Southern shrimp & grits is the epitome of home-cooked comfort food that makes both your taste buds and your soul happy! Southern shrimp and grits is sometimes called "breakfast shrimp", though it makes a fabulous breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner! The warm and cheesy grits topped with perfectly cooked Cajun shrimp that's been mixed with creamy tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions - it's downright heavenly!
Cheesy Shrimp & Grits Recipe
Grits are warm and satisfying on their own, but add some Cajun seasoned shrimp and melted cheddar to the mix and you have yourself good old-fashioned Southern comfort food.
Southern shrimp & grits are a staple of life in the south and anyone from there will feel a sense of warmth and nostalgia when they dig in. Best of all, it's one of the few recipes that can be served any time of day- breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
🥘 Ingredients
There are a lot of ingredients, but I promise you it's well worth the results! If your shrimp are frozen, just place them into a collander and run them under some cool water. Set aside for 15-20 minutes or so to thaw them out.
For The Grits
- Chicken Broth - 3 ½ cups of chicken broth or water.
- Grits - ¾ cup dried grits.
- Salt - ¼ teaspoon.
- White Cheddar Cheese - 6 ounces of white cheddar cheese (grated).
- Butter - 3 tablespoons.
For The Shrimp
- Butter - 4 tablespoons.
- Onion - ⅔ cup onion, chopped.
- Green Bell Pepper - ½ cup green bell pepper, chopped.
- Garlic - 1 teaspoon, minced.
- Ripe Tomatoes - 1 cup, diced with 1 tablespoon of juice reserved. (*see note).
- Dried Thyme - ½ teaspoon.
- All-Purpose Flour - 1 tablespoon.
- Medium or Large Raw Shrimp - 1 pound, shelled (reserve the shells for stock).
- Shrimp Stock - ½-1 cup of shrimp stock (*see note).
- Tomato Paste - 1 tablespoon.
- Heavy Cream - ⅓ cup.
- Worcestershire Sauce - 2 teaspoons.
- Tabasco - 2 dashes.
- Salt - To taste.
- Fresh Parsley - 2 tablespoons, chopped for garnish.
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for ingredients, amounts & instructions!*
🔪 How To Make Southern Shrimp & Grits
Make sure you have all the ingredients prepped and ready to go because the shrimp will cook fast and you won't have time to waste! You will need a saucepan, a skillet, and a wooden spoon.
To Make The Grits
- Make grits. Stir together 3 ½ cups of chicken broth, 3 tablespoons of butter, and ¼ teaspoon of salt in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Whisk in ¾ cups of grits, then reduce the heat to low. Cover the saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the grits are soft and tender.
- Add cheese. Once cooked, remove the grits from heat and mix in 6 ounces of cheddar cheese until melted and everything is well-combined. Set aside and keep warm.
To Make The Shrimp
- Season and saute. Put 1 pound of peeled shrimp into a bowl and toss with ½ a teaspoon of Cajun seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and set aside. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat and saute ⅔ cup of onion, ½ cup green bell pepper, and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic for 3 minutes or until soft.
- Simmer. Once the veggies are soft, pour in 1 cup of diced tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of juice and sprinkle in a ½ teaspoon of thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover, and continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Then, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour into the skillet and mix to combine.
- Cook shrimp. Add your seasoned shrimp to the skillet. Cook for 2 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink. Pour ½ a cup of shrimp stock into the skillet and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes before reducing the heat to medium-low.
- Make sauce. Stir in 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, ⅓ cup heavy cream, 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce, and 2 dashes of Tabasco. If more liquid is needed, add up to ½ a cup more shrimp stock until the desired consistency is reached. *The sauce should be a thin gravy consistency and cling to your spoon. There should be enough sauce to coat all of the shrimp.
- Taste and adjust. After adding all the sauce ingredients, leave the skillet on the stove top until the shrimp and sauce is heated thoroughly. Taste and add salt if needed.
- Serve. Portion warm grits into bowls or on plates and spoon shrimp mixture over the top. Garnish with 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley and serve.
