I can’t wait any longer to share this recipe. I’m too darn excited.
The first time I had grits, I ordered them with my scrambled eggs at a local restaurant in the south. I’d never given grits much thought before, and I probably didn’t even know what grits were until my mid-teens or possibly later. People just don’t eat grits in the north (and in case you’re new to grits – it’s ground corn.. it’s the consistency of cream of wheat, but cream of wheat is ground wheat instead of corn).
I had no idea that grits would be the perfect compliment to a breakfast of scrambled eggs and warm biscuits. My friend Jeff always raved about having shrimp and grits for dinner, but considering that he liked things such as Turducken, you could only put so much stock in his food recommendations.
But wow, this time he was right! Shrimp and grits makes a quick, healthy, spicy and delicious dinner (if you’re a big breakfast person, this would probably make an awesome breakfast too – I just like a lighter meal in the morning). I was stunned that something so tasty could be whipped up in probably 15 minutes – and that time includes my miscellaneous puttering and slowness.
I adapted a recipe from What’s Cooking America to take out some unnecessary items and make it more my style, and I’m happy to report that it worked out perfectly. You won’t find any bacon, onions or heavy cream in my version. Many recipes also add a lot of cheese to their shrimp and grits, but I just didn’t think this needed it. I also used instant grits instead of slow cooking (this makes a big difference in your cook time, so read your labels!), which made the process much faster. Give grits a chance 🙂
adapted from What’s Cooking America
Serves 2-3 people
About 20 regular sized frozen shrimp, thawed and peeled
1/2 cup skim milk
2 cups water
1 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup instant grits
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 finely chopped green bell pepper
Salt and black pepper to taste
dash of red pepper flakes, cayenne, and onion powder
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine skim milk, water, and broth and bring to a boil. Add butter, salt and pepper. Slowly add grits, stirring constantly so that they do not burn. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Grits should absorb all of the liquid and become soft and moist, not dry, like oatmeal. Remove from heat.
Sprinkle thawed and peeled shrimp with lemon juice, black pepper, a little salt and onion powder and set aside. Add garlic and green bell pepper to a medium pan; sauté until the onion is clear and transparent. Add shrimp mixture and sauté 5 to 7 minutes or until shrimp are curled and opaque. Remove from heat.
Spoon hot grits onto individual plates and top with shrimp mixture. Enjoy!
