Award-winning Southern Shrimp & Grits recipe with blackened shrimp and bacon over creamy, cheesy grits.
There are many different ways to prepare this dish. I've had it with a tomato sauce and with red-eye gravy. I’ve had it with the shrimp incorporated into the grits. I've had it with andouille sausage. With cheese and without. There’s really no wrong way to cook this.
I’m sort of a purist with mine. I just like a rich, creamy bowl of grits with sautéed shrimp and all the pan drippings ladled on top.
You can absolutely substitute fish fillets (such as trout, catfish or flounder) for the shrimp and have an equally Southern dish of Fish & Grits.
Speaking of Fish & Grits… we occasionally have frozen fish sticks for supper on those nights when every kid has practice and we’re all crazy rushed trying to fly through our evening routine of homework, supper, bath, etc.
I’m not sure how it happened but I've started serving grits with them. The kids will chop up their fish sticks and stir them up in their grits and of course, douse the whole thing with hot sauce.
We so country.
PS... this recipe has won so many awards, I've lost count over the years but the one I'm most proud of is when it was on the cover of Country Woman magazine!
Shrimp & Grits
Yield: 4-6 Servings
prep time: 10 Mcook time: 1 hourtotal time: 1 H & 10 M
Award-winning Southern Shrimp & Grits recipe with blackened shrimp and bacon over creamy, cheesy grits.
ingredients:
Creamy Cheese Grits:
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups milk
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3/4 cup old fashioned grits
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Shrimp & Bacon Topping:
- 1 lb. uncooked medium shrimp, peeled
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 2 teaspoons Cajun or blackening seasoning
- 8 thick-sliced strips of bacon
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 green onions, chopped
instructions:
How to cook Shrimp & Grits
Creamy Cheese Grits:
- Combine chicken broth, milk, butter, salt and pepper in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Whisk in grits, reduce heat to low, cover tightly and simmer for 1 hour, whisking every 10-15 minutes.
- Add cheese and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Set aside and keep warm until ready to serve.
Shrimp & Bacon Topping:
- Toss shrimp with hot sauce and cajun or blackening seasoning and set aside.
- Sauté bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until browned and crisp. Add garlic and shrimp then sauté until shrimp turn pink (about 3-5 minutes).
- To serve, ladle grits into a bowl then top with shrimp mixture (including pan drippings). Garnish with chopped green onions.
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I don't think you're allowed to call yourself Southern if you don't like shrimp and grits! This looks wonderful, and I love it spicy!
ReplyDeleteNom Nom!
ReplyDeletePs. I like Frank's better ;-) To each his own.
I made this tonight.... It was delicious... The only thing that I would do different would be to omit the cheese. I tasted the grits before the cheese and OMG they are so flavorful and delicious... It was good with the cheese too I just think that the cheese camouflaged the other flavors. Thanks for the recipe......
ReplyDeleteShrimp and Grits is one of my all time favorites. Instead of bacon (which is good) I like using country ham or andouille.
ReplyDeleteAndouille for sure but NOT the andouille you pick up in the grocery store. Find some real andouille. Real has thick chunky pieces of smoked pork. Makes all the difference in the world....
DeleteIDE LIKE TO TRY THAT SHRIMP OVER MASHED TATERS
ReplyDeleteMaybe I missed it somewhere. How many servings for this recipe?
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming from the ingredients, it's about 4 servings. Usually 1 cup of grits to 4 cups liquid. Hope this helps ;) Dawn
DeleteI was curious about the same thing. I am guessing 4 but....
ReplyDeleteI guess there are about 4-5 servings in this recipe.
ReplyDeleteOh man this is Suh-thinn Dee-lish-ushness! Who cain't but not like this? 'Course your recipe is all fancy and all and pretty to look at too ! I always just mix the shrimp and the grits and make a mess in a pan but it tastes good! :)
ReplyDeleteHi, I am from the north. What are grits? Do you use corn meal to start with? Thanks
ReplyDeleteDo not use corn meal. You can buy "grits". If you can not find them in the store you may have to order them online. Don't get quick grits you need the ones that cook for a long time. Give them a try, my ex is a Yankee and he loved them. Good luck!
Delete"What are grits?" Too funny...Guess its a southern thang! Hope you enjoyed Jan. ;-)
DeleteSince I'm Italian ... what do you think about polenta, I make a garlic shrimp and polenta and it's yummy.
DeleteThat sounds lovely, will you share that recipe with me? Thank you
DeleteDo you drain out the bacon grease before adding shrimp etc.?
ReplyDeleteNope :) You need that greasy goodness to saute the shrimp and flavor everything up.
Deleteit seems like a lot of grease. I wasn't sure if I should drain all but a couple tablespoons?
