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
I made this tonight for out of town family members visiting for the Thanksgiving holidays! I did as much prepping as I could do the night before and then came home after work and threw it together really quick! Served with garlic bread! It was absolutely perfect. Trust the recipe…don’t change a thing! Thank you for such a fabulous recipe!!!!!
That is so wonderful to hear, Laurel! So so so glad you had success with the shrimp and grits! That is truly one of our all-time favorite dishes and thank you SO MUCH for letting us know!! Stay in touch! All the best!! Kris & Wesley
One of my favorite meals and this is the best recipe I have ever tried for this. Flavors are to die for. My husband and I could not stop eating it.
We can’t disagree with you! It’s one of our tried and true favorite recipes on the blog!! Thank you!!!
If you guys like the grits they are similar to “zeas corn grits” recipe. I make them as a side often, but especially with steaks. It basically more cream and no cheese. Zeas is a New Orleans style restaurant. Check it out.
Is there a problem with making these cheesy grits in a single tall soup pot or should I break it up into 2 Dutch ovens (cooking for 30]?
Hi Steve! Sorry for the delayed response! Wow!! You’re gonna have 30 happy people! That’s impressive. You really could go either way with the grits. I would recommend whatever is easiest to work with on your stove. I’m thinking the 2 Dutch ovens. The increased quantity of grits should do just fine, it just may take a little longer for them to reach that creamy consistency. Good luck!! We have no doubt you’ll hit it out of the park. Let us know with any other questions. And please let us know how the dinner party turns out! Sounds awesome!!
I have made the recipes several times – always to the same type of reaction “the loon” exhibited in your video. I am going to be making it for 30 and the question is … do I make the grits in a 12 qt soup pot ( kind of tall) or in two Dutch ovens? Does making that much in one container cause problems with the Quick grits you suggest using?
Hello!
I am European and this recipe looks deliciously decadent! However, I can’t find that holy grit around here, nobody heard or knows what it is… can I use couscous instead?
Hi Xavier…what about polenta? It is very similar to American grits. If not, you could go with couscous, but you’ll get a different taste and texture. Let us know what you decide to do!! And feel free to ask any other questions. Best, Kris & Wesley
Your recipe sounds fabulous! Before I make it I just have question. The grits call for 3 cups of stock to 1 cup of grits, usually 1 cup of grits calls for 4 cups of liquid. Why less liquid in this recipe does the cream and butter make up the difference?
Looks great, I am looking for a recipe to try. I’ve only had shrimp and grits once when I visited the US. Question – can I substitute chicken broth with something else? I cannot eat anything with chicken. Thank you!
Hi there! Absolutely! You can use vegetable stock, or seafood stock. Either will work great!! Let us know how it turns out! Best, Kris & Wesley
I am making this tonight. The only shrimp our grocery store had was the precooked large shrimp. Will that work for this recipe?
Hi there. Yes, it will work just fine. Instead of sautéing the shrimp first, start by sautéing the garlic, parsley, scallions, paprika, Worcestershire, Tabasco and lemon juice for a couple minute, then just toss in the cooked shrimp to coat. Then proceed with the recipe as written. Should still be delicious! Let us know how it turns out! We hope you enjoy it! This is one of our all-time favorite dishes! Best, Kris & Wesley
It turned out amazing! I’ve never cooked grits before and they were slightly underdone so will cook longer next time. My fault not recipe. My whole family loved it and will make it again! Wish I could post a picture of how good it looked!
Awesome!!! That is so wonderful to hear! Grits can be a little tricky the first time you cook them, but we’re sure you’ve got it down now!! Thanks so much for letting us know!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
This shrimp and grits was the best I’ve ever made. And not complicated. Excellent. Thank you!
Hi Patricia!! So sorry for the delayed response! That is so wonderful to hear that you enjoyed the shrimp and grits. This has been one of our favorite recipes for a long time and we are thrilled you had success with it. And thank you so much for letting us know. That means the world to us. Please stay in touch!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Made this last night and my family loved it! My only question is how can I make more of a sauce? I want more of a sauce as I had it that way in a restaurant.
Hi!! We are thrilled to hear your family loved these shrimp and grits! We ’em, too so much! You can create more of a sauce by adding about a half a cup of chicken (or seafood) stock to the skillet before adding the shrimp, and let it simmer until it reduces and somewhat thickens, about 5 to 8 minutes. If you want more, increase the chicken stock to 3/4 or 1 cup, but it will take longer for it to reduce. Hope this helps!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Just add more ingredients to the shrimp if you want more sauce. I just made it for my boyfriend and I, he loved it 🙂
This looks amazing. I can’t wait to try it.
Thanks Cassandra! It’s pretty delicious!! Let us know when you make it and what you think!! Kris & Wesley
I just found your site while looking for the best Shrimp and Grits Recipe. I can’t wait to make them.
