Shrimp and Grits

4.94 from 16 votes

Traditional Cajun shrimp and grits, with shrimp, bacon and andouille sausage in a smoky and spicy sauce served over creamy, cheesy grits. Southern comfort food at it's finest!

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Cajun

Servings: servings

Calories: 731kcal

Author: Kelly Wildenhaus

Ingredients

Grits

4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons butter I use salted

Shrimp

½ pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails reserved for stock about 12-16 shrimp
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 ounces andouille sausage, sliced into rounds
4 pieces thick-cut bacon, diced
½ medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely diced or minced
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning preferably unsalted
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ cup dry white wine like Pinot Grigio
¼ cup shrimp stock made from the shells
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice about ½ lemon
Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Few shakes of hot sauce
1 tablespoon butter
Chopped parsley, for serving

Instructions

Start the shrimp stock:

In small saucepan, add reserved shrimp shells and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer util reduced by half. Strain.

Meanwhile, make grits:

In a large saucepan, bring chicken stock and garlic to a boil. Reduce the heat and whisk in the cornmeal, stirring constantly. Switch to wooden spoon, add salt and pepper and cook and stir until thick, about 8 to 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in Parmesan cheese, sour cream and butter. Taste for seasonings and cover with lid to keep warm.
In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage rounds and cook until golden and brown. Remove to paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
Add bacon to pan, cook until fat has rendered and starting to crisp. Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon fat in skillet, remove bacon to plate with sausage to drain, set aside.
Cook onion in bacon drippings until translucent and starting to brown. Add garlic, stir and cook about 30 seconds until fragrant.
Season shrimp with a little black pepper and add to skillet with Cajun seasoning and smoked paprika. Stir and cook 2-3 minutes until shrimp is just cooked through.
Add wine and shrimp stock to pan and deglaze by scraping up any browned bits. Simmer until liquid is reduced by almost half, about 3 minutes or so.
Stir in Worcestershire and lemon juice. Add the sausage and bacon back to pan, season with salt and pepper and a few shakes of hot sauce. Toss to combine well and heat through.
To finish, swirl in 1 tablespoon of butter until incorporated. Spoon over grits, top with chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Notes

You can use yellow or the more traditional white corn grits. I use yellow and it's sometimes called polenta on the package. Either way, try and get stone-ground.
If you want to skip the wine and/or shrimp stock, sub with the same amount of chicken stock.
I like the good stuff when it comes to the cheese, that being Parmigiano Reggiano.
I highly recommend unsalted Cajun seasoning. If you use a blend with salt, watch your added salt when tasting for seasonings.
A little extra hot sauce for serving is essential!
The cheesy grits are great warmed up for breakfast with a couple runny yolk eggs. Chef's kiss!

Nutrition