This recipe combines succulent tender shrimp cooked to perfection in a tangy spicy sauce over creamy cheese grits.
This classic Southern recipe is a quick and tasty way to put a quick dinner on the table. Not only is this a feel good comfort food kind of meal, but paired with a nice green salad it makes for an easy dinner your seafood loving family will love!
Why this recipe works:
- Quick and easy: Shrimp is one of the fastest dinner meats to cook, and grits are quick to cook as well. Although the recipe instructs you to cook the grits first and then the shrimp, you can also cook the shrimp at the same time as the cheese grits for an even quicker meal.
- Super flavorful: Just the right amount of fat, salt, seasonings and liquid are added to the shrimp to create a delicious sauce that sinks into the grits. The sharp cheddar grits are also delicious because they are cooked with a combination of seafood stock and wine instead of water.
Ingredients needed:
Exact quantities are listed in the recipe card below, but here is a summary.
- For the cheese grits: Seafood stock, white wine, water, salt, grits, heavy cream, butter, sharp cheddar cheese
- For the shrimp: large uncooked shrimp, olive oil, pepper, garlic, parsley, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, lemon juice
How to make Shrimp and Cheese Grits:
Detailed step by step instructions are listed in the recipe card below, but here is a summary.
Step 1: Cook the grits
- Heat liquid: Combine seafood stock, wine, water, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Add grits: Whisk in the grits and continue to stir as they cook.
- Add cream and cheese: Once the grits are done, add the heavy cream and grated sharp cheddar, stir, cover, and remove from heat.
Step 2: Cook the shrimp
- Heat pan: Add oil to large sauté pan and add the shrimp in a single layer.
- Cook shrimp: Cook until they start to turn golden brown, about 3 minutes, then turn and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Create sauce: Add remaining ingredients to shrimp, stir, and remove from heat.
To serve, spoon shrimp with sauce over warm cheese grits.
Grits vs. polenta:
Grits and polenta are extremely similar, but not exactly the same. They are both made from ground corn, but they vary slightly.
- Polenta is more typically found in Italian cuisine. It is made from ground yellow corn. The texture of polenta is often more coarse than that of grits. My favorite way to enjoy polenta is actually mixed with goat cheese and topped with ratatouille!
- Grits are also made from ground corn, but grits are from white corn instead of yellow corn. Like I said above, grits have a finer texture than polenta making the finished cooked product more smooth.
Cooking tips for best results:
- Prep the ingredients: Since both shrimp and grits are quick to cook, be sure to prepare and measure all of the ingredients before cooking.
- Serving recommendations: Shrimp and grits only need a nice green vegetable to round out the meal. If you want to add a nice Southern flare, you can't beat Collard Greens with Bacon. Wilted Garlic Spinach or Creamed Spinach are a nice addition. A simple green salad always works too.
- Reheating and storage: Shrimp are best if eaten when cooked. If there are leftovers, store in an air tight container and consume within a few days. To reheat, do so gently. You will only want to warm the shrimp and not cook it, so low power in the microwave in 1-minute increments should do the trick.
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Cheesy Shrimp and Grits
Ingredients
Grits:
- 15 ounces seafood stock
- ½ cup white wine
- ½ cup water
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 cup grits (I use Bob's Red Mill)
- 3 tablespoon heavy cream
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
Shrimp:
- 2 tablespoon olive oil (or bacon grease)
- 1 lb shrimp (shelled and deveined large raw shrimp)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves (minced, should be a heaping teaspoon)
- 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 dashes hot sauce (i.e. Tabasco)
- 4 teaspoon lemon juice (usually equivalent to the juice of 1 whole lemon)
Instructions
- Heat liquid for grits: In a medium saucepan, bring the stock, white wine, water, and salt to a boil.
- Cook grits: Whisk in the grits and cook over moderately high heat. Continue to stir periodically until thickened and the grits are tender- about 5-10 minutes total. Add the cream, butter, and cheese and gently stir. Cover and remove from heat. Set aside.
- Cook shrimp: To cook the shrimp, heat oil (or bacon grease if available) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat shrimp with black pepper and cook in skillet until they start to turn golden brown for approximately 3 minutes. Once turned, stir in remaining ingredients to create a sauce and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until they are fully cooked.
- To serve, spoon the warm cheesy grits into a bowl and top with shrimp with a bit of sauce. Serve hot and enjoy!
