Shrimp and Grits
Updated Sept. 8, 2023
- Total Time
- 30 minutes to 1½ hours, depending on your grits
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Ingredients
- 2cups whole or reduced-fat milk (see Tip)
- ¼cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 1cup stone-ground grits
- ½teaspoon ground white or black pepper
- 1cup shredded extra-sharp or sharp Cheddar (optional)
- 1½pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2teaspoons Creole seasoning (see Tip)
- 1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 8ounces andouille sausage, diced
- 1small yellow onion, diced
- 1green bell pepper, diced
- 3garlic cloves, minced
- 1(14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
- 1cup low-sodium chicken stock
- ⅓cup sour cream
- Salt and black pepper
- Hot sauce, for serving
- 2tablespoons thinly sliced scallions
For the Grits
For the Shrimp
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
781 calories; 42 grams fat; 19 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 49 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 53 grams protein; 1513 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Prepare the grits: Bring 2 cups water, the milk, butter and ½ teaspoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Once the mixture is boiling, whisk in the grits in a slow and steady stream. Reduce the heat to low so that the grits are simmering, with small bubbles just breaking the surface.
- Step 2
Cook the grits over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened and creamy, and the grits have popped open and smell like popcorn, at least 20 minutes, or over 1 hour, depending on the variety and coarseness of the grits. When stirring, be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the pot to prevent the grits from sticking and burning. If the grits thicken before they are completely cooked, add more water, a couple tablespoons at a time, and continue cooking until done.
- Step 3
While the grits are cooking, prepare the shrimp: Pat the shrimp dry, then toss them in a medium bowl with the Creole seasoning; set aside.
- Step 4
Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced sausage and cook, stirring frequently, until the fat has rendered and the sausage is crispy along the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Working in batches, add the shrimp and cook about 1 ½ minutes each side, until cooked through. Transfer the shrimp to the plate with the sausage.
- Step 5
Add the diced onion and bell pepper to the skillet, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for an additional minute.
- Step 6
Add the stewed tomatoes and stock, and increase the heat to high. Once the liquid is boiling, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Step 7
Add shrimp and sausage and cook until hot, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and swirl in the sour cream. Taste to adjust seasoning, adding salt or pepper as needed.
- Step 8
When the grits are done, remove from the heat and stir in the pepper and cheese, if using. Taste to adjust seasoning, adding up to an additional ½ teaspoon more salt if desired. Serve immediately, topped with the hot shrimp mixture. Finish with a few dashes of hot sauce and a sprinkling of scallions.
- For a more savory profile, prepare the grits in 4 cups of low-sodium chicken stock instead of water and milk.
- If you don’t have Creole seasoning, you can combine 1¼ teaspoons smoked paprika, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne.
Private Notes
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Comments
Don’t worry y’all, they call for a 4:1 ratio, just don’t list the 2 cups water in the ingredients. I’m from the lowcountry and there’s a lot of ways to make S&G. Tips from my grandma and me- -Tasso will do you better than andouille if you can find it. Both won’t hurt. -Add a Tbs or so of flour to the veggies to make a roux, don’t be scared to let it get some color. -Never heard of sour cream but it’s probs good. We add a couple tablespoons of heavy cream at the end. Cont’d in another comment
Lowcountry S&G tips cont’d: -We don’t batch cook the shrimp in our house, although that’s probably a fine a way to do it. We add them raw at the end and toss the whole pan every 30 seconds or so until they’re cooked. This keeps the shrimp flavor more prominent in the final dish. -Best to make the grits with half chicken stock, half milk, and salt closer to the end. You can’t really overlook grits, just keep adding liquid if they get too thick. Don’t be scared to make your own adjustments!
Anson Mills coarse grits, either yellow or white, is the only way to go, the only grits I’ve bought for 20 years. And although I like Zatarains Cajun spice mix, most grocery store Cajun spices will work nicely. This is a great recipe, but the grits actually require a lot more attention and more frequent stirring than was implied.
I was in the UK when cooking this and could not get my hand on the grits in the village, so I used Couscous- it worked really well. Just in case you ever find yourself in a grits-less area.
This was great. Make sure you add 4 cups of liquid to your grits (not two as the recipe notes), and if you use a cup of cheddar in the grits, you don't need the sour cream in the shrimp. Also, I deglazed before adding the tomatoes with about half a cup of white wine to give it some depth. So good.
Had to adapt based on what was on hand - 1# shrimp and no andouille. Added another diced red pepper. Could only find instant grits in MN. It was still delicious. Will be making this again - with more shrimp and andouille!