My Favorite Shrimp and Grits Recipe
User Reviews
4.3
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Prep Time
15 mins
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Cook Time
45 mins
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Total Time
1 hr
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Servings
6 to 8
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Calories
98655 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
American
My Favorite Shrimp and Grits Recipe
Description
This recipe starts with cooking white coarse grits in a mix of water and whole milk until creamy and tender, finished with kosher salt and heavy cream for richness. The topping features shrimp coated lightly in flour and seasoned with Cajun spices. Andouille sausage is browned and sliced, while thick-cut bacon is cooked until crisp. Onion, celery, garlic, thyme, and grape tomatoes add aromatics to the dish. Clam juice, chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice build a flavorful sauce, slightly thickened with additional flour if desired for a richer gravy.
The shrimp, sausage, and bacon are combined with the sauce, creating a layered dish with the creamy grits underneath. The shrimp are cooked to a tender finish while absorbing the savory and spicy flavors from the spices and sauce. The dish balances textures from tender grits, firm shrimp, and crisp pork elements.
This hearty dish suits lunch or dinner and can be garnished with fresh parsley and green onion slices for brightness. Practical tips include adjusting the sauce thickness by adding flour slurry if needed and increasing broth for a looser gravy texture.
Ingredients
For the Grits:
- 2 cups white coarse grits or yellow coarse grits or cornmeal
- 6 cups water
- 2 cups milk whole
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
For the Shrimp:
- 1 pound Shrimp peeled and deveined with tail on, large
- 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
- 12 ounces andouille sausage 4 links, cooked
- 5 lices Bacon cut into ¼-inch strips, thick cut
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons
- 1 cup yellow onion diced
- 3 celery diced to ¼ inch, stalks
- 2 garlic pressed or minced, large cloves
- 1 teaspoon thyme dried
- 8 ounces clam juice
- 3-4 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
- 1 green onions thinly sliced, small bunch
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon Tabasco sauce , or to taste
- 1 lemon , juiced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- parsley fresh chopped
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the grits with the water and milk over medium-low heat and bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and creamy, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in the salt and the cream and keep warm until ready to serve.
- Place the shrimp in a large bowl and season with the cajun seasoning, tossing to cover evenly. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Slice the andouille sausage in half lengthwise and then into ½ inch thick half moons and add to the skillet. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is browned. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- In the same skillet, cook the cut bacon until cooked through. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon from the pan and add to the bowl with the sausage. Pour all but 1 tablespoon of the fat into a small bowl and set aside.
- Sprinkle the shrimp with ¼ cup of the flour and toss to coat. Tap the excess flour from the shrimp and place in the skillet taking care not to crowd the pan, cooking for 2-3 minutes on each side. Cook the shrimp in batches if needed. Transfer the shrimp to another bowl and set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon fat to the skillet and set the heat to medium high. Add the onion, celery, garlic and bay leaf and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the flour over the vegetables. Crush the dried thyme between your fingers and add to the veggies, and stir to evenly coat the veggies. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the sausage and bacon back to the skillet, then add the clam juice, chicken broth, and the tomatoes, stirring into the vegetables and decreasing the heat to medium-low.
- Simmer for 10 minutes or until the sauce is thick enough to cover the back of a spoon and the tomatoes are just about to burst.*
- Return the shrimp to the pan. Add half of the chopped green onions, Tabasco, Worcestershire, and lemon juice. Discard the bay leaf and swirl in the butter.
- Spoon a serving of the warm grits into a bowl and ladle with a few shrimp and some sauce. Garnish with chopped green onion and parsley.
Notes
- Adjust gravy thickness by stirring flour into a small amount of sauce and then whisking back in.
- Add extra chicken broth if a looser gravy is preferred.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6to 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories 98655 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 986.55kcal | 49% |
| Carbohydrates | 67.28g | 22% |
| Protein | 43.6g | 87% |
| Fat | 60.1g | 92% |
| Saturated Fat | 27.49g | 137% |
| Cholesterol | 361.22mg | 120% |
| Sodium | 2519.69mg | 105% |
| Potassium | 867.93mg | 18% |
| Fiber | 3.31g | 13% |
| Sugar | 10.53g | 21% |
| Vitamin A | 2710.02IU | 54% |
| Vitamin C | 21.95mg | 24% |
| Calcium | 288.33mg | 29% |
| Iron | 4.66mg | 26% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.3
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