Shrimp & Grits

I love shrimp & grits to the point that I almost always order the delectable dish when I see it on a menu. However, I always assumed that it was a complicated dish to make.

Chris loves grits for breakfast, and I have become proficient at making them. As a result, I felt I was ready to tackle shrimp & grits. I found Bobby Flay’s recipe and went from there.

Shrimp & Grits

4 cups water

Salt and pepper

1 cup quick-cook grits

3 tablespoons butter

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

8 slices bacon, chopped

4 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 cup thinly sliced scallions

1 large clove garlic, minced

My personal preference for bacon is Wright’s thick-cut bacon. I love the flavor and texture. I cut the bacon into strips and started frying it. While the bacon was cooking, I brought the salted water to a boil.

I added the grits, stirring to make sure there were no lumps. I let the grits cook for ten minutes. (The package directions call for five minutes, so it’s a good idea to experiment to see how long it takes to get the texture you like.)

While the grits and bacon cooked, I shredded the cheese, rinsed the shrimp, juiced the lemons, chopped the parsley, sliced the scallions, and minced the garlic.

Once the grits were ready, I removed the pan from the heat and added the butter and cheese, stirring until they were well combined. Next, I transferred the cooked bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel. Finally, I drained the grease from the pan, leaving a small amount to cook the shrimp.

I returned the bacon to the pan and added the shrimp after patting it dry. I cooked the mixture until the shrimp turned pink. When the shrimp finished cooking, I added the lemon juice, parsley, scallions, and garlic. I sauteed the mix for another three minutes.

I spooned the grits into bowls and added the shrimp and bacon mixture topped with freshly ground pepper. I neglected to add salt while I cooked the shrimp, but the dish was seasoned perfectly with the salt in the grits, the cheese, and the bacon.

The original recipe used four teaspoons of lemon juice, but I misread it and used four tablespoons instead. It turned out to be a happy mistake, as I thoroughly enjoyed the brightness from the extra lemon juice.

Had I known how easy it is to make shrimp & grits, I would have made it years ago. I loved how this dish turned out, and even Chris was impressed.

This recipe makes four servings, each with 742 calories, 36 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fiber, 52 grams of protein, and 44 fat grams.