Southern Shrimp and Grits

This is really two different recipes that work great togehter. There is cheese grits that can stand on their own and then a shrimp and sausage recipe that can as well. But together, they are a great take on southern shrimp and grits.

I like to use andouille sausage with seafood because it adds that extra flavor and kick to the more subtle flavor of the seafood.

Have all the ingredients ready ahead of time so you can start the Shrimp and Sausage right away while the grtis are still nice and hot.

Ingredients

Shrimp

• ½ pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed.

• 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

• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1/2 cup dry white wine like Pinot Grigio

• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

• 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice about 1/2 lemon

• Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

• 1 tablespoon butter

• Chopped parsley, for serving

Grits

• 1 (14.5-oz.) can low-sodium chicken broth

• 1 cup milk

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1 cup quick-cooking grits

• 3/4 cup (3 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 1/2 tsp. hot sauce

• 1/4 tsp. ground white pepper

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pats

Preparation

Cook the grits:

1. Bring first 3 ingredients and 1 1/3 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; gradually whisk in grits.

2. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until thickened.

3. Stir in Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, hot sauce, pepper, and butter until melted and smooth.

Cook the Shrimp and Sausage:

1. 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.

2. Add bacon to pan, cook until fat has rendered and starting to crisp. Remove bacon to plate with sausage to drain, set aside.

3. Cook onion in bacon drippings until translucent and starting to brown. Add garlic, stir and cook about 30 seconds until fragrant.

4. 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.

5. Add wine to pan and deglaze. Simmer until liquid is reduced by almost half, about 3 minutes or so.

6. 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.

7. To finish, swirl in 1 tablespoon of butter until incorporated. Spoon over grits, top with chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Keywords: Main Seafood Cajun