NUTRITION INFORMATION
This recipe was originally published in May 2019 and has been updated with helpful information, ingredient and process photos, as well as recipe tips. Don't worry - the recipe hasn't changed!
Shelea
Can you use cooking wine instead of white wine? I don’t feel like going back to the store. Lol. Or what could I use to substitute the white wine?
Krissy
sure can!
Chantel
Could I sub the white wine for anything else? Or omit it?
Krissy
I would just substitute with more water or stock.
C Spaulding
Sherry. The alcohol burns off, but the unique taste of sherry kicks it to a restaurant level. If avoiding use of alcohol definitely use more stock rather than water, IMO.
Angie
This sounds really good! I want to make it but in my small town I can’t find seafood stock. Is there a good substitution?
Krissy
vegetable broth would be your next best option.
Shrimp
Buy shell-on shrimp. Remove the shells and put them in a pot covered with water. Add onion/celery/carrot if you want, and simmer until liquid is reduced 1/2. Shrimp stock!
Jean
I had frozen cooked shrimp and found this recipe for shrimp and grits. I treated the shrimp very tenderly and it was delicious. Only thing, there was no sauce. Still delicious. Only problem, my husband might not eat instant cheese grits again.
Billie
Super good! We grow our own chili peppers and added a few minced “Super Chilis” to the shrimp. Otherwise followed the recipe to a “T”. Will definitely make again!
John
John, I bought grits from Carolina Plantation for this recipe. It is the first time trying grits and this recipe. It turned out great and I will be making this often. the shrimp were outstanding.
Donna
This is one of the most delicious things I have ever cooked. It was quick, easy, and my husband wanted more.
Christian Joe Gros
OMG just made it using polenta because old fashioned grits are not available. So good. The flavors meld perfectly.
Robin
I’ve been making this dish for several years now. I love the seasoning used and regularly vary this by using chicken and shrimp as well as steel cut oats for the “grits”. I don’t add the cheese and use a lighter fat than heavy cream- (cholesterol issues) the wine in the grits is AMAZING and barely there but a total game changer! Also, thank you for detailing the prepping and method for
Cooking the shrimp - it has really made a difference in my outcomes!
Cheryl Parson
Truly thus recipe is delicious!!!!
we just got done and I can barely keep the fork out of my mouth to write this. We will put this up and use it often!
Natasha
Made this this morning. It was delicious. I didn’t have seafood stock on hand so I used vegetable broth. I added a green pepper & onion to shrimp sauce. Next time I will double the sauce. I like a lot of sauce.
Bruce
Had left over steam shrimp and didn’t want to waste. Made this dish and it was great. Prepared shrimp per the recipe but didn’t have to cook as long. Great looking and tasting dish.
ShaeBreann R.
Thanks for sharing this recipe! It was so much fun to make and my family loved it.
I have never even seen a bowl of grits OR polenta in real life, let alone prepared them. Today was my first try at this recipe. With a sick toddler in the house, we're all running on very little sleep. My sleep-deprived self managed to mess up every single step of this recipe and it STILL came out delicious. My daughter hasn't wanted to eat much over the last few days and she gobbled up these grits like they were the best thing she's ever tasted.
We don't have seafood stock in the stores around here, so I made my own shrimp stock, since I had to peel my shrimp anyway. So glad I did, as this would not have been the same if I had tried to sub in chicken or veggie stock. As a bonus, I now have enough shrimp stock left over to try making the grits over again. I'm really looking forward to perfecting my grits and adding them to our regular recipe rotation!
Beverly
It was delicious! Perfect for dinner.
Maggie
I'm pretty sure I saw tears in my husband's eyes after his first bite. I paired it with the suggested wilted spinach and have never been so satisfied with a Wednesday night dinner. Thank you for bringing this into our lives!
Kara Baker
Oh my gosh this is delicious! Amazing flavor in the sauce! Will make again and again!
Kate
They look so good..pinning it! I love the sauce..
Caroline
Such a Southern classic, it's not one that I grew up with either but I do love the comfort-factor and am a big seafood fan. Looks yummy.
Natalie
Oh wow... I love grits but never tried anything like tis before. I love the addition of shrimps and cheese. Looks beyond words delicious. Must give it a try.
Tisha
Shrimp and Grits looks so incredibly flavorful and perfect for dinner!
Ivana
Made the recipe exactly as described and it turned out perfect! First time making something like this too so thank you 🙂