Southern Shrimp and Cheesy Grits

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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:

Southern Shrimp and Cheesy Grits recipe

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!

Southern Shrimp and Cheesy Grits recipe

Oh, and did we mention cheese?

Yes, cheddar cheese, please.

Mmmmmm…cheese.

Southern Shrimp and Cheesy Grits recipe

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!

Southern Shrimp and Cheesy Grits recipe

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!

Southern Shrimp and Cheesy Grits recipe

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:

But in the meantime…let’s get it on with Southern Shrimp and Cheesy Grits!

Southern Shrimp and Cheesy Grits recipe

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 in a large white bowl

Southern Shrimp and Cheesy Grits

Shrimp & Cheesy Grits is decadent...pure Southern decadence. But every now and then, it's sinfully good to be a little decadent. This dish is a flavor explosion you just have to taste to believe. Incredible!
4.99 from 62 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Southern
Cuisine: Southern
Keyword: Grits, Shrimp
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 465kcal

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

Calories: 465kcal
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177 Comments

  • 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

  • 5 stars
    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

  • 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!!!

  • 5 stars
    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

  • 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

  • 5 stars
    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!

  • 5 stars
    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!!

      • Hi Tiffany! Of course you can use instant grits, if that’s what you’ve got! Go fo it! We think the taste and texture is better with non-instant, but this dish will still be delicious whichever type of grits you go with. Let us know how it turns out! Best, Kris & Wesley

  • 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

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