These southern shrimp and grits are made with tender shrimp in a silky tomato-shrimp gravy, served over cheesy, creamy grits with andouille and warm spices.
Shrimp and Grits Recipe
It's time for Shrimp and Grits, my friends! Would you care for a bowl? I think you're going to want a bowl of this, because this is the best shrimp and grits you'll ever have.
At least I think so!
There are so may different ways to make shrimp and grits. In the south, we find it on menus everywhere, and no two recipes are the same, usually because of the sauce or gravy.
This particular shrimp and grits recipe is very much like a Creole Gumbo, but with a shrimp focus, and served over grits. I've adapted it with permission from my great friend Natha, who acquired this recipe from his Aunt Karyn, who is a fantastic cook.
Everyone who has ever tried this recipe has raved about it. I think you will, too.
Let's talk about how to make shrimp and grits, shall we?
Shrimp and Grits Ingredients
- FOR THE SHRIMP GRAVY
- Andouille Sausage. You can sub in some other smoked sausage or Polish sausage, but andouille is the best.
- Vegetable Oil. Peanut oil is good.
- Flour.
- Vegetables. Onion, jalapeno pepper, celery, garlic. Use bell pepper for milder. The Cajun holy trinity.
- Tomatoes. You'll need both tomato paste and diced tomatoes, either canned or fresh.
- Seasonings. Use Cajun seasonings or use Creole seasonings, plus salt and pepper, and fresh thyme. Add cayenne pepper for some extra heat.
- Stock. Use seafood stock if you can, but chicken broth or vegetable stock are great, too. I love to make my own seafood stock from discarded shrimp shells and other ingredients.
- Shrimp.
- FOR THE GRITS
- Butter.
- Liquid. Use water, or a mix of water and whole milk or heavy cream for creamier grits.
- Salt.
- Grits. You can use yellow corn or white corn grits. I'm using white grits for this recipe.
- Cheese. I use white cheddar cheese, but you can use other melty cheese.
- FOR SERVING
- Spicy chili flakes, fresh chopped parsley, chopped green onions.
How to Make Shrimp and Grits - the Recipe Method
FOR THE SHRIMP GRAVY
Brown the Andouille Sausage. Heat a large skillet over medium heat (or a large pot) and add the andouille. Sauté for 3 minutes, stirring, until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
As a variation, add chopped bacon. The bacon fat makes a nice roux.
Make a Roux. Add vegetable oil and flour. Stir to form a paste, then cook, stirring constantly for 10 to 20 minutes, until the roux darkens to a rich brown, about the color of peanut butter.
You can go darker if you’d like. Questions? See my post on How to Make a Roux (with video).
Cook the Vegetables. Add the onion, jalapeno and celery. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Tomatoes and Seasonings. Stir in the tomato paste, diced tomatoes and Cajun seasonings, salt and pepper.
Cook for 1 minute to let the flavors develop.
The First Simmer. Stir in the stock and fresh thyme. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes to thicken the gravy. You can simmer longer if you’d like to develop more flavor.
Add more liquid as needed.
The Second Simmer. Stir in the sausage and simmer another 30 minutes or longer to your desired flavor. Adjust for seasonings.
Add the Shrimp. Remove from heat and stir in the shrimp. Peel and devein the shrimp first, if desired.
Cover and let the shrimp cook 3-5 minutes to cook through and turn pink.
FOR THE GRITS
Butter and Water/Cream. While the shrimp gravy is simmering, add the butter, water (and milk or cream, if using) and optional salt to a pot.
Bring the water to a boil.
Cooking the Grits. Stir in the grits and bring back to a boil. Lower the heat, then cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring often.
Add water or milk/heavy cream as needed if the grits get too thick and dry.
Salt. Adjust for salt.
Cheese. Stir in the cheese a bit at a time until it is melted through. Butter and cheese make outstanding grits.
SERVING THE SHRMP AND GRITS
Ladle Into Bowls. Serve the cheesy grits into bowls, then top with shrimp gravy, andouille and cooked shrimp.
Garnish. Garnish with red pepper flakes, fresh parsley and green onion, maybe a squeeze of lemon juice. Don't forget the hot sauce!
Boom! Done! Your shrimp and grits are ready to serve! It is SO GOOD, right? No joke, this is the best shrimp and grits recipe out there. It certainly is for me!
