Shrimp and grits has to be one of the best Southern comfort foods out there
The key is really fresh shrimp and creamy grits
Folks from the South have strict rules on their grits and once you taste authentic Southern style grits you will never go back
This particular recipe has two main components so my wife and I decided to collaborate
We split the dish up so we could move things along
She ran with the grits which is what we will cover first
To work on the grit recipe on it’s own click the below link
Measure out 2 cups each of whole milk and water. We’ll need one cup of grits, 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, one teaspoon of black pepper, 4 ounces of sharp cheddar and 4 tablespoons of butter. Of course
Add the water and milk to a medium saucepan, season with a teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil over medium high heat
Add in the grits, whisk and lower heat to medium-low. You’ll want to stir every few minutes to make sure the grits are not sticking. Reduce to low if they seem to be cooking too quickly AKA: sticking
Cook for 25 minutes and then stir in the butter, black pepper and remainder of the kosher salt. Whisk to incorporate
Now for the cheese. Yes, the beloved cheese
Since you’ve put so much time and effort into this delicious recipe, I’m going to STRONGLY suggest that you shred your own sharp cheddar. It melts much better than the pre-packaged shredded cheese and adds such creaminess. Just trust me
Whisk in the cheddar and oh my…
Okay…that’s it for the grits so let’s set them aside for now and talk shrimp!
We are starting off with 2 pounds of peeled and deveined shrimp
I’m going to toss these with about 2 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning
You can buy this in a store or easily make it yourself by clicking on the link below
Simply Sunday’s Cajun Seasoning
Set the shrimp aside for now
Next we will need 3 strips of bacon
Give the bacon a chop
Cook the bacon over medium heat until browned and crispy, around 6 minutes
Remove to a bowl lined with paper towels
Drain off some of the bacon fat from the pan but not all of it
Lay the shrimp in the pan, trying not to over crowd them
Cook for 2-3 minutes
Flip and cook another 2 minutes or until firm and opaque
Remove the shrimp and set aside
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the pan
Next we will need 1 red bell pepper, 1 green bell pepper, 1 onion and 2 garlic cloves
Peel and chop the onion, chop the peppers and garlic
Add the veggies to the pan and cook stirring occasionally for 6-8 minutes
Next we will need 1/4 cup of flour, 2 cups of chicken stock, 1 tablespoon of Red Hot and 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce
Click the link below to make your own stock
Sprinkle the vegetables with the flour and stir them until the flour cooks for a bit and is lightly browned
Add in the stock, Red Hot and Worcestershire Sauce and stir to combine
Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce starts to thicken around 3-4 minutes
Add the shrimp back
Stir to combine and cook another 2-3 minutes
Season with kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
I have seen many shrimp and grits recipes where the bacon was left in the whole time
However I like to have a crunchy texture on the plate so I reserved the bacon as a garnish along with fresh chopped parsley and scallions
Scoop some delicious cheesy grits onto a plate and top with the shrimp
Sprinkle with the reserved bacon, parsley and scallions and jump in!
Enjoy!!!
Simply Sundays! ~ Shrimp & Grits
Ingredients
For the grits
2 cups whole milk
2 cups water
1 cup of grits
2 teaspoons of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
4 ounces of sharp cheddar
4 tablespoons of butter
For the shrimp
2 pounds of shrimp (shelled and deveined)
2 tablespoons of Cajun Seasoning
3 bacon strips
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup of flour
2 cups of chicken stock
1 tablespoon of Red Hot
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce
kosher salt and ground black pepper
fresh chopped parsley
fresh chopped scallions
Directions
For the grits
Measure out 2 cups each of whole milk and water; add the water and milk to a medium saucepan, season with a teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil over medium high heat
Add in the grits, whisk and lower heat to medium-low. You’ll want to stir every few minutes to make sure the grits are not sticking. Reduce to low if they seem to be cooking too quickly
Cook for 25 minutes and then stir in the butter, black pepper and remainder of the kosher salt. Whisk to incorporate
Shred 4 ounces of sharp cheddar and whisk into the grits until incorporated
For the shrimp
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of Cajun Seasoning over 2 pounds of peeled and deveined shrimp, stir to incorporate and set aside
Chop 3 strips of bacon and cook over medium heat until browned and crispy, around 6 minutes. Remove to a bowl lined with paper towels. Drain off some of the bacon fat from the pan but not all of it
Lay the shrimp in the pan, trying not to over crowd them. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook another 2 minutes or until firm and opaque. Remove the shrimp and set aside
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the pan. Peel and chop 1 onion, chop 1 red bell pepper, 1 green bell pepper and 2 garlic cloves. Add the veggies to the pan and cook stirring occasionally for 6-8 minutes
Sprinkle the vegetables with 1/4 cup of flour and stir them until the flour cooks for a bit and is lightly browned. Add in 2 cups of chicken stock, 1 tablespoon of Red Hot and 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce and stir to combine. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce starts to thicken around 3-4 minutes
Add the shrimp back in. Stir to combine and cook another 2-3 minutes. Season with kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste. Scoop some delicious cheesy grits onto a plate and top with the shrimp. Sprinkle with the reserved bacon, parsley and scallions
Tools used to make this recipe
Architec Gripperwood Cutting Board
Pyrex 3-Piece Glass Measuring Cup Set
Royal Classique Grade Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons Set
Farberware Classic Series Stainless Steel 3-Quart Covered Saucepan
OXO Good Grips Silicone Garlic Peeler with Stay-Clean Storage Case
© Simply Sundays 2017
All rights reserved
This looks wonderful! That’s it! I’m making this tomorrow. I’ll have to let you know how it turns out! Thank you again. 😊
Awesome! Can’t wait to hear what you think!! 🙂
I promise to let you know. 🙂 Cheers!
It was absolutely delicious! I’m so glad you shared this recipe! The only thing I did wrong was not having sweet tea at dinner. 😳Your pictures and directions made this meal easy to follow. A big thank you! I’ve pinned this one!
Yay! So glad you loved it! <3