Shrimp and Grits
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This easy shrimp and grits recipe incorporates bacon, which gives the dish a nice smoky undertone — and there’s plenty of silky gravy for spooning over the grits.
Shrimp and grits is a beloved Southern dish that originated as a humble and inexpensive meal for fishermen and their families. While traditionally a breakfast item, it has evolved into a popular dinner dish that can be found in all manner of restaurants, from casual seafood shacks to trendy hot spots. While the presence of shrimp and grits is a constant, there are many variations of the dish. Some recipes incorporate sausage or bacon, while others use different types of cheese or vegetables.
My version of shrimp and grits incorporates crispy bacon, which adds a delicious smoky flavor, and a generous amount of sauce for drizzling over the creamy grits. While I know it’s considered sacrilege by some, I use quick-cooking grits to save time (these grits can be prepared in just five minutes!). If you have more time, feel free to use traditional stone-ground grits for a more authentic version of the dish. To really take the dish up a notch, save the shrimp peels, simmer them in the chicken broth for 15 minutes, and then strain; this will infuse the broth with the taste of the sea and add depth and complexity to the sauce.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Shrimp and Grits
For the Shrimp
For the Grits
Step-by-Step instructions
Step 1: Make the Shrimp
To begin, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 7 minutes.
Add the shrimp to the skillet and sprinkle with the Cajun seasoning and salt. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are mostly pink but not quite cooked through, about 2 minutes.
Transfer the shrimp and bacon mixture to a bowl and set aside. Place the skillet back on the heat (do not wash) and melt the butter. Add the light green scallions, celery, bell pepper, and garlic.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour.
Mix until well incorporated, then whisk in the chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened, 5 to 7 minutes.
Step 2: Make the Grits
Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside while you make the grits. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, combine the milk and salt. Bring to a boil and then, whisking constantly, slowly pour the grits into the bubbling broth.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer, whisking often, until the grits become thick and creamy, about 5 minutes. Stir continuously to prevent sputtering. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese.
Taste and adjust the salt, if necessary. Remove the pan from the heat and cover with a lid to keep warm until ready to serve.
Step 3: Finish the Shrimp
Place the veggie/sauce mixture back on the stove. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Return the shrimp and bacon, along with any juices that collected in the bowl, to the skillet and mix well.
Cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are cooked through, a few minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle a small handful of the dark green scallions over the shrimp (you may not need all of them).
Divide the grits among serving bowls. Spoon the shrimp and sauce over the grits and serve. Pass the hot sauce, if desired.
Video Tutorial
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Shrimp and Grits
This easy shrimp and grits recipe incorporates bacon, which gives the dish a nice smoky undertone — and there’s plenty of silky gravy for spooning over the grits.
Ingredients
For the Shrimp
- 4 slices bacon, cut into ½-in dice
- 1½ lbs jumbo (21/25 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined, thawed if frozen
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, such as Emeril's
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, light and dark green parts divided
- 1 large stalk celery, finely diced
- 1 small red bell pepper, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco
For the Grits
- 4 cups whole or 2% milk
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup quick-cooking grits
- ¾ cup (2 oz) shredded Cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Start the shrimp: Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 7 minutes. Add the shrimp to the skillet and sprinkle with the Cajun seasoning and salt. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are mostly pink but not quite cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp and bacon mixture to a bowl and set aside; place the skillet back on the heat (do not wash).
- Melt the butter in the skillet. Add the light green scallions, celery, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and mix until incorporated. Whisk in the chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside while you make the grits.
- For the grits: In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, bring the milk and salt to a boil. Whisking constantly, slowly pour the grits into the bubbling milk. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, whisking often, until the grits become thick and creamy, about 5 minutes. (Stir continuously to prevent sputtering.) Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese. Taste and adjust the salt, if necessary. Remove the pan from the heat and cover with a lid to keep warm until ready to serve.
- Place the skillet with the vegetable/sauce mixture back on the stove and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Return the shrimp and bacon, along with any juices that collected in the bowl, to the skillet and mix well. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle a small handful of the dark green scallions over the shrimp (you may not need all of them).
- Divide the grits among serving bowls. Spoon the shrimp and sauce over the grits and serve. Pass the hot sauce, if desired.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 731
- Fat: 34 g
- Saturated fat: 16 g
- Carbohydrates: 59 g
- Sugar: 17 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 46 g
- Sodium: 1625 mg
- Cholesterol: 291 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I have made this multiple times, and it is a favorite of mine and my husbands. When I have the time, I use regular grits, but I love that this recipe uses quick cooking grits, because I am a busy mom and regular grits can be very time consuming. The only change I make is that I use more bacon! (We love bacon, but who doesn’t LOL) This recipe helps to make a comforting meal that could be very time consuming, in a fraction of the time. I would definitely recommend it!
I made this recipe for New Year’s day . It was a hit ! The only thing I changed was , being from Charleston,SC, I used stoned ground grits that cooked for 45 min, added cream and pepper jack cheese to the grits. This recipe will be my go to for Shrimp and grits from now on.
I really liked this recipe. Somehow I missed the last bit that talked about infusing the chicken stock with the shrimp shells. I do that the next time. Also, I’ll avoid the quick grits which just NOT my idea of grits good enough to match the shrimp and the sauce. Also need to think about using water (like I’m used to) vs. 2% milk.
Net net – loved the sauce (5 stars), hate quick grits (-1 star) =.4 stars.
But I’ll go for 5 next time!
Hi Jenn,
What other cheese can I use instead of cheddar? Is Gruyere or Parmesan ok?
I’d probably go with the Gruyere here. Hope you enjoy!
Looveeddd It!!!
This Recipe Was Very Fool Proof (For A Beginner Like Myself) And Turned Out GREAT! I Will Be Making This Very Often. Thanks Alot!
I love shrimp and grits but had never tried to make the dish. I have made this 3 times and it is a great recipe. My guests loved it. Thanks
Turned out great. I did use the old fashion stone grits and a water milk combination in the recipe. Delicious results.
Made this dish with a few substitutions. This became necessary because living alone and being a high risk senior I don’t get to do much shopping these day. I used corn starch instead of flour and the vegetables on hand. Great dish. One of the best tasting shrimp and grits dishes I ever had.
Made this last night but with scallops instead of shrimp. I skipped the bacon and pan seared the scallops in vegan butter and olive oil. The sauce is divine! This is my new go-to shrimp (or scallops) and grits recipe.
This was my first time trying grits. I loved this dish, especially the cheese grits