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Fried Grit Cakes

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Fried Grit Cakes are a delicious way to serve up cheesy grits and are delicious covered in marinara sauce and a little Parmesan cheese.Fried Grit Cakes topped with marinara and parmesan

Fried grit cakes are ubiquitous in the South. They are a natural progression of cheese grits for dinner to leftover cheese grits for dinner again. That’s because whenever you make grits, two things are bound to happen;

1 – you will make way too much and you will have leftovers.

2 – those leftovers while solidify into a pretty firm clump in the fridge.

So, it’s only natural that you want to bread and fry these delicious leftovers.

What are Grits?

Grits are, basically, ground dried corn. That’s it. Just corn, ground down to a meal, but not quite cornmeal. You can read this article by Spruce Eats on the difference between Cornmeal, Grits and Polenta.

Grits have been a Southern staple for as long as the South has existed. It’s poor people food. You can feed an army on a handful of grits, then slice up the leftovers and feed it to them again the next day.

We, in the South, eat them for breakfast or dinner. We always stir in some butter and maybe a little cream. Sugar or cheese are also accepted additions.

How to Make Fried Grit Cakes

The biggest tip I can give you before you get started is to make sure that your grits are thick before you pour them in a pan to set. Like almost mashed potato thick. Otherwise you will have a hard time keeping the cakes together when you flip them.

Also, feel free to use Old Fashioned grits instead of stone ground here if you need to.

Here are the steps to making fried grit cakes:

Bring chicken stock and garlic to a boil in a large pot.

Gradually stir in grits.

Cook and stir for about 5 minutes or until the grits have absorbed the stock and begin to pull away from the pan when you stir.

Add in butter and stir until well incorporated

Stir in cream

and Parmesan

Eat some for dinner…and then pour the rest into a greased 9×13 baking dish

Cover with plastic wrap and weight down with something heavy, like another baking dish.

Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Then turn out onto a cutting board and slice into 16 equal pieces.

Place flour in a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Beat eggs with a little water in another bowl. Mix breadcrumbs with dried basil in another shallow dish. Heat oil  in a large heavy skillet over medium high heat.

Coat each grit cake in flour, then egg, then breadcrumb mixture and then place gently in hot oil.

Fry until golden brown on each side and drain on paper towels.

Pour a little marinara over grit cakes and top with a little more Parmesan. And devour.

fried grit cakes

This post has been updated from the original April 2009 post

Grit Cakes from EatinontheCheap.com

Fried Grit Cakes

Fried Grit Cakes are sinfully delicious and a wonderful side dish.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Course: dinner
Cuisine: italian
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 522kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 c . stone ground grits
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 2 T minced garlic
  • 2 c . heavy cream
  • 12 T butter cut into 1/2" pieces 1 1/2 sticks
  • 1/3 c . grated Parmesan
  • salt and pepper
  • canola oil for cooking
  • 1/2 c all purpose flour
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
  • 1 T dried basil
  • Marinara sauce to serve

Instructions

  • Bring chicken stock and garlic to a boil in a large pot.
  • Gradually stir in grits.
  • Cook and stir for about 5 minutes or until the grits have absorbed the stock and begin to pull away from the pan when you stir.
  • Add in butter and stir until well incorporated
  • Stir in cream
  • and Parmesan
  • Eat some for dinner...and then pour the rest into a greased 9x13 baking dish
  • Cover with plastic wrap and weight down with something heavy, like another baking dish.
  • Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Then turn out onto a cutting board and slice into 16 equal pieces.
  • Place flour in a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Beat eggs with a little water in another bowl. Mix breadcrumbs with dried basil in another shallow dish. Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium high heat.
  • Coat each grit cake in flour, then egg, then breadcrumb mixture and then place gently in hot oil.
  • Fry until golden brown on each side and drain on paper towels.
  • Pour a little marinara over grit cakes and top with a little more Parmesan. And devour.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 522kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 580mg | Potassium: 336mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1160IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @TwoLuckySpoons or tag #twoluckyspoons!

