Southern
Shrimp and Grits
Creamy grits sit under shrimp cooked in butter, garlic, and a little smoked sausage.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Photo: Navin75 (CC BY-SA). Source
Why you’ll love it
- Grits need a low simmer, not a boil that scorches.
- Shrimp go in at the end.
- Cheese in the grits, acid on the shrimp.
- One bowl, not a platter of sides.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.
Instructions
- 1
Simmer the grits in broth and salt, stirring often, 15 to 20 minutes, until thick. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter and the cheddar.
- 2
Brown the sausage in a skillet. Move it to a plate.
- 3
Add the remaining butter and the shrimp. Cook 2 minutes per side. Add garlic and pepper for 30 seconds.
- 4
Return the sausage, add lemon juice, and take the pan off the heat.
- 5
Spoon the shrimp over the grits and finish with scallions.
Pro tips
- Quick grits work. Stone-ground need more liquid and time.
- Do not salt the shrimp hard if the sausage and broth are salty.
- If the grits stiffen, loosen them with a splash of broth.
Easy substitutions
- Cheddar
- Parmesan
- Smoked sausage
- Bacon, 4 slices, chopped
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate up to 2 days.
Reheating
Warm the grits with a splash of water. Reheat the shrimp gently so they do not turn rubbery.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 480
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
Moderate · Stovetop · High Protein
You might also like
Cheddar Potato Soup
Potatoes, onion, milk, and cheddar simmer into a thick soup with no bacon and no meat broth. It is heavy and salty in the way cheese soups are, and the texture depends on how far you smash the potatoes.
50 min · Easy
View recipe
Cheesy Beef Noodle Skillet
Ground beef, egg noodles, tomato, and cheddar cook in one skillet with cumin, not Italian herbs. It is a salty one-pot dinner, and the noodles drink up the tomato liquid as the cheese melts in.
40 min · Easy
View recipe
Chicken and Gravy Skillet
Chicken thighs and potato chunks simmer in an onion gravy made in the same skillet. It is the soft, salty plate people mean when they say they want comfort food on a Tuesday.
45 min · Easy
View recipe
Chicken Spaghetti
Spaghetti baked with chicken, green chiles, cream cheese, and cheddar. Use chicken that was cooked to 165°F. This is a potluck bake, not a braise.
45 min · Easy
View recipeStill hungry?
More in the same lane, not a random mix.
Chili Cheese Fries
Oven fries are covered with a quick ground-beef chili and melted cheddar. The fries do the work of a plate of chili, and they soften wherever the chili sits.
1 hr · Easy
View recipe
Creamy Beef and Noodles
Ground beef and egg noodles simmer in broth with a measured splash of milk. It is a soft noodle skillet, not a mushroom stroganoff.
35 min · Easy
View recipe
Creamy Chicken Mushroom Skillet
Chicken and mushrooms are seared, then finished in a sauce of broth, garlic, thyme, and cream. The flavor stays with the browned mushrooms and the thyme.
40 min · Easy
View recipe
Parmesan Chicken Orzo
Chicken and orzo cook in one pot, and the orzo simmers in broth until the liquid thickens into a starchy sauce. Spinach wilts in at the end, and parmesan is stirred off the heat so it melts without seizing.
40 min · Easy
View recipeFind something else
From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
Read the affiliate disclosure.