Easy Shrimp and Grits Recipe

Hey, I’m John Cannell, and today we’re making comforting, flavor-packed shrimp and grits. Let’s get started.

Preparing the Liquid Base

First off, I’m filling a large pot with four and a half cups of liquid. You have a choice: you could use all water. I’m going to use two and a half cups of water today and two cups of chicken stock. The chicken stock is just going to add more flavor. You could go all chicken stock if you want; you could mix in some buttermilk or cream—it’s really up to you. This is going to go over medium-high heat, and we’re going to bring it to a boil before the grits go in.

Prep Work

While my water comes to a boil, I’m going to do all the prep work, starting with shredding two cups (168 grams) of a nice cheddar cheese. This recipe comes together in no time, but if you want to do the prep the night before so it’s easy for you at dinner time, go ahead and do that.

My cheese is all grated; I’m going to set that aside and move on to my bell pepper. Grab a nice bell pepper, remove those pithy ribs as well as the seeds, then give it a chop and move on. I also want three green onions, and we’re going to give these a good chop. I use every single bit, so use the parts that you love.

You’ll also want three or so cloves of garlic—it really is up to you, so measure with your heart. Give it a smash, get the skin off, and then mince it up.

Finally, I’m just going to give some parsley a chop. You’ll want about two tablespoons or so. You could add more, and definitely add in your favorite herbs as well.

Cooking the Grits

Time going in here really nicely. My water’s just come to a boil, so I’m going to add one teaspoon of salt in. I’m gonna slowly add the grits while whisking now—so whisk and slowly sprinkle in if you don’t want them to clump up. Reduce the heat to low now. You’ll be cooking your grits while stirring often, but don’t worry—you’ll be doing something else too, so stir, stir, stir.

Rendering the Bacon

While the grits cook, I’m going to add six slices of chopped bacon into a large skillet. The skillet’s cold right now, and we’re going to set this over medium-high heat, just let all the fat render out so the bacon is nice and crisp. While it cooks, keep stirring.

The secret to good grits is going low and slow, so we’re on low heat, slowly letting them absorb the water so they’re really nice and creamy. Don’t try and go high heat—that’s a disaster.

As you see the bacon crisping up, turn it over, and then once it’s golden and crispy, we’ll remove it from the pan. You’ll probably be removing it in batches because it doesn’t cook evenly. I’m removing my bacon; it is nice and crisped up, so set that aside, and I’m actually going to take it off heat now, too.

About Grits

My grits are getting closer. Polenta is similar to grits, but grits are ground a bit finer. Grits are made with dent corn, and grits are going to be even a little bit creamier than polenta. In case you didn’t know, grits are just ground corn. It’s going to be a less starchy dent-corn variety, and you could have yellow corn or white corn for yellow grits or white grits, but that’s basically it. It’s delicious and it lends itself to so many different flavors.

Sautéing the Vegetables

Okay, my grits are chugging along nice and slow. The drippings are back on medium heat, so now I’m adding in the bell pepper. Sauté these guys for three to four minutes or until they’re nice and tender. Stir occasionally, and yes, you’re still stirring your grits—it’s really thickening up.

Cooking the Shrimp

My bell pepper is nice and soft, so now we’re going to add in one pound of shrimp. This has been peeled and deveined, and if it was really wet, you can pat it dry. We’re also going to add in the green onion and garlic—sprinkle it in—as well as one teaspoon of Cajun seasoning. Sprinkle it over the top.

Cook your shrimp for about a minute. You can turn them over halfway through; just want to get some color on them. Don’t forget to keep stirring those grits.

It’s been about a minute, so I’m going to add three quarters of a cup of chicken broth in. Give it a little shimmy. Let this simmer away for about five minutes, so you can reduce the heat if it looks like it’s going a little bit too wild. And yes, our grits are almost done—they’re so close.

Finishing the Grits

Come take a look. All we need now is some butter and cheese to make this a perfect, delicious dish. My grits look nice and creamy, but let’s take a test to make sure. That’s nice and creamy. Take this off heat, and now we’re going to add in three tablespoons of butter—one, two, three—along with our shredded cheese, all the shredded cheese. Stir that together just until everything is nice and melty. This is going to taste so good.

New spoon, new taste. It’s very good—comforting, rich, smooth, creamy. If you’re not serving this immediately, cover your grits to keep warm, but I’m going to enjoy some right now, so let’s plate it out.

Final Assembly

Just before serving, we’re going to add our bacon pieces in—all the ones you haven’t snacked on already. Stir those in. I also want about a tablespoon of lemon juice to brighten things up. Oh my gosh, this smells so good. I can’t wait to have the crispy bacon with the creamy grits.

Grab a big bowl, and we’re gonna spoon the grits into the base. The portion size is totally up to you. Spoon the shrimp mixture over the top. Garnish with parsley, and you’re ready to enjoy.

That is some cheesy, creamy comfort amazingness. All the textures are playing together so well, and it slaps you across the face with flavor in the best way possible. I hope you get a chance to make this recipe.