SOUTHERN SHRIMP AND GRITS
Shrimp and Grits is a classic Southern dish full of flavor. Creamy grits, topped with delicious sauteed shrimp and topped with bacon. You can’t go wrong with this dish!
If you love this classic dish of Shrimp and Grits, you will also love this Southern Red Rice. It’s a classic from Charleston and absolutely delicious.
Table of contents
❤️WHY WE LOVE THIS RECIPE
This dish is loaded in flavor but doesn’t take hours, which is always a huge plus. This dish was primarily a breakfast dish for a long time, but many people now enjoy it for dinner. So many things we love bout this dish but the flavor is wonderful and the grits are creamy. This dish is a Southern favorite and has been around a long time for a reason.
🍴KEY INGREDIENTS
- Bacon
- Medium or large shrimp peeled and deveined
- Bacon drippings
- Butter
- Green onion
- Green pepper
- Celery
- Garlic
- Cajun seasoning (check out our recipe to make your own Cajun seasoning)
- Black pepper
- Hot sauce or pinch cayenne
- Grits:
- Milk (can use whole or 2 per cent)
- Butter
- Salt
- Old-fashioned grits – NOT instant
- Sharp cheddar cheese
- Salt and Pepper to taste
SWAPS
You can switch out the cheese to different flavors if you like, but the sharp cheddar gives it a good taste. Some people don’t like celery, so leave it out if you like. You can use turkey bacon if you want a lower-fat dish, but the pork bacon, cooked to a crisp, is our favorite.
🍽️HOW TO MAKE
This dish is very easy to make, and you can make the grits while you cook the bacon and shrimp!
PREPARATIONS
Organize all of your ingredients makes it much easier.
COOKING STEPS
Step 1
Cook the bacon, remove from pan and set aside. Combine two tablespoons bacon drippings, 1 tablespoon butter, green onion, green pepper, celery, garlic, Cajun seasoning, and black pepper in a skillet and cook until vegetables are tender. About 8 to 10 minutes. Add shrimp and hot sauce or cayenne and cook about four more minutes until shrimp are done. Set aside and prepare grits if you haven’t already started them.
Step 2
Put milk, butter and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Using a whisk and stirring constantly add the grits a little at a time. This keeps the grits from clumping. Lower the heat, cover and cook five to six minutes or until grits thicken. Remove from heat and gradually stir in cheddar cheese. Stir until cheese melts.
HOW TO PLATE
Put several spoonfuls of grits in a bowl and layer some shrimp mixture over the top. Crumble bacon on top of the shrimp and garnish with chopped green onions.
⭐TIP
If grits get too thick you can always add a little water to thin them, but we actually like them to have a little thicker consistency. It’s all about what your family likes.
You can grate the cheese to help it melt faster. We just cut it into small cubes but grating it works well too.
We also use Old Fashioned Grits, not instant. The Old Fashioned Grits is the way to go in this recipe.
You may also love these Garlic Cheese Grits, this recipe is wonderful.
Go for the larger shrimp when making this dish. We also like good bacon; it’s just worth it to splurge a little and get great ingredients for this classic.
OTHER SHRIMP DISHES
If you love to cook with shrimp, check out these other delicious dishes your family will love!
❓FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We serve it for both! It’s a wonderful brunch dish too.
Either, but we suggest getting the larger shrimp.
STORING AND REHEATING
We store this in an airtight container and just reheat in the microwave.
💕MORE POPULAR RECIPES TO ENJOY
SERVING SIZE
This is about 4-6 servings, depending on how big of a plate you serve. You can easily double this recipe for a larger group.
Southern Shrimp and Grits
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 slices bacon
- 1 pound medium or large shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons bacon drippings
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup chopped green onion
- 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- few drops hot sauce or pinch cayenne
Grits:
- 2 1/3 cups milk can use whole or 2 per cent
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup old fashioned grits
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the bacon, remove from pan and set aside.