Southern shrimp & grits goes well with a side of collard greens and bacon or Jiffy corn casserole at any meal. However, if you are making 'breakfast shrimp', you can't go wrong with a side of buttered Bisquick biscuits! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- If your fresh tomatoes are less-than-fresh, use canned diced tomatoes instead. Drained, but reserve 1 tablespoon of juice.
- My preferred commercial Cajun seasonings when not using my homemade blend are Tony Chachere's, Zatarain's, and Slap Ya Mama. Keep in mind that commercial seasonings have more salt than my homemade blend, so season with salt carefully!
- I prefer white cheddar because it helps maintain the grits' color, but if that doesn't matter to you, orange cheddar is just as good.
- To make homemade shrimp stock: Add the shrimp shells and 2 cups of water to a pot. Boil until the liquid has reduced by 50% and strain out the shells. Use as directed.
- While it's completely unnecessary, a heated bowl is the best way to serve your shrimp and grits.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
If possible, separate the shrimp from the grits (they both reheat at different rates) and refrigerate them in a shallow airtight container for 2-3 days. You can freeze them the same way for up to 3 months.
Reheating
Thaw frozen shrimp or grits overnight in the fridge. Reheat each separately on the stovetop in a skillet over medium-low heat.
Add a splash of milk to the grits until your preferred consistency is achieved (add more butter if desired) and mix frequently until warmed. Remove the shrimp when heated through.
Check out my guide comparing grits vs polenta for more great info about these ingredients!
🍤 More Tasty Shrimp Recipes!
- General Tso's Shrimp
- Mexican Shrimp Cocktail (Coctel de Camarones)
- Dynamite Shrimp
- Creamy Coconut Shrimp
- Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
- Garlic Shrimp Alfredo Bake
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📖 Recipe Card
Southern Shrimp & Grits
Ingredients
For The Grits
- 3 ½ cups chicken broth
- 3 Tbsp butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup grits
- 6 oz cheddar cheese (grated- *see note)
For The Shrimp
- 1 lb medium or large raw shrimp (shelled, reserve the shells for stock)
- ½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt (to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 4 Tbsp Butter
- ⅔ cup onion (chopped)
- ½ cup green bell pepper (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon garlic (minced)
- 1 cup ripe tomatoes (diced and reserve 1 tablespoon of juice- *see note)
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½-1 cup shrimp stock (*see note)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 dashes Tabasco
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
To Make The Grits
- To make the grits, stir together 3 ½ cups of broth, butter, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Whisk in the grits, then reduce the heat to low. Cover the grits with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the grits are soft and tender.
- Once cooked, remove the grits from heat and mix in the cheddar cheese until melted and everything is well-combined. Set aside and keep warm.
To Make The Shrimp
- Add the peeled shrimp to a bowl and toss with Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper. Then, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and saute until soft, usually about 3 minutes.
- Pour in the diced tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of their juice and sprinkle in the thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then, sprinkle the flour into the pot and stir well.
- Add your seasoned shrimp to the skillet. Cook until they begin to turn pink, about 2 minutes. Add a ½ cup of shrimp stock and continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Next, add the tomato paste and stir until it is evenly destributed. Then, pour in the heavy cream, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco. If needed, you may add up to another ½ cup of stock to achieve the desired consistency. It should be a spoonable sauce with enough to coat all of the shrimp.
- Heat thoroughly after adding the previous ingredients, but be careful not to let it come to a boil. Taste and add salt if needed.
- Portion warm grits into bowls or on plates and spoon shrimp over the top. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve.
Notes
- If your fresh tomatoes are less-than-fresh, use canned diced tomatoes instead. Drained, but reserve 1 tablespoon of juice.
- My preferred commercial Cajun seasonings when not using my homemade blend are Tony Chachere's, Zatarain's, and Slap Ya Mama. Keep in mind that commercial seasonings have more salt than my homemade blend, so season with salt carefully!
- I prefer white cheddar because it helps maintain the grits' color, but if that doesn't matter to you, orange cheddar is just as good.
- To make homemade shrimp stock: Add the shrimp shells and 2 cups of water to a pot. Boil until the liquid has reduced by 50% and strain out the shells. Use as directed.
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