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
The best shrimp and grits hands down! Growing up in the low country they’re one of my favorites and these deliver big time with flavor.
Love this! It eats like a warm hug on your tongue and leaves you wanting more when the bowl is empty. I added diced andouille sausage to the bacon grease before adding the shrimp. Serve with good friends for an absolute feast!
I just cook this recipe it was so good and Quick to make. I had my favorite restaurant where i would buy this. Thanks yours taste better and you save me money. I Love it!
Hi Beverly!! That is so awesome! We are so thrilled to hear you had such great success with our shrimp and grits recipe! And thank you so much for letting us know and for the wonderful review! That truly means so much to us!! Stay in touch! All the very best, Kris & Wesley
This was simple to make and absolutely delicious. The addition of the bacon is a great touch. You could eat just the shrimp mixture plain or put on a salad/with steak or chicken, and that would be delicious too.
Hi Jessica! We are so glad you enjoyed our shrimp and grits recipe and you’re right…the shrimp is pretty awesome by itself!! Thanks so much for letting us know and for the great review! We appreciate that so much!! Stay in touch!! All the best!! Kris & Wesley
Had every family member coming back for seconds! Best shrimp and grits recipe I have made by far. A definite keeper
Tiara! That makes us so so happy to hear!! We are glad you had such success with the shrimp and grits!!!! And thank you very much for letting us know and for the wonderful review!! We really do appreciate that so much!!! Stay in touch, Kris & Wesley
Delicious! Made it without the scallions because I didn’t have any. Turned out great. Never used bacon or lemon juice in this dish before. Great additions! Loved it. Definitely a keeper!
Hi Shade!! Awesome!! We are so very happy to hear that you had such great success with the shrimp and grits. We have loved that dish for years and are so happy you liked it, too. And thank you so much for letting us know and for the GREAT review!!
Quick, easy, delicious! My favorite kind of recipe!
Awesome!! That’s wonderful to hear! So glad you enjoyed the shrimp and grits, and thank you so much for letting us know and for the GREAT review!! We appreciate that so very much!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
I made this for myself on Mother’s Day after a local restaurant was sold out. Followed the recipe but didn’t measure ingredients. The results were beyond amazing. I will be making this again!
Hi Carlene!! That is absolutely amazing to hear!! We are so thrilled you had great success with the shrimp and grits! And Happy Mother’s Day! Hope you had a beautiful day. Thanks so much for letting us about the dish and for the great review. That means the world to us!!! Stay in touch, Kris & Wesley
Excellent recipe, was easy to make and delicious! Will definitely be making it again soon!
Hi Doris! That is so wonderful to hear! We are thrilled you had such success with the shrimp and grits. And thank you so much for letting us know and the fantastic review. We truly appreciate that so much!! Stay in touch!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Considering I’m a southern girl, born in New Orleans and residing in Atlanta ga, I think I can say with confidence that this is one of the best recipes of shrimp and grits to come across! It’s become a staple in my household and I’m currently in the process of making my fourth batch as we speak!
Ray, we can’t even begin to describe how happy reading your comment makes us!!! Getting a big thumbs up from a Southern lady on our shrimp and grits is AWESOME!! So so so glad you are enjoying the recipe and thank you SO MUCH for letting us know and for the great review! That means so much to us!! Stay in touch!!! xoxo Kris & Wesley
Holy smokes…it was a-ma-zing!!
Awesome!!! So glad you like the shrimp and grits! And THANK YOU for letting us know!!!!! Best, Kris & Wesley
I’ve made a lot of shrimp and grits but this recipe is my favorite. It’s soooo good!
Hi Sandra!! That is so so awesome to hear!! We are thrilled to hear you had such huge success with our shrimp and grits recipe! It’s definitely one of our favorites, too!! Thanks for letting us know!! Stay in touch!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
So yummy we’re making it again! This is a keeper. We’re in the process of moving/buying a house (yeah, awful time for that, right?) so not everything is unpacked. Had to substitute a couple things, but the essence was there. After we get in our own home next week, we’ll be getting all the ingredients we’re missing (just 2, really) and will do it again. Likely will be one of our top ‘celebratory meal options’ once in our own place.
One of the things we substituted was we were out of smoky paprika, had some Victoria’s Gourmet Smoky Chipotle Paprika spice, used that, worked just fine.
Everyone stay safe, enjoy!
YES to everything you just said here, Lori!! So glad you enjoyed the grits and thank you so much for the comment and the great review. We appreciate that so much. All the best (and please stay safe!). Kris & Wesley
By far the best shrimp and grits recipe I’ve made! Delicious!
Kathy!! That’s the best thing we’ve heard all day!! We are so so so happy you had such great success with our shrimp and grits recipe!! Thank you for letting us know and for the GREAT review!! All the very best, Kris & Wesley
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