A few months ago, Ben got braces put on his teeth, and the staff at Gladwell orthodontics pleasantly treated us for what typically would be a traumatic event, had turned into a delightful time. You might be wondering what orthodontic braces have in common with a seafood dish, and you would be correct! Turns out that I was wearing my 
Emerils.com polo-style shirt with the logo that day and the assistant asked me if I worked for Emeril. The answer of course was yes I did, and no, not currently. Eventually the discussion turned to food, which seems to happen for me a lot, and the receptionist asked if I had a good recipe for shrimp and grits. At the time, I did not have an answer, but told her that a shrimp étouffée served over grits would most likely be very good, and that there was a recipe for that on my site. To this day, I have not tried the étouffée over grits, but now have this true shrimp and grits recipe to share. Therefore, Gladwell staff, this one is for you!
Shrimp and Grits is a Carolina favorite served up and down the coastline and into the Piedmont regions, found on many a local restaurant menu and seems to be a favorite for Sunday brunch menus as well. Now I have had Grillades and Grits, the old New Orleans favorite which is sort of veal stew served over grits, and it is some good too!
This recipe inspired by the Cooking up a Storm cookbook, with a few slight variations. The original recipe, found on page 137, has the preparation setting up the grits in a casserole dish and then finishing in the broiler or oven with the shrimp and cheese sauce. Therefore, a casserole style dish transforms into a plated entrée with this variation listed here.
Serves 6 portions
| Ingredients | ||
| 4 | Tbsp | Butter |
| 4 | Cups | Chicken stock or broth |
| 1 | Cup | Grits, instant or 5-minute |
| ½ | Lb. | Jarlsberg cheese or Swiss cheese, grated |
| ½ | Lb. | Button mushrooms, sliced |
| ¾ | Cup | Green onions, finely chopped (white and green parts) |
| 4 | Cloves | Garlic, minced |
| ½ | Cup | Dry white wine |
| 2 | Lb. | Shrimp, medium-sized, peeled and deviened |
| 1 | Tsp | Cajun Spice Blend |
| Procedure Steps | |
| 1. |  “In a large saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil and add the grits, stirring well. Cook until thick but still pourable, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in ½ of the cheese and allow it to melt into the grits well. Turn off the heat and reserve for plating. |
| 2. |   In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat and sauté the mushrooms, green onions and garlic for 4 minutes, or until mushrooms are soft. Add the dry white wine and allow it to reduce just a bit, and then add the shrimp and the Cajun spice blend. Stir well and continue to cook until the shrimp are slightly undercooked. Then fold in the remaining ½ of the shredded cheese and allow it to melt into the shrimp and sauce, stirring frequently. |
| 3. | Portion the grits evenly onto 6 serving plates and then spoon the shrimp evenly over them. Serve immediately. A side of cheesy garlic bread goes well with this dish. |
16 responses so far ↓
1 Hillary // Oct 20, 2009 at 4:57 pm
I have never had grits! I need to try this Southern favorite 🙂
2 doggybloggy // Oct 20, 2009 at 6:06 pm
I love grits, I love shrimp so I guess I would totally love shrimp and grits – this looks so tasty!
3 Natasha - 5 Star Foodie // Oct 20, 2009 at 7:51 pm
An excellent recipe for shrimp & grits, one of my favorite dishes!
4 Debi (Table Talk) // Oct 20, 2009 at 7:59 pm
Mushrooms and Cajun spice add a nice twist to this southern favorite–
I make mine with bacon, green onions, and chipotle white cheddar cheddar.
5 Shelby // Oct 20, 2009 at 9:12 pm
something how events prod us to do something we might not have planned on! the shrimp & grits looks yum!
6 Cooking Lady // Oct 20, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Great recipe and one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing.
7 rebecca subbiah // Oct 20, 2009 at 11:28 pm
love shrimp and grits awesome
8 MaryMoh // Oct 21, 2009 at 12:08 am
that looks very delicious. I would like to try that
9 Ryan Boudreaux // Oct 21, 2009 at 10:38 am
Seems a few have never eaten grits, but many are familiar with the mostly “Southern” ingredient.
Debi, bacon and a spicy cheese sounds like a great variation for this classic dish.
10 Lana // Oct 21, 2009 at 11:57 am
Mighty fine, Chef. Shrimp and Grits is an all-time favorite and you’ve reminded me that I haven’t cooked it in a while. I’ll be correcting that very soon!
11 John D. // Oct 21, 2009 at 12:03 pm
That just got my mouth watering. I’ll have to make this real soon.
12 tina marie // Oct 21, 2009 at 2:15 pm
What a great combo. Love the Jarlsberg cheese, I’ll bet that was a good meal.
13 Shrimp and Grits Are Easy Too | JB's Affordable Cooking Tips // Oct 23, 2009 at 4:56 pm
[…] already know about them from reading this blog. Another recipe that I’ll be trying is by Cajun Chef Ryan . Now we all know that shrimp and grits is a dish that you will find is cooked a lot in New […]
14 Getting To Know Chef Ryan Boudreaux « JB's Affordable Cooking Tips // Nov 5, 2009 at 5:51 pm
[…] as a surprise Chef Ryan left us with one of his Thanksgiving Recipe’s. You can also visit Chef Ryan’s blog and get a closer look at the man himself. Enjoy […]
15 Jim Jones // Dec 21, 2009 at 5:36 pm
Love shrimps so I will give this one a go, looks delicious. Thank you chef.
16 The BBQ Grail // Jan 17, 2010 at 11:14 pm
I just love Shrimp & Grits.