This shrimp and grits recipe is the best we’ve made! It is incredibly flavorful, the grits are outrageously creamy, and the shrimp sauce is out of this world.
This shrimp and grits recipe comes from our good friend Richard, who grew up in the South and has worked in Southern kitchens for most of his career. The moment I tasted his shrimp and grits, I fell in love and knew we needed to share it with you!
Richard’s grits are perfectly creamy (readers call them the best ever!), and the shrimp sauce is unbelievably delicious, made with garlic, bacon, and fresh tomatoes. I can’t wait for you to try this incredible recipe!
Key Ingredients
- Shrimp: I use large or extra-large shrimp in this recipe, but medium shrimp are okay (they will just take less time to cook in the sauce). If you have frozen shrimp, thaw them in the refrigerator overnight and pat them dry before using them in the recipe.
- Bacon: I love the smoky flavor bacon adds to our shrimp sauce. We cook it first to render the fat and then use that fat to cook the rest of the sauce ingredients. It’s delicious!
- Green onions and garlic: These are the aromatics in our sauce, which add flavor and texture. You’ll use the white and light green parts of the green onion in the sauce, and then you can slice and sprinkle the green parts on top of it for serving.
- Tomatoes: Fresh chopped tomatoes keep our shrimp sauce light and delicious (I love them). You can use canned diced tomatoes if needed, but I highly recommend fresh tomatoes for this recipe.
- Creole seasoning: Store-bought Creole seasoning works nicely in this recipe. I’ve also used our homemade Cajun seasoning, and I loved it. Creole seasoning is usually more herbal than Cajun seasoning, but both are lovely in this recipe.
- White wine: A splash of wine brings our sauce together. Any dry white wine will do. You can substitute a light chicken broth or veggie broth.
- Grits: We use our favorite grits recipe for the base of our shrimp sauce. We make it with stone-ground grits, stock, butter, cream, salt, and pepper. The recipe is included below.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Shrimp and Grits
Tip 1: Make the grits. To make the grits for shrimp and grits, bring the stock to a boil, then stream in the grits while whisking. After 2 minutes, turn the heat to low, whisk in the butter, cream, salt, and pepper, and cook until thick and creamy.
Depending on the brand, cooking grits takes 20 to 40 minutes. I use Bob’s Red Mill grits in the video, which take closer to 20 minutes.
Tip 2: Make the shrimp sauce. For the shrimp sauce, you’ll need a wide skillet. We will build all the flavors right in there.
- Cook the bacon until crisp, then remove it and leave the bacon fat in the skillet. We’ll use that to cook the rest of the sauce ingredients (yum).
- Stir in garlic and green onion, then add flour, which will help thicken our sauce later.
- Add a splash of white wine, then add Creole seasoning, tomatoes, and any juices collected on the cutting board.
- Cook the tomatoes for 10 to 15 minutes or until they become a sauce. Season with salt and pepper, then add your shrimp and let them gently poach in the sauce (poached shrimp turn out perfectly cooked and tender).
Tip 3: Serve it. Serve the shrimp, with plenty of the sauce, over your grits, and garnish with the reserved cooked bacon and sliced green onion. Delicious!
Serving Suggestions
Shrimp and grits do well as a stand-alone dish, but you can always add a few more dishes to the table. I love adding some vegetables. Try collard greens, sautéed spinach, my favorite corn salad, or fried cabbage.
A fresh salad is nice, too. Toss your favorite salad ingredients into a bowl, and then top with balsamic vinaigrette, honey mustard dressing, or homemade ranch. And, homemade cornbread, fluffy biscuits, or these cheese drop biscuits are also lovely for sopping up any leftover sauce.
More Favorite Shrimp Recipes
Easy Shrimp and Grits
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
I love this incredible shrimp and grits recipe with super creamy grits, smoky bacon, fresh tomato, and perfectly cooked shrimp. It’s hard not to go back for more of this classic Southern dish.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
Shrimp Sauce1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and the tails removed (450g)
5 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped small (lardons)
1 bunch green onions, sliced, greens and whites separated
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 heaping teaspoon flour
2 cups chopped tomatoes, 2 large tomatoes (400g)
1 ¼ teaspoon Creole seasoning or Cajun seasoning, see notes for adjusting for spice level
2 tablespoons white wine or chicken stock
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Pinch fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
Creamy Grits1 cup stone-ground grits (165g)
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, try homemade chicken stock or veggie stock (945ml)
4 tablespoons butter (55g)
¼ cup cream (60ml)
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Directions
- How to Make Grits
1Bring the stock to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the grits, then keep whisking for 2 minutes to avoid clumping. When they begin to thicken, reduce the heat to a low simmer (helps to prevent splattering). Whisk in the butter, cream, salt, and pepper.
