I made this one time for a baby shower brunch and it was a HIT! I have a special place in my heart (and belly) for food, but it is something about Southern food that just wraps you in a big ole warm hug.
This version of shrimp and grits is extra special because it reminds me of brunch down in the Big Easy. It has a white cheddar cheese base and there is an extra special surprise “twang” that the mascarpone cheese adds.
Now, yall know my rule of thumb when it comes to cooking: Don’t skimp on the basics. Meaning, there is a reason why homemade just tastes better. I will link my homemade chicken broth recipe here. But, I know that when we don’t have time, store bought is ok too 🙂
Without further adu, lets chow
Southern Style Shrimp and Cheesy Grits
A New Orleans twist to cheesy shrimp and grits
Ingredients
For the Shrimp sauce
- 1-2 Diced green bell pepper
- 1-2 Diced red bell pepper
- 1-2 Diced yellow bell pepper
- 2 Diced yellow onions
- 2 pounds peeled, deveined shrimp
- 1 pound link sausage ( we used deer meat sausage)
- 1 cup diced, cooked bacon
- 2 tbsp Minced garlic
- 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
- 1 tbsp Tony chachere's
- 1/2 fresh squeezed lemon
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 cups Homemade chicken broth (sore bought ok too)
- chopped cilantro and green onions for garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Grits
- 2 cups instant grits
- 7 cups Homemade chicken broth (store bought is ok too)
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- 1 stick Butter (unsalted)
- 8 oz Mascarpone cheese
- 8 oz White cheddar cheese (cubed)
- 8 oz Pepper jack cheese (cubed)
Instructions
Cooking the Shrimp and sauce
- In a large bowel, combine the shrimp and dry seasonings (Italian seasoning, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, paprika, chicken bullion powder, and Tony's). Set aside to marinate
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook the sausage until it is has a crispy outer skin
- Remove from sausage from skillet.
- Toss in 4 tbsp butter and minced garlic. Cook for 2 minutes then toss in the shrimp mixture. Cook until shrimp are done.
- Remove shrimp from skillet. Toss in the diced bell peppers and onions. Cook until veggies are soft.
- Add shrimp and sausage back into the skillet and pour in the chicken stock. This will deglaze the pan and loosen all those good cooked-in flavors.
- Bring skillet to boil then turn down to simmer. Add lemon juice.
- Add salt and pepper to taste
Grits Instructions
- Bring chicken stock to a rolling boil. Then, stir in grits reduce heat to medium. Stir frequently for 3-4 minutes so the grits do not clump together.
- Then, once the grits are cooked and soft. Add in cream and butter, stir until combined and melted.
- Then add in the cheese one at a time and stir to make sure it has melted and mixed well.
- Turn heat on low and stir constantly to make sure there are no lumps of cheese and to prevent burning on bottom.
Assembly
- Take a scoop of grits
- Scoop some of the shrimp mixture with some juice over the grits
- Garnish with cilantro, green onions, and bacon
Notes
If I am feeling extra fancy, I cook up some store bought garlic bread, cut it in triangles and use it as a garnish tooÂ
I like to sore my leftovers spearately:Â
- Shrimp and sauce in a separate containerÂ
- Grits in a separate containerÂ
