Shrimp and grits is a very simple recipe, but make sure you have everything ready before you start cooking the shrimp. They only take a few minutes to sauté, so you don't have time to run and chop scallions or juice a lemon. Once everything is assembled, this recipe is a snap. To make things even easier, you can make the grits a bit ahead since they stay hot a very long time.
Ingredients
- slices bacon: 4 piece (cut into 1/4 inch pieces)
- water: 0.25 cup
- heavy whipping cream: 2 Tbsp
- lemon juice: 2 tsp
- dash Worcestershire sauce: 1 piece
- water: 4 cups
- butter: 2 Tbsp
- salt: 1 tsp
- white grits: 1 cup
- white Cheddar cheese: 0.5 cup (shredded)
- shrimp: 1 pound (peeled and deveined)
- Cajun seasoning: 0.5 tsp
- salt: 0.5 tsp (to taste)
- ground black pepper: 0.25 tsp
- pinch cayenne pepper: 1 piece
- jalapeño pepper: 1 Tbsp (minced)
- green onion: 2 Tbsp (minced)
- garlic: 3 clove (minced)
- fresh parsley: 1 Tbsp (chopped)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until almost crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer bacon to a dish, leaving drippings in the skillet.
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Whisk 1/4 cup water, cream, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce together in a bowl.
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Stir 4 cups water, butter, and 1 teaspoon salt together in a pot; bring to a boil. Whisk grits into pot, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook until grits are creamy, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir white Cheddar cheese into grits.
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Place shrimp in a large bowl and season with Cajun seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
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Heat skillet with bacon drippings over high heat. Cook shrimp in hot bacon fat in a single layer for 1 minute. Turn shrimp and add jalapeno; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir cream mixture, bacon, green onion, and garlic to shrimp mixture; cook and stir, adding water as necessary to thin the sauce, until shrimp are cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley.
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Ladle grits into a bowl and top with shrimp and sauce.
