SOUTHERN SHRIMP AND GRITS – The Southern Lady Cooks

Shrimp and Grits is a classic Southern dish full of flavor. Creamy grits, topped with delicious sauteed shrimp and topped with bacon. You can’t go wrong with this dish!

If you love this classic dish of Shrimp and Grits, you will also love this Southern Red Rice. It’s a classic from Charleston and absolutely delicious.

❤️WHY WE LOVE THIS RECIPE

This dish is loaded in flavor but doesn’t take hours, which is always a huge plus. This dish was primarily a breakfast dish for a long time, but many people now enjoy it for dinner. So many things we love bout this dish but the flavor is wonderful and the grits are creamy. This dish is a Southern favorite and has been around a long time for a reason.

🍴KEY INGREDIENTS

• Bacon
• Medium or large shrimp peeled and deveined
• Bacon drippings
• Butter
• Green onion
• Green pepper
• Celery
• Garlic
• Cajun seasoning (check out our recipe to make your own Cajun seasoning)
• Black pepper
• Hot sauce or pinch cayenne
• Grits:
• Milk (can use whole or 2 per cent)
• Butter
• Salt
• Old-fashioned grits – NOT instant
• Sharp cheddar cheese
• Salt and Pepper to taste

SWAPS

You can switch out the cheese to different flavors if you like, but the sharp cheddar gives it a good taste. Some people don’t like celery, so leave it out if you like. You can use turkey bacon if you want a lower-fat dish, but the pork bacon, cooked to a crisp, is our favorite.

🍽️HOW TO MAKE

This dish is very easy to make, and you can make the grits while you cook the bacon and shrimp!

PREPARATIONS

Organize all of your ingredients makes it much easier.

COOKING STEPS

Step 1
Cook the bacon, remove from pan and set aside.  Combine two tablespoons bacon drippings, 1 tablespoon butter, green onion, green pepper, celery, garlic, Cajun seasoning, and black pepper in a skillet and cook until vegetables are tender.  About 8 to 10 minutes.  Add shrimp and hot sauce or cayenne and cook about four more minutes until shrimp are done.  Set aside and prepare grits if you haven’t already started them.

Step 2
Put milk, butter and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Using a whisk and stirring constantly add the grits a little at a time.  This keeps the grits from clumping.  Lower the heat, cover and cook five to six minutes or until grits thicken.  Remove from heat and gradually stir in cheddar cheese.  Stir until cheese melts. 

HOW TO PLATE

Put several spoonfuls of grits in a bowl and layer some shrimp mixture over the top.  Crumble bacon on top of the shrimp and garnish with chopped green onions.

⭐TIP

If grits get too thick you can always add a little water to thin them, but we actually like them to have a little thicker consistency. It’s all about what your family likes.

You can grate the cheese to help it melt faster. We just cut it into small cubes but grating it works well too.

We also use Old Fashioned Grits, not instant. The Old Fashioned Grits is the way to go in this recipe.

You may also love these Garlic Cheese Grits, this recipe is wonderful.

Go for the larger shrimp when making this dish. We also like good bacon; it’s just worth it to splurge a little and get great ingredients for this classic.

OTHER SHRIMP DISHES

If you love to cook with shrimp, check out these other delicious dishes your family will love!

❓FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

STORING AND REHEATING

We store this in an airtight container and just reheat in the microwave.

💕MORE POPULAR RECIPES TO ENJOY

SERVING SIZE

This is about 4-6 servings, depending on how big of a plate you serve. You can easily double this recipe for a larger group.

Southern Shrimp and Grits

Anne Walkup

Shrimp and Grits are a traditional southern dish your family will love. Creamy grits made with sharp cheddar cheese, topped with sauteed shrimp and bacon. This one is a winner! Great reviews.

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, southern

• 3 to 4 slices bacon
• 1 pound medium or large shrimp peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons bacon drippings
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• few drops hot sauce or pinch cayenne

Grits:

• 2 1/3 cups milk can use whole or 2 per cent
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup old fashioned grits
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Salt and Pepper to taste

• Cook the bacon, remove from pan and set aside.

• Combine two tablespoons bacon drippings, 1 tablespoon butter, green onion, green pepper, celery, garlic, Cajun seasoning, and black pepper in a skillet and cook until vegetables are tender. About 8 to 10 minutes.

• Add shrimp and hot sauce or cayenne and cook about four more minutes until shrimp are done. Set aside and prepare grits.

Grits Instructions

• Put milk, butter and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Using a whisk and stirring constantly add the grits a little at a time. This keeps the grits from clumping.

• Lower the heat, cover and cook five to six minutes or until grits thicken.

• Remove from heat and gradually stir in cheddar cheese. Stir until cheese melts. (If grits get too thick you can always add a little water to thin.)

• Put several spoonfuls of grits in a bowl and layer some of the shrimp mixture over the top. Crumble bacon on top of the shrimp and garnish with chopped green onions.

You can start your grits while you make the bacon and shrimp if you want. That is how we do it, but some people find it easier to cook one thing at a time. You can also grate the cheese, it will help it to melt better. We have no issues with just cutting it into small cubes. 

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