Shrimp and Grits

Grits with shrimp sounded like some northern twist on a sacred southern staple when I first heard about it, but I can honestly say that this is one of my all time favorite dishes.

As a southerner, I grew up eating grits. In fact, my visiting grandmother had choice words for a local restaurant that served grits not up to her south Georgia standards. My eldest daughter was just a couple of days old, and with family in to visit, my husband watched the baby so my dad and grandmother could take me out to breakfast. After tasting the grits at the locally-owned and operated restaurant in my Virginia hometown, my grandmother could barely wait for the server to ask about the meal so that she could tell them that those were the worst grits she had ever tasted in all of her 73 years, and she had lived all over the country. We still laugh about it 20 years later! (To be fair, her father owned a grist mill and she knew grits!)

I have to admit that I am guilty of throwing in more than the 2 ounces of cheddar that the recipe calls for, but where cheese is concerned more is almost always better. Enjoy!

Recipe

Shrimp and Grits

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Grits with shrimp sounded like some northern twist on a sacred southern staple when I first heard about it, but I can honestly say that this is one of my all time favorite dishes.

AuthorAuthor: Mary Ann

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Main Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Calories 358

Ingredients

  

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Grits:

• 1 cup quick grits
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese

Shrimp and Red Pepper:

• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1 medium bell pepper, diced
• 12 oz. frozen medium raw shrimp, thawed, peeled, and patted dry
• 1 tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ⅛ tsp. salt
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

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Instructions

• Add 4 cups of water to a covered medium saucepan. Add grits and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the grits are done. Remove from heat and stir in remaining grits ingredients, mixing well. Cover until shrimp is done.
• While grits are cooking, combine shrimp, oil, paprika, garlic powder, pepper, and salt in a medium bowl and mix well until shrimp is evenly coated.
• Spray a large non-stick skillet with olive oil spray and heat on medium high until pan is hot. Add red pepper dices and sauté for 3-4 minutes until tender. Remove from pan and set aside.
• Add shrimp mixture to pan in a single layer and cook on medium high for 2-3 minutes without stirring. After 2-3 minutes, stir and cook until shrimp is done (shrimp will be opaque in the center).
• Remove pan from heat and mix in red pepper dices and green onions. When grits are done, divide grits into 4 bowls, sprinkle the cheese (divided the 1 oz evenly between the bowls) on top of grits, and top with shrimp mixture. Serve immediately.

Notes

If you have the time, adding the grits to the water and soaking for 30-60 minutes before turning on the heat yields a richer corn flavor.

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 358 calCarbohydrates: 35 gProtein: 27 gFat: 13 gSodium: 1372 mgFiber: 3 gSugar: 2 g

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