- Combine two tablespoons bacon drippings, 1 tablespoon butter, green onion, green pepper, celery, garlic, Cajun seasoning, and black pepper in a skillet and cook until vegetables are tender. About 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add shrimp and hot sauce or cayenne and cook about four more minutes until shrimp are done. Set aside and prepare grits.
Grits Instructions
- Put milk, butter and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Using a whisk and stirring constantly add the grits a little at a time. This keeps the grits from clumping.
- Lower the heat, cover and cook five to six minutes or until grits thicken.
- Remove from heat and gradually stir in cheddar cheese. Stir until cheese melts. (If grits get too thick you can always add a little water to thin.)
- Put several spoonfuls of grits in a bowl and layer some of the shrimp mixture over the top. Crumble bacon on top of the shrimp and garnish with chopped green onions.
Notes
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LOVE this recipe! It sounds so good. I also want to say thank you for all the recipes you’ve shared all through the holidays and beyond. I can only imagine how much work that involves. I appreciate it so much. Thanks, Ladies!
Debbie C.
You’re very welcome! It has been a lot, but we sure love it and we love hearing you are enjoying them! Hope you have a wonderful New Year!
I have been looking at shrimp and grits recipe all afternoon in an attempt to replicate a dish I’ve had once before. Yours is the only one that has celery as an ingredient, something that I remember being in the one I had. I’m making this for supper tonight, wish me luck!
Please let us know what you think! Hope you love it!
What color grits (white or yellow) do you suggest using in this recipe – SOUTHERN SHRIMP & GRITS?
whichever you prefer, we use white.
This is the best shrimp and grits I’ve ever had! I always order this when it’s in the menu and this was my favorite! Thank you ladies!!
YAY!! We are so thrilled to hear this! Thank you so much for letting us know. We love this recipe too.
You posted this yesterday and I was going to the grocery and picked up the stuff! Had it for dinner last night. My husband loved it! He’s from MS, said it the best he has had! Thank you so much for sharing!
Leslie, we are so thrilled you and your husband loved this dish! It’s been a family favorite for many years!
Love your Recipes the Shrimp an grits are wonderful. An your other Recipes, like my mom’s cooking. Nobody cook’s like Mom ❤️ Thank you for your great Recipes.
Made this last night. Delish! Wonder if anyone has suggestions for a shrimp substitute for shellfish allergic relatives.
Amazing dish! Made a few adjustments with Tony Cacheres extra spice creole seasoning and Tabasco Chipotle! Insane flavors!!!!
Best shrimp and grits I have ever had! Thank you for your wonderful recipes! I love your magazine too!
Thank you for this delicious recipe. My family liked it.
My family loved this recipe!! Definitely a keeper and I plan to make it for the holiday season when we have guests in from out of town. Thank you for your wonderful recipes.
Thank you so much for the kind comment! So glad this recipe as such a hit.
Hands down best recipe for shrimp and grits! I’m going to make it again during the holidays! Thank you!
I used your recipe out of all available, with some minor adjustment for personal preference. Eliminated green pepper added chopped tomato and a small amount of chopped jalapeño.
Suggestion: You should add a PDF version suitable for printing . Some of us collect recipes…
If you use the green print button above the first photo or at the bottom of the entry, it gives you the PDF option. That is available on all of our recipes, plus the print option from the recipe card. Most of the followers on my website collect recipes, that is why we offer it in many different formats. Glad you enjoyed the recipe! Have a wonderful week.
LOVE your site & fabulous recipes! I was born & raised in Louisville & now live across the river. We vist Savannah & Charleston a lot & LOVE Shrimp & Grits! I made some last week….but had to use instant. Sacrilege! I’m having trouble finding good grits. Kroger & JayC used to sell Weisenberger grits…my favorite…but they don’t offer them anymore. I’m sure I could find them in Louisville, but don’t want to drive all over town looking for them. Any idea where I can find them or another good brand of REAL grits? Thank you so much!!!!
I think you can order the grits online directly from Weisenberger, Rita. The mill is in Midway, Kentucky and might make a great day trip, too. I am happy you are enjoying the site and happy to have you as part of our community. Have a great weekend.