You have so many delicious recipes.
So glad I found you. Please add me to your mailing list.
Thanks,
Richard Livingston
Hi Richard!! So glad you found us, and we think you’ll like our Shrimp and Grits recipe. It’s without doubt one of our most favorites. We’ve added you to the mailing list, so you’ll never miss a new recipe. Stay in touch!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
I read the recipe for beans nd tomatoes and for these shrimps and grits. I’m convinced! I want to receive your emails. Thanks.
That is so wonderful to hear, Marian!! You can sign up to receive the newsletter (which included all new recipes) on the homepage. Or if you like, we can get you signed up. Thanks so much!! And please stay in touch!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
I’m really excited to make this. Question – does it reheat well? It’s just me and my husband and sure we can’t eat it all in one sitting. Or maybe we can lol.
Hi Anne! Of course it’s best served right off the stove, but it should re-heat just fine. What I’d do is keep the shrimp mixture separate from the grits, and then re-heat them separately. That will help. But…we have a sneaking suspicion you guys may just eat the whole dish! It’s really good! Let us know how it turns out!! Best, Kris & Wesley
Thanks! Looking forward to it
I made this for New Year’s Eve dinner! Yummy. I added a little white wine to make a sauce . My family devoured it. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much, Janice!!! Love the addition of wine to make a sauce. Absolutely brilliant!! Thank you for letting us know. That means so much to us. Happy New Year to you and your loved ones!! Best, Kris & Wesley
How can I make a little more of the sauce that goes over the grits
Hi Nora,
You can easily double the sauce recipe. It’s so good!
For step 8, do you add all of that to the shrimp or to the grits?
Wow, this was one of the best recipes I’ve tried in a while! I went to Nashville last year and had shrimp and grits in one of the more well known restaurants there and this easily rivals it. I signed up for your emails! Can’t wait to try another dish! So tasty!!!
February of this year me and my husband took a trip to Savannah, Georgia. While there we had the most amazing shrimp and grits and I have been craving it ever since. Though this recipe isn’t exactly like what we had in Savannah, this recipe definitely satisfied my craving. It was so delicious and so easy to make!
Hi Lorena! Isn’t Savannah just amazing? A foodie paradise, for sure. And we couldn’t be happier that our Shrimp and Grits fit the bill for you. We really love it, too. Thank you so very much for letting us know, and please stay in touch! Best, Kris & Wesley
You need to correct Chessy to Cheesy as the Heading/title of recipe.
Great tasting recipe.
P.S.S./ Where/when is the black pepper added?
Forgot to rate it….fantastico!
Guys…we attended our nieces wedding reception last weekend and they served a spectacular Shrimp and Grits as a heavy “O”. I was determined to recreate it or find it on line. After deconstructing the key ingredients, low and behold I came across your recipe on-line which appeared to be exactly the same. We served it to our regular wine group of 6 last night in stemless martini glasses and it was a-maz-ing!! Not a drop left…thanks for sharing your recipes.
Thank you, Brad so, so very much!! I am sorry it has taken us a bit to get back to you! We are in the process of moving to Texas, and just now able to. We are THRILLED to hear the dish was a success. Nothing makes us happier to hear that, and we so appreciate it you taking the time to let us know. And also, thanks for letting us know about the missing ‘pepper’ step in the ‘instructions.’ You sprinkle the pepper all over the shrimp before sautéing them, but whenever you added (if you added it), I’m sure was just fine. We updated the recipe and added the ‘pepper’ step.
Thanks again, and please stay in touch!! Best, Kris & Wesley
I think you mean “e.g. Tabasco”; e.g. means “for example”, i.e. means “in other words”. I like Cholula much better, Tabasco seems too vinegary to me. Great recipe!
Thanks Karl! 🙂
I made this tonight for supper and it was awesome!!!!
That’s so wonderful to hear, Tia! We are crazy for these Shrimp and Grits! So glad you enjoyed them!! Please stay in touch! Best, Kris & Wesley
Hi! This recipe looks divine! I’m going to use it for thanksgiving as an hors d’oeuvres! Can you please tell me if the heat is still on when you are stirring in step number 8? Or do I turn the heat off, then add step number 8? Thanks!!
I’m not a huge fan of shrimp and grits, but this recipe made me fall in love with it! The flavor was perfect just the right amount of heat and also loved the easy to follow grits recipe. Thank you for this awesome dish.
Yay!! We gotta say we love this dish, too! It’s not for the faint of heart, but boy, oh boy, is it yummy. We are SOOOO happy you like it! Stay in touch, Patricia!!! xoxoxo Kris & Wesley
Just looking at this made me have a heart attack, and it was beautiful.
I know! It’s not for the faint of heart. But good Lord, is it delicious!! Thank you, Josh!!