Shrimp and Grits
It's a Southern Thing! Seriously though, we ate pounds and pounds of shrimp and many bowls of grits, growing up on the Gulf Coast. However, we never really combined the two. In our household, it's a fairly new dish, as we took our time wrapping our brains around the combo! I'm glad we did - it's delicious.
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2 cups chicken broth
2 cups half & half 1/2 cup unsalted butter (4 ounces), divided 3/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 1 cup uncooked grits 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2 Tbsp olive oil; more if you need it 1 small onion, chopped 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped 1 pound peeled and deveined raw large shrimp 1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper salt and pepper to taste 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper sliced green onions or snipped chivesInstructions |
- In a large saucepan, bring the broth, half & half, butter, salt, and pepper to a boil. Slowly stir in grits. Reduce heat to medium low. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Don't leave it too long between stirrings!
- When grits are done, stir in the shredded cheese until it melts. Set aside and keep warm.
- In a large skillet, cook onion and red pepper in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until tender. Remove onion and peppers and set aside in a bowl.
- Add shrimp to olive oil in the skillet - add a little more olive oil, if you need. Season with a little salt and pepper and cayenne pepper. Saute' until shrimp turn pink (about 3 minutes, depending on size of shrimp).
- Add minced or finely chopped garlic in the last 30 seconds (to prevent burning.) Stir in the onion and peppers and heat until all is warm.
- To serve this, I like to put it on each person's plate - first grits, then shrimp and drippings on top. Sprinkle green onion or chives on top.
