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
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! 🙂
This is beyond good. My friend was looking for a shrimp and grits recipe so I made this one and passed it on. In her words it was so good it was a “religious experience” lol. But seriously it is a 7 out of 5 stars! Better than any shrimp and grits I have had in a restaurant!
Natalie! You have no idea how happy you just made us!! We are so THRILLED you and your friend love the shrimp and grits! We think it’s pretty off the charts good, too!! And thank you so much for the AWESOME review and for taking the time to letting us know. That means so much to us!! Please stay in touch!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
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
Repeat performance tonight for another set of family members! This recipe is a slam dunk and so satisfying. Will be singing your praises at the dinner table tonight!! Thanks again. You’re a genius!
Woo hoo! Hope you had a spectacular meal with your family!! xoxo
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