Shrimp and Grits (Easy Southern Recipe) - Fifteen Spatulas (2024)

Shrimp and Grits is a classic Southern dish bursting with flavor, that’s perfect for a simple weeknight meal. It only takes 30 minutes to make the entire recipe, plus, you can cook the grits hands-off while you prepare the shrimp.

Shrimp and grits. Jambalaya. Biscuits. Fried chicken. Pecan pralines. These are a few of my favorite quintessential Southern dishes that I came to love during my few years living in the South and visiting New Orleans. But the shrimp and grits, I was shocked when I discovered how easy it is to make, because it’s such a typical restaurant dish. When I think restaurant, I think it must be fussy and involved, but nope, not here.

For this recipe, you’re really bringing two components together for one harmonious pairing, but each one is minimal with only 6 ingredients. That’s part of why I think this is such an amazing recipe to have in your arsenal. The key is to use quality ingredients, but especially the shrimp and the bacon. You want to make sure the shrimp is plump and the bacon is flavorful and meaty.

Step by Step Overview:

You want to get the grits going before you start the shrimp, and you can either cook them in a rice cooker or in a pot on the stove. Then, you can quickly cook up the shrimp and enjoy them piping hot with grits that finish right around the same time.

As far as the grits go, I’m going to show you how to make them on the stove below, but I’ve also successfully made them in my rice cooker, which is nice for making it completely hands-off.

To cook the grits on the stove, bring water (or the liquid of your choice) to a boil in a medium saucepan. Some people like to use chicken broth or chicken stock, but I prefer a “cleaner” flavor. If you want to add extra flavor beyond water, I recommend using whole milk.

Then add the grits and salt. Simmer the grits with a lid on for about 20 minutes, until the water has absorbed. Then, turn the heat off and add heavy cream and butter:

This will cool the mixture slightly, and then you can add some shredded cheddar cheese:

Remember that cheese can break and get grainy if overheated, so that’s why we let the residual heat melt the cheese.

Stir that through until you get a creamy, thick texture, then make any necessary seasoning adjustments. You may want to add more salt, butter, or cheese, to your taste.

If you’re not ready to serve the cheese grits right away, make sure you keep the lid on to keep the grits warm, otherwise it will get stiff. However, if this happens, simply add a little water or milk, turn the heat back on low, and stir for a couple minutes until it’s smooth and flowy. It’s very easy to fix grits.

Now let’s make the shrimp! In a large skillet, cook some sliced bacon over medium heat until it’s crisp and cooked through:

I generally find that there’s enough fat from the rendered bacon that I do not need to add any olive oil or butter. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving all the brown bits and bacon grease behind in the bottom of the pan.

Add shrimp to the pan in a single layer, and season with salt and pepper. If you wish to add any extra seasonings, like a sprinkle of Cajun Seasoning, Creole seasoning, or a touch of cayenne pepper, do that here. Because I add a touch of Tabasco at the end, I do not add anything but salt and black pepper here:

For this recipe, I recommend using high-quality wild and raw shrimp. They are much more flavorful than farmed, though farmed shrimp are just fine too. Peeled or unpeeled both work, though I do not enjoy having to peel the shrimp shells before eating, so I tend to opt for peeled. The most important thing is to not use shrimp that are too small.

Cook for 60 seconds on the first side, then give them a flip. They should have a nice brown color and be coated with the brown bits of flavor from the bacon:

Make sure to season the other side of the shrimp with salt and pepper, if you haven’t done so already.

Then add fresh garlic, sliced green onions, fresh lemon juice, and the crisped bacon back to the pan:

You can also add a couple dashes of Tabasco (or your preferred hot sauce) to the shrimp mixture if you enjoy the heat. I do!

Stir everything around and keep cooking for another minute or two, until the shrimp are just barely cooked through:

It is SO, so important to be really careful about not overcooking the shrimp.You actually want to aim for slightly undercooked here, as they will keep cooking slightly from carryover cooking. Making the best shrimp possible is mostly about cooking properly.

Shrimp Salad,Peel and Eat Shrimp, andCoconut Shrimp are more of my favorite seafood dishes on the blog. Enjoy!

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