DeleteAs long as you have enough to cook the shrimp, you can drain some of it if you prefer.
DeleteMost Shrimp n Grits dishes I've had have some type of spicy sauce served around the edge of the grits. What would you recommend? Could you use the bacon drippings and hot sauce? Texas Pete is the favorite here in eastern NC. Thanks!
DeleteSuch an old post, but will add my 2 cents in anyway! Don’t pour off the grease or you lose a lot of the flavor. When the shrimp are cooked and you’re just about to plate, you can even deglaze the pan to make a little more “gravy” to pour over the grits. I’ve used a small amount of chicken stock, or white wine, or even once in desperation, a bit of beer (!), to deglaze the pan. We also add butter to the pan when cooking the shrimp if the bacon didn’t produce much fat…cuz remember, y’all, “the flavors in the fat” (IYKYK!).
DeleteJust to follow up, I did not end up draining any of the bacon grease. The meal was delicious! Definitely a keeper -thank you!
ReplyDeleteThere is a restaurant in town that uses parmesan cheese instead of cheddar cheese in their Shrimp and Grits.
ReplyDeleteIf you really want the best shrimp and grits. Plan a vacation to Charleston, South Carolina. Were it was invented!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHello from Charleston, SC! :)
DeleteHello from another Charlestonian!
DeleteLadson says hello y'all
DeleteSounds on point.
DeleteWOW! This dish was so good! I doubled it and the leftovers were even better. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI'm really excited to try to cook grits! I'm a Pacific Northwesterner and we rarely see grits anywhere but I have had delicious grits on a couple of vacations. (My aunt is a southern transplant, we gain like 10 pounds when we visit her in Mississippi). I tried quick grits one time and yeah...not good!
ReplyDeleteOh my Lord - this is good! This was my first time to make Shrimp and Grits (and I'm old and from the South...) and it won't be my last time! My husband was moving his feet underneath the table - that means he REALLY liked it! Thanks for a great recipe! Blessings to you!
ReplyDeleteI chose to serve this recipe for the Super Bowl. It did not disappoint. It was extremely quick and easy to prepare and got rave reviews. I rarely follow a recipe to the letter. I did this time and it was perfection. I was reserved with the hot sauce and Cajun seasoning but offered additional for each person to choose to add. Next time, I will just be generous because as written, it is not too much at all! I have made several of your recipes and loved each one. However, this one, I will serve often. It is a definite winner.
ReplyDeleteI made this last night and Oh my gosh was it a hit at my house!! Everyone was raving about the textures and how balanced it was- it was just an excellent dish all the way around. As I do not like to use bacon when I cook- I figured there was enough protein and fat given the ingredients. So I added a little bit of paprika and cayenne to the shrimp as I was cooking to give it that smoky flavor you get from bacon. Otherwise, I followed the recipe to a T and oh my has it been delicious. Thank you for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteEight months pregnant and tired, I had no idea what I was going to cook for tonight's football game. Southern Plate keeps sharing your recipes, so I thought I would try one. This one looked easy and delicious. It was everything I hoped! My husband raved about the food. It will definitely be a regular on our menu! Thanks for sharing it! I look forward to trying more of your recipes. Cabbage stew is on the menu for tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say I fixed this for the Mississippi man one evening---he said it was the best shrimp and grits he ever had! I did add some grated Parmesan to the grits for an extra dimension of flavor. It's just the best recipe and so easy to prepare. Thanks for a keeper!
ReplyDeleteI discovered this mouth-watering recipe last year thanks to Christy Jordan's Southern Plate. My husband loves it and requests it often during football season as one of his favorite game day meals. I just wanted to share that last night he had shrimp and grits at our local country club. The chef is an amazing cook, but my husband said my shrimp and grits (this recipe) was so much better! Thanks for helping me shine in my husband's eyes!
ReplyDeleteThat might be the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me!! Give your husband a big ol' hug from me! Thank you!
DeleteI believe it was invented in Georgetown,S.C.
ReplyDeleteThe absolute best shrimp and grits recipe I've found! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI love love love this recipe so much, I tried to make the grits (just the grits recipe( in the crock pot last night…. That didn’t turn out so well. Totally could have been that my crock pot temperature was on high or the “hotter than hell” setting I don’t know, but I will keep trying and if I figure it out I will post!
ReplyDeleteTried it again last night in the crock pot. This time on LOW and they are perfect!!!! I did add a tad more chicken broth just to be on the safe side. Put the grits on at 8pm. Woke up at 5, because of that internal alarm clock. Stirred the grits and turned them to low. At 7, they were perfect-I added shredded cheese and am enjoying them for breakfast!
Delete