Southern Shrimp and Cheesy Grits.
Okay, you had us at Grits. But Cheesy Grits? Um…Shrimp and Cheesy Grits? Oh, good heavens. This Southern Shrimp and Cheesy Grits recipe is so astoundingly good, you have to try it to believe it. Um, it bears repeating: Mercy, this is an amazing dish:
Watch us make this incredibly delicious Southern Shrimp and Cheesy Grits recipe! Get ready to have some fun and get hungry!
Shrimp & Grits is classic Southern U.S. cuisine. These grits are loaded with flavor…they are creamy, cheesy and buttery…and sinfully delicious.
We LOVE grits!
Oh, and did we mention cheese?
Yes, cheddar cheese, please.
Mmmmmm…cheese.
And of course, we couldn’t just stop there! You know what this dish needs? BACON!!
Bacon, bacon, bacon!!
We are getting so close to shrimp and grits perfection!
And then the Gulf shrimp is sautéed and is loaded with incredible flavor.
The smell alone is worth writing home about!
Look at that shrimp!
Topped off with sauteed gulf shrimp in garlic, scallions, parsley lemon juice, smoked paprika and a dash of hot sauce.
Well, this is Southern decadence at its very best. This dish is not low on calories, so you won’t want to make this every day…but on a special occasion, it is one of the tastiest dishes you’ll ever experience.
Other Southern favorite dishes are:
- Southern Chicken Fried Steak
- Southern Tomato Pie
- Farm Fresh Corn Chowder
- Best-Ever Fried Chicken
- Southern Hush Puppies
But in the meantime…let’s get it on with Southern Shrimp and Cheesy Grits!
And now the time has come to go and make this amazing recipe!
You will NOT be disappointed, that we can guarantee!
Southern Shrimp and Cheesy Grits
Ingredients
- 3 cups chicken stock
- Pinch of Kosher salt
- 1 cup corn grits quick or regular...not instant
- 3 tbsp heavy cream
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 8 slices slab bacon cut into 1 to 2-inch pieces
- 1 lb shelled and deveined large shrimp
- Black pepper
- 2 - 3 garlic cloves minced (should be a heaping teaspoon)
- 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley chopped
- 4 scallions white and green parts, chopped (3 for cooking, 1 for garnish)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 or 3 good shakes of hot sauce ie, Tabasco
- 4 tsp fresh lemon juice usually the juice of 1 whole lemon
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a boil.
- Whisk in the grits and cook over moderately high heat, stirring vigorously at first to eliminate lumps (Continue to stir periodically until thickened and the grains are tender- about 4 - 5 minutes total. If using regular grits, they will take up to 45 minutes)
- Add the cream, butter and cheese and gently stir. Cover and remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crispy.
- Transfer cooked bacon to paper towel-lined plate.
- Pour out all but about 4 tablespoons of bacon fat in the skillet and re-heat.
- Sprinkle black pepper all over the shrimp and then add to the hot skillet and cook until curled and pink, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, parsley, scallions, paprika, Worcestershire, Tabasco and lemon juice.
- Meanwhile, crumble the bacon into slightly smaller pieces, set aside.
- Spoon the warm, cheesy grits into 4 shallow serving bowls and top each with a quarter of the shrimp mixture.
- Garnish with bacon and reserved scallions. Serve at once!
Nutrition
This was delicious!! We didn’t have bacon so I just used butter and it was still amazing. I’m sure it’ll be even better next time we make it with bacon!
Hi Laura! That is so awesome to hear! And fantastic plan of going with butter!! We are so glad you enjoyed the shrimp and grits and congrats on having such huge success. And thank you SO MUCH for letting us know and the great review. That means the world to us. Stay in touch!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
I haven’t made this recipe yet but can’t wait because i have no doubt about it’s deliciousness. I just love the way Wesley holds his bowl like a kid on Halloween with their treat bag. Love you guys!!
What can you replace the pork bacon in the recipe with? My husband is allergic to pork so I don’t use it in recipes that he eats! Is turkey bacon a good replacement?
Hi Sallie! You could certainly go with turkey bacon. And if you need a little extra oil (or fat) to sauté the shrimp and vegetables, then simply add in a tbsp of butter. The turkey bacon sprinkled on top will be a great substitute for the bacon. Let us know how it turns out! Best, Kris & Wesley
Just discovered y’all today, and I’m hooked! Went to buy the ingredients for this dish and darnit, I forgot the cream! Such a small amount though and we will live. However was wondering does it re heat well for the following days lunch. My husband does not eat fish/seafood and often end up bringing food to work to share with co workers.
Hey y’all! I made this last year for my Daddy’s birthday and he loved it. I’m going to be making it as the centerpiece for our New Years Day Meal, and I was just curious if just by doubling the ratios of ingredients should the same taste still be there? We’re gonna be having a total of 8 for Dinner that day and I want to make sure I’ll have enough and that the wonderful flavor you guys created still shines. Thanks in advance and I hope y’all have a very merry Christmas! 🙂