Filed Under: Appetizers, Bread, Leftovers, Make Ahead Tagged With: Appetizers, bread, cake, cast iron, cheese, corn, croquettes, fried, fritters, grits, leftovers, make ahead, marinara, skillet, Southern

Previous Post: « Bratwurst and Potato Soup
Next Post: Italian Baked Chicken with White Beans and Tomatoes »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. midwest mama says

    April 24, 2010 at 12:40 pm

    Oh, my mouth is watering. I miss grits (my kids hate em), but how could they turn their noses up if they are fried?!

    Reply
  2. Heather says

    April 25, 2010 at 4:07 pm

    Those look SO good Jodie! Us Southern gals always love anything with grits!

    Reply
  3. Memória says

    April 25, 2010 at 6:25 pm

    Oh man! I've never heard of this! I love grits. I must try this out. Thanks for the process photos!

    Reply
  4. Lori says

    April 26, 2010 at 5:19 pm

    Grits anything is so good!

    Reply
  5. Sassy Molassy says

    April 27, 2010 at 11:34 am

    Was it significantly different enough from polenta to justify the extra stuff?

    Reply
  6. JodieMo says

    April 27, 2010 at 7:00 pm

    You know, when I went to the store I was looking for polenta and couldn't find any! I settled on grits instead. I could have made the grits without all the extra stuff, but I think I would lose a lot of flavor and creaminess. If you can find polenta ( which you probably can in Memphis. I'm sure Fino's on Madison has some), use it! I bet the texture would be great!

    Reply
  7. Michelle says

    April 28, 2010 at 8:28 am

    can you believe I've never had grits???? I'm guessing this would be polenta-ish? I think I'm going to have to try this!!

    Reply
  8. JodieMo says

    April 28, 2010 at 9:34 am

    Never? You definately have to try this then. Grits and polenta are the same thing except grits are …well…grittier. Let me know how you like it!

    Reply
  9. Michelle says

    May 1, 2010 at 10:08 am

    grittier? sounds…gritty LOL!!

    Reply
  10. Eric McNew says

    May 29, 2013 at 8:42 am

    Made these last night and my fiancé, an Atlanta native and grit-addict, said they were the best grits she’s ever had! Thank you for the recipe. I served them with a simple pork roast, chard and radish greens (with soy and ramp pickle brine), and pickled ramps and radishes:

    Picture: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4566471373720&l=b97758be99

    Reply
    • jodiemo says

      May 30, 2013 at 3:55 pm

      That looks like a fantastic meal!!

      Reply
      • Eric says

        May 30, 2013 at 3:58 pm

        It was…unfortunately, I made too much though and we are on day 3 of leftovers 🙂 fantastic recipe.

        Reply
  11. Lianna says

    October 30, 2013 at 11:08 am

    Was looking for a recipe for fried grits and came across this. It’s not what I remember, but it is definitely worth a try. My dad used to make fried grits by putting them in a loaf pan to solidify. He would then slice it, fry it and pour syrup over it. Yummy. My dad has passed away and I can’t help thinking about him and those grits.

    Reply
  12. jodiemo says

    April 2, 2017 at 6:39 am

    5 stars
    Yum

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Mangoes and ChutneyPoached Eggs over Fried Grit Cakes...Dear Lord! says:
    November 21, 2012 at 8:00 am

    […] To make this recipe, you could easily use your favorite cheese grits and fry them as you would any other Southern dish (flour, eggs, breadcrumbs, salt). This particular recipe came from Thomas Keller’s (of The French Laundry) Ad Hoc at Home. In an effort to not break any publishing rules, I simply forward you to the book. BUT, if you must have something on hand now – you can view a version of the recipe at Eatin’ on the Cheap. […]

    Reply
  2. Braised Herbed Turkey Legs in the Crock Pot ⋆ Two Lucky Spoons says:
    August 18, 2017 at 9:57 am

    […] of these years, its still a very popular post. Then there are recipes like Ham and Cabbage Soup, Fried Grit Cakes and Braised Beef Shanks that are slightly odd little recipes that have built up quite a following […]

    Reply

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