December 11, 2019 | Last Updated on September 6, 2023 by Patricia Valbrun
Southern Shrimp and Grits is a classic southern dish. Shrimp, turkey, bacon on top of creamy cheesy grit sauce in creole sauce make the perfect combination of spicy, cheesy, and creamy!
Nothing screams comfort food quite like a hearty plate of Southern shrimp and grits, smothered in a rich and savory creole sauce. This classic dish is the epitome of Southern cuisine, with its combination of creamy grits and succulent shrimp cooked to perfection.
The creole sauce, a blend of spices, tomatoes, and peppers, adds an extra layer of flavor that will leave your taste buds begging for more.
How To Make Shrimp and Grits
Many call this breakfast but Southern Shrimp and Grits can be eaten anytime of the days.! Regardless of where you're from its always good to know how to make a classic shrimp and grits. The grits are creamy from the heavy whipping cream, richness of the butter and cheese makes this dish so yummy. To cut the fat from all the bacon, sausage, butter, cheese add a little lemon juice because acid cuts the fat from fatty from food.
HOW TO MAKE CREAMY GRITS
Cook the grits in a mixture of water and milk. I also added a little butter for extra richness.
Stir in some shredded cheese into the grits. YUM. I used provolone and mozzarella.
Using a whisker. continue stirring everything together until well combined.
How To Marinate Shrimp
Pat the shrimp dry and season it with soy sauce, creole seasoning, paprika, lemon juice and salt, allow to marinate while we make the creole sauce.
Pan fry the shrimp, until it picks up color and set aside.
How To Make Creole Sauce
his dish is not complete unless you have a special sauce. Im not a big fan of a cream based sauce, being that the grits are already creamy SO this creole sauce was perfect and just what this dish needed.
First, cook up some bacon until it’s crispy, then remove it from the pan.
Using the same pan with the bacon grease cook the sausage, add paprika, pimento seeds, onions, garlic, allow it to brown. Then add, flour, chicken stock, better than bouillon, bay leaves, parsley and allow to simmer and thicken.
What Is Creole Sauce ?
Creole sauce is usually made from Caribbean spices; pimento seeds, garlic, bell pepper, onions, cajun seasoning, chicken bouillon, tomato and scotch bonnet pepper sauce.
To serve, spoon some grits into a shallow bowl, and scoop some of the shrimp and some of the sauce on top.
Then, sprinkle with the chopped bacon and some sliced green onions. It’s so simple and delicious!
Would you like to see more? SUBSCRIBE to receive the more recipes! Also, follow me on FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM, YOUTUBE or TWITTER.
Southern Shrimp and Grits
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimps
- ¾ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon creole seasoning tony's brand
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1-2 tsp lemon juice
- salt
Southern Grits
- 1 cup grits
- 4 ½ cups water save ½ cup
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ stick butter
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ cup mozzarella
- ½ cup provolone
Creole Sauce
- 5 strips bacon
- 1 pack turkey sausage
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 4 stems thyme
- 4 seeds pimento
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 small onion
- ½ cup bell pepper green, red
- ¼ cup celery diced
- 1 large tomato diced
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon better than bouillon
- 1 tsp scotch bonnet pepper sauce
- lemon juice
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoon parsely
Instructions
Seasoning the Shrimp
- Season the shrimp with soy sauce, Tony's all-purpose seasoning, paprika, and a splash of lemon juice.
- Refrigerate the seasoned shrimp for 30 minutes.
Cooking the Grits
- In a pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. While stirring continuously, slowly add the grits.
- Reduce the heat once the water boils and let the grits simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add heavy cream, half a stick of butter, salt, pepper, sugar and cheese (provolone and mozzarella) to the cooked grits.
- Let it cook for another 15 minutes.
Making the Creole Sauce
- Cook bacon in a medium pan until crispy. Remove the bacon and save the bacon grease.
- In the same pan, cook the sausage in the bacon grease, then set it aside.
- Add flour to the bacon grease and cook it down. Incorporate paprika (to remove the flour taste), thyme, and pimento seeds. Cook this down for 3 minutes.
- Next, Add bell pepper, garlic, onions and celery to the roux mixture. Cook until the vegetables are tender.
- Continue by adding your chicken stock, bay leaves, lemon juice, Better Than Bouillon, sausage, tomatoes, and parsley to the mixture. You can add scotch bonnet pepper sauce if you like a little heat.
- Let it simmer for 15 minutes.
Cooking the Shrimp
- Cook the marinated shrimp for 3 minutes, over medium heat.
Assembling the Plate:
- Start with a base of the creamy grits. Pour the sauce over the grits. op with cooked sausage, shrimp, and crispy bacon. Garnish with fresh parsley.
- Now, your plate is complete and ready to enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
How did you like this recipe? Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Looking for another Brunch recipe ? Try this French toast next!
Gigi Larue says
I wish the directions were written out. All I see is the ingredients and am not able to run the video. And I don't like scrolling through a blog while I'm cooking, so as not to get my computer dirty. It's probably a good recipe though, judging from the others I've tried before.
letseatcuisine says
Hi Gigi, I'm sorry about that! The ingredient and written instructions are now available to you. If there's anything else I can help with please let me know 🙂
Tara Mcpherson says
Hi, I’m excited to try a lot of your recipes and I love the way you show the steps in photos as well as writing them out. I am confused about what you are referring to as “seeds pimento”. The internet has me confused as to whether it is the same as allspice or if it’s something else? Please advise. Thank you so much for all your recipes!
letseatcuisine says
Hi Tara, It is allspice when grounded so you're correct. Thank you for your kind words. Happy holidays 🙂
Ruth says
How much allspice? If I use grounded
letseatcuisine says
Hi Ruth,
1/4 tsp would work but you can always leave it out if you like 🙂