Recipe: Shrimp and Grits

This dish always sounded good to me… I love shrimp and I love grits… so what’s not to like?

We’re in south Georgia … where Low Country Boils, Fried Catfish and Shrimp and Grits reign supreme. At nearby Jekyll Island there even is a Shrimp and Grits Festival.. three days of music and great food.. lots of that terrific Southern hospitality … but alas.. it isn’t until September… so … I decided it was time I made my own Shrimp and Grits.

Don’t know what grits are? Read my post from a couple of years ago… “So Just What are Grits?”

Recipes for Shrimp and Grits vary somewhat but all in all they’re relatively close… so I took what I thought was the best part of several recipes… my recipe is altered enough not to give any one recipe credit…

TIPS

I used frozen cooked shrimp with the tails still on.. you can purchase this in the seafood department of your grocery store…

I removed the tails… I hate having to remove tails after I’ve cooked them in a dish… while the presentation is nice … it is a pain in the butt to eat them that way.
Use “quick cooking grits” not instant.

I made the grits in the microwave.. you can also make them on the stove top.. just follow the package instructions. I do not add salt to the grits since the bacon in shrimp portion has plenty of salt.

Use both the green and white parts of the green onion.

Garlic cloves are listed in the ingredient list as 1-2… I personally like a garlic flavor to be very apparent… so I would use 2… but if you only want a hint of garlic.. use only 1.

A pinch of cayenne pepper is optional.. it adds a little kick to the dish. You can add as much or as little as you like depending on how much of a kick you like.

My best suggestion is prepare the ingredients ahead so all you have to do is cook ... this dish cooks up very fast… so start the grits… and wait about 10 minutes.. then start cooking the shrimp portion.

I served this dish with fresh bread and a side salad.

This recipe serves 4.

This is truly a delicious and satisfying meal!







Recipe: Shrimp and Grits

All you need:

1 cup Quick Cooking Grits
4 cups of water
2 cups Cheddar Cheese
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 ½ pound cooked shrimp, tails removed
4 slices smoked bacon, chopped
1 ½ cups green onion, chopped
I-2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pinch of cayenne (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

All you need to do:

Make the quick cooking grits according to package instructions… my package uses less water for the microwave method, but I still used 4 cups of water… and cooked them until they were thick and not soupy.

Add the cheddar cheese and the heavy cream, stir well.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, cook the bacon until it is starting to curl up…cooked but still soft.

Add the shrimp, green onions, garlic and lemon juice, stirring frequently. Cook about 4 minutes.

Place a generous serving of grits on a plate and top with a generous serving of the shrimp and bacon mixture.

Alternate Serving Method: Put the grits in a large serving bowl and add the shrimp mixture, mix well. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.