Recipe Tips & Notes
- The Grits. I am using Marsh Hen Mill stone ground grits that I picked up from Edisto Island. They make their grits from heirloom corn and it is fantastic. Use your favorite brand. You can use instant grits if you'd like, though I prefer not to. Buy Marsh Hen Mill Boy Grits (affiliate link, my friends!). They are outstanding.
Storage & Leftovers
Leftover shrimp and grits will last up to 3 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. You can easily reheat it in a pot on the stove top to enjoy again with a bit of milk or water swirled in to revive the grits.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my shrimp and grits recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. Spice it up!
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Shrimp and Grits Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE SHRIMP GRAVY
- 1 pound andouille sausage sliced
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1-2 jalapeno peppers chopped (use green pepper for milder)
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 14 ounces diced tomatoes fire roasted tomatoes are GREAT here – use canned or fresh
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasonings or use Creole seasonings
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups seafood stock or use chicken stock or seafood stock
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
- 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined
FOR THE GRITS
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 8 cups water or use 4 cups water + 4 cups whole milk or heavy cream for creamier grits
- 1/2 teaspoon salt optional
- 2 cup grits
- 4 cups shredded white cheddar cheese or more to taste
FOR SERVING
- Spicy chili flakes fresh chopped parsley, chopped green onions
Instructions
FOR THE SHRIMP GRAVY
- Heat a large pot to medium and add the andouille. Saute for 3 minutes, stirring, until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
- Make a Roux. Add vegetable oil and flour. Stir to form a paste, then cook, stirring constantly for 10-15 minutes, until the roux darkens to a rich brown, about the color of peanut butter. You can go darker if you’d like.
- Add the onion, jalapeno (or bell pepper) and celery. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the tomato paste, diced tomatoes and Cajun seasonings, salt and pepper. Cook for 1 minute to let the flavors develop.
- Stir in the stock and fresh thyme. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes to thicken the gravy. You can simmer longer if you’d like to develop more flavor. Add more liquid as needed.
- Stir in the sausage and simmer another 30 minutes or longer to your desired flavor. Adjust for seasonings.
- Remove from heat and stir in the shrimp. Cover and let the shrimp cook 3-5 minutes to cook through.
FOR THE GRITS
- While the shrimp gravy is simmering, add the butter, water (and milk or cream, if using) and optional salt to a pot. Bring to a boil.
- Stir in the grits and bring back to a boil. Lower the heat, then cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring often. Add water or milk/heavy cream as needed if the grits get too thick and dry.
- Adjust for salt.
- Stir in the cheese a bit at a time until it is melted through.
SERVING THE SHRIMP AND GRITS
- Serve the cheesy grits into bowls, then top with shrimp gravy, andouille and cooked shrimp.
- Garnish with red pepper flakes, fresh parsley and green onion.
Nutrition Information
Becky says
I'm living in Mexico and this is a new recipe for my Mexican friends. I couldn't find grits so I used polenta. I used milk and gouda cheese because that's what I could find.
For the gravy, I made stock out of the shrimp shells, I added a teaspoon of chipotle and cut the cayenne to 1/2 teaspoon. I had to substitute longaniza sausage for the andouille.
It was delicious and my friends went in for seconds. Thanks for the recipe!
Mike Hultquist says
Nice! Glad they enjoyed it, Becky! I love to hear it!
Suzanne says
Hello, for subscribers from Canada, can we substitute Polenta for Grits as we cannot buy Grits here? If so, is there any adjustments to be made to the recipe?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Suzanne, you CAN use polenta, though they are pretty different. Just follow cooking instructions for the polenta and use the water/cream or just cream, then swirl in lot of melty cheese. Would still be very tasty. Could be worth ordering some stone ground grits online.
Mark Orr says
Sounds yummy, but I would never use water for grits. Milk and heavy cream, or just half & half, which is the same thing. The only way water would ever go in my grits is if they got too stiff, but if you cook them towards the end of the process, that's rarely a problem. Sometimes I experiment with different cheeses. Asiago can be nice, or pepper jack.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Definitely a personal preference. I prefer the mix, though have made it so many different ways. I would go with full milk before going to full cream. So heavy. But definitely to preference. Grits are so often a personal thing to the grit maker. =) Cheers!