Shrimp and Grits

white cheddar grits

• 1 cup white stone-ground grits
• 4 ounces shredded white cheddar
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter

salt and pepper to taste

shrimp

• 12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails intact
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 andouille sausage, diced
• 1/4 cup chicken stock (water is fine)

garnish

• 2 thinly sliced green onion

GRITS

1. Bring water to a boil in a pot. Generously salt water and stir in grits. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer mixture, stirring frequently, until mixture is thick and creamy.
2. Remove from heat and stir in cheese and butter until fully incorporated and melted. Season with salt and pepper.
3. SHRIMP AND SAUSAGE
4. Place shrimp, lemon juice, smoked paprika, salt, cumin, pepper, cayenne, and garlic into a mixing bowl and toss together. Set aside.
5. Melt butter into a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and brown.
6. Remove sausage from skillet and set aside.
7. Add shrimp to skillet and sauté for a few minutes on each side. Deglaze pan with chicken stock (or water) and cover.
8. Add sausage back to skillet and stir together.
9. Remove shrimp and sausage mixture from heat and divide over each bowl of grits. Garnish with sliced green onions and serve.
10. Grits
11. Bring 4 cups water to a boil. Generously salt water and stir in grits. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer mixture for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture is thick and creamy.
12. Remove from heat and stir in cheese and butter until fully incorporated and melted. Season with salt and pepper.
13. Shrimp and Sausage
14. Place shrimp, lemon juice, smoked paprika, salt, cumin, pepper, cayenne, and garlic into a mixing bowl and toss together. Set aside.
15. Melt butter into a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and brown for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove sausage from skillet and set aside.
16. Add shrimp to skillet and sauté for about 3 minutes on each side. Deglaze pan with chicken stock (or water) and cover for 1 minute.
17. Add sausage back to skillet and stir together.
18. Remove shrimp and sausage mixture from heat and divide over each bowl of grits. Garnish with sliced green onions and serve.
19. For the Shrimp Mixture:
20. Adding stock or water to the skillet with the shrimp and covering it with a lid for a minute will allow the shrimp to steam and nicely cook through to the center. Without allowing the shrimp to steam, you run the risk of overcooking the outside, while the center may stay raw. – and no one wants that!

For the Grits:

Make sure to salt the water before adding grits because cooked grits don’t absorb anymore salt.

It’s important that grits are made low and slow to ensure the starches are released and you get a creamy and smooth texture.

For an extra creamy texture, finish grits with a little bit of heavy cream when stirring in the cheese and butter. This step is totally optional and not included in our recipe below but is nice when you really want an over the top grits situation.