2Continue to cook at a very low simmer until thickened, whisking occasionally. Expect a cooking time of around 20 minutes, depending on the brand and how coarsely your grits are ground (see tips). Continue simmering on low if they need to thicken further. The longer you keep them on the heat, the more they thicken.
- Make the Shrimp Sauce
1While the grits cook, prepare the shrimp and sauce. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove them, and place them onto a paper towel. Keep the bacon fat in the skillet.
2Add the garlic and sliced whites of the green onions to the hot bacon fat. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until it becomes fragrant.
3Stir in the flour and mix it well to remove any lumps, then immediately add the wine and stir until smooth.
4Add the tomatoes, with any juices, and the Creole seasoning. Cook over medium-low heat until the tomatoes break down and you have a more uniform sauce, 10 to 15 minutes.
5Season the sauce with salt and pepper and melt in the butter. When the butter melts, add the shrimp, spacing them evenly and gently pushing down into the sauce. Poach the shrimp until opaque, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve the shrimp with the sauce over grits and top with bacon and reserved sliced green onion.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Seasoning: Creole and Cajun seasonings can vary in spice level. Give yours a taste and adjust the amount you add to the sauce for your preferred heat. Our homemade Cajun seasoning offers a sweet and balanced heat. Store-bought Creole seasonings tend to be more savory.
- Grits cook time varies by brand: We used Bob’s Red Mill in the photos and video, and they took 20 minutes. Larger ground grits, like Anson Mills will need longer to cook, same with Marsh Hen Mill, formerly Geechie Boy Mill. Watch for them to be cooked and tender with some structure left, if they are mushy, you’ve cooked them too long.
- Cheese grits: Stir 1/2 cup to 1 cup cheddar cheese into the grits just before serving.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Hi! Can I cut this recipe in 1/2? Recipe as written is way to many grits and shrimp for just the 2 of us. I appreciate your advice and love your recipes. Thank you.
Hi Barbara, This halves nicely. Enjoy!
Cooking dinner for a 50th birthday celebration. BD boy was from southern most Alabama and said he loved shrimp and grits sooo I got your recipe for shrimp and grits and followed each step. The shrimp in the sauce were oooh!! awesome and you were spot on about the grits—the best ever. 5 star rating from me. More importantly, 5 stars from the BD boy and family. I’m retired, 80 , and lovin my new hobby cookin !!!
What a great review! You made our day with this one 🙂
When you say add cream to the grits what type of cream?? Sour cream??
We use heavy cream.
I have not made this yet but will this week. Is there any chance it can be made with a white sauce instead of a tomato sauce? Thanks, Barbara
Hi Barbara, We only have a recipe for the tomato-based shrimp sauce (I love it and hope you give it a try).
I’d like to try this. Looks good!
You won’t regret it 🙂
I have collected shrimp&grits recipes for 50+ years. They are all good, but not one of them was good enough to be the ONLY ONE. I finally tried this recipe and I am archiving every other s&g recipe. Stacey’s recipe is so good I ate it cold for breakfast (just a few spoonsfull). And truly the best grits recipe ever! Thank for a winning s&g recipe. I am going to stock shrimp in my freezer to make this frequently.
Hi from Germany! I made this recipe for dinner tonight, and it was sooo yummy! I had polenta and some left over pearl couscous as this is easier to find in the stores in this country. My husband loved the polenta, I do love both 🙂 I wanted to try this southern recipe for a long time. Yours sounded just right, and it is! The recipe steps (both written and video) are so easy to follow. Everything just turned out sooo well. I have been making Creole Seasoning for the past 25 years, so used mine for saving time. Will try yours as well. Definitely fresh tomatoes are the first choice, I used fresh oxheart and marinda tomatoes. Keep up your great work!
You have made our day with this comment! This would be delicious with polenta 🙂
What exactly are grits as I am not American
Hi Jan, We talk more about grits in this grits recipe, but grits are similar to polenta or porridge and are made from coarsely ground corn (often dried hominy). They are a classic Southern dish with a creamy texture and a mild corn flavor.
WOW !!! made today for lunch , perfect blend of flavors. husband hates shrimp so made a batch using pork loin cut in cubes and sauted with onion and garlic. made for one happy husband . did add chopped bell pepper to mix , just because , and this recipe will be added to our rotation .
This is amazing, Pam! We are thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe so much.