“I love grits!” – said no one ever.
Okay, that might be a little extreme but you’re likely to find more people who wrinkle their noses at the mention of grits than declare them a favorite. That was me 2 years ago…then I went to Savannah, Georgia. Once you decide to jump into regional cuisine on vacation and you taste it done right… you want it again and again. This recipe is my version of the delicious shrimp and grits we had in the south.
There are many variations on shrimp and grits and if you like this recipe, you should totally try every version out there you can. Be one of those people who can proudly declare “I LOVE GRITS” and mean it!
Spicy BBQ Shrimp & Cheese Grits
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup yellow hominy grits
- 2 cups water or broth of your choice
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp smoked salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 oz sharp cheddar, asiago or other flavorful cheese, shredded
- 10-12 medium shrimp, uncooked
- 2 slices bacon
- 1-2 tbsp bbq sauce
- 1/2 tsp Berbere or cayenne pepper
- 1 scallion, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Add grits to a saucepan and 2 cups of water or broth. (I used chicken bone broth)
- Bring to a boil then add garlic powder, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened. When liquid evaporates, add 1/4 cup water and stir.
- Render two pieces of bacon of their fat then cook until crispy and remove bacon, retaining the fat.
- Check grits. When they are thick and creamy, add the cheese, stir and remove the heat.
- Add dry, uncooked shrimp to bacon fat on medium heat until pink then turn over and cook until slightly pink on the other side and turn off heat.
- Toss shrimp with 1 tbsp bbq sauce and place around sides of the bowl.
- Ladle grits into a bowl.
- Crumble bacon on top of shrimp and garnish with scallion.
(This post contains affiliate links in the recipe to direct you to the products I used making this recipe. Should you buy through the links, I may receive a small commission to help with the costs of running the channel/blog. Thank you so much for your support!)
2 Comments
Awesome dish. We used Zataran’ s blackened seasoning as berbere is extinct in the Midwest. It turned out very well. It’s going into the recipe book. Thank you Mrs. Kringle!
What a great substitute! So glad you like it!