Native American Corn Grits
Grits have been around since early American days. Essentially, Native Americans were the first organic farmers with their corn, squash and beans. Coming from corn, grits originated with the Native Americans in the form of a rather bland corn mush. Centuries later, the best grits are not just any grits-they are stone-ground the old-fashioned way. They are coarse ground and then meld into a creamy texture. Nowadays, chef Lee dresses up the Low Country staple of shrimp and stone-ground grits with a spicy, but tasty, topping that makes a complete meal. Here is his special recipe for Maverick Grits.
For the grits:
- 4 cups water
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 Tbs. butter
- 1-1 1/2 cups stone-ground grits
- 1/4 cup cream
For the topping:
- 8 sea scallops
- 12 shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 4 oz. (4 Tbs.) country ham, julienned
- 4 oz. smoked pork sausage cut in circles (can be andouille or other spicy sausage if preferred)
- 4 Tbs. fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 4 Tbs. green onions, diced
- 1/8 tsp. minced fresh garlic
- pinch of Cajun spice
- 1 Tbs. water
- 2 Tbs. butter
For the grits:
Bring water, salt and 1 Tbs. butter to a boil. Stir in grits. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until grits are thick and creamy. Approximately 40 minutes. Remove from heat and finish by stirring in cream and remaining butter. Keep warm.
For the topping:
Saute ham and sausage in 1 tsp. butter. Add shrimp and scallops and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and Cajun spice. Saute 30 seconds. Add green onions and tomatoes. Add water. Finish with remaining butter.
To serve:
Spoon grits onto plates in equal portions. Place 2 scallops and 3 shrimp per person on grits and spoon equal parts of topping.
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