Description
Southern style shrimp and grits bring comfort straight from Carolina kitchens to your dinner table. Creamy stone-ground grits topped with perfectly seasoned shrimp create a classic Southern dish that feels like a warm hug from grandma.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 cup grits
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 4 cups water
Supporting Ingredients:
- ½ cup onion, diced
- ½ cup bell pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 green onions, chopped
Seasonings and Additions:
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pour 4 cups water into a medium pot and bring to a rolling boil over high heat.
- Gently add 1 cup grits to boiling water, then reduce heat to low, stirring to prevent lumps.
- Simmer grits for exactly 20-25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to maintain smooth consistency.
- While grits cook, place 4 bacon slices in a cold skillet and heat over medium-high until crispy, about 4-5 minutes.
- Remove bacon from skillet, leaving rendered fat, and drain bacon on paper towels.
- Add ½ cup diced onion and ½ cup bell pepper to bacon fat, sautéing for 3-4 minutes until vegetables soften.
- Mince 2 garlic cloves and add to skillet, cooking for an additional 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Toss 1 pound peeled shrimp into skillet with 1 teaspoon paprika and ½ teaspoon cayenne.
- Season shrimp with salt and pepper, cooking 2-3 minutes until they turn completely pink.
- Stir 2 tablespoons butter into cooked grits until rich and creamy.
- Plate grits in shallow bowls and top with sizzling shrimp mixture.
- Sprinkle 2 chopped green onions over dish for fresh garnish.
Notes
- Use stone-ground grits for a richer, more authentic Southern texture that holds up better than instant varieties.
- Add a splash of heavy cream or extra butter to the grits to make them extra creamy and luxurious.
- Cook bacon first to render fat, which adds incredible depth of flavor to the entire shrimp mixture.
- If watching spice levels, start with a pinch of cayenne and adjust to your personal heat preference.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Shrimp
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Southern American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 300 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 150 mg