One of my family’s favorite meals that I make is Easy Southern Shrimp n’ Cheddar Grits. This is a super easy meal to make when you don’t have enough time to make a full three-course meal. What I love the most about this recipe is that it calls for only five core ingredients and three additional ingredients that most people can find in their spice cabinet. So, this is truly a super easy meal to make.
The best part of making this meal is that fresh shrimp is readily available here in Florida. The next best thing about making this meal is that I get to use my home-cured triple maple bacon in this recipe. Also, if you’re good at growing your how herbs you can even substitute the green onion for chives. I found this great growing kit that makes it so that you can grow your herbs right inside your home. This is helpful if you live in tropical clients like my adoptive home state of Florida or states that have frigid states like my OG home state of Maine.
Here are a few key tips for cooking this meal. First, the freshest shrimp you can buy is the shrimp that you peel and devein yourself. It’s a pain and a hassle, but it will always taste the best. Also, buy US shrimp or wild-caught shrimp. Shrimp that have a sulfuric taste is usually “farmed” and from Asian countries. Shrimp should have a sweet taste that tastes similar to a lobster tail. I personally prefer Key West Pink Shrimp or Florida Red Shrimp. If you follow the USA or Wild Caught shrimp rule it will always taste great!
For the grits, I don’t see much difference between using quick grits and the standard grits. I usually buy Quaker Oats 5 Minute Grits. They cook quickly and they really absorb the cheese well. I also like to shred my own cheese for this recipe. I typically buy a nice European Cheddar, usually from Italy. The cheddar from Europe tends to be a lot creamier, melts easier and has more flavor than the American choices I don’t recommend using pre-shredded cheese. It doesn’t melt well and is loaded with preservatives. So, a little manual labor goes a long way in your cooking
Thanks for taking the time to check out my recipe. Please feel free to write a comment at the end of this post to let me know what you thought about the recipe or if you have any questions! I hope you enjoy this super easy Shrimp n’ Cheddar Grits.
Southern Shripm and Grits
Notes
The key to this meal is to slowly cook the bacon so it does not burn, but renders the fat out and becomes crispy. This may take some extra time but will be worth it in the end. Also, don't overcook your shrimp. Once they curl and are no longer translucent they are done. This usually takes 5-7 minutes on medium heat.
Ingredients
- 1 lb of Wild Caught Shrimp
- 4 Slices of Bacon
- 3 Green Onions
- 1 Cup of Quick Grits
- 8 oz block of cheddar cheese
- 1/2 Tsp of Garlic Powder
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1/4 Tsp of Cayenne Pepper (Optional)
Instructions
- Slice the green onion into 1/4 inch slices
- Slice the bacon into 1/2 wide
- Grate Cheese using a medium width
- Clean Shrimp making use to devein
- Cook bacon on medium-low heat until fat renders out and is crispy (saving bacon fat)
- Cook grits as directed on the box, with one minute remaining in your cook add garlic powder, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper (optional) and shredded cheddar cheese
- Using the pan you cooked the bacon in, saute shrimp for approximately 2.5 minutes on each side using medium heat. Make sure shrimp is cooked all the way through but not overcooked.
- Place a serving of grits in a bowl, add 1/4 of the shrimp, bacon and green onion per plate
- Enjoy!
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