This lowcountry shrimp and grits recipe is filled with bacon, andouille sausage, and local shrimp. The thickened roux makes for the best shrimp gravy, and it's served over creamy grits.
Shrimp and Grits Will Never Let You Down
This southern shrimp and grits recipe may be intimidating at first, but it will be easier to make the next time around. Promise!
I serve this Charleston shrimp and grits recipe (It's all about the roux !) to a lot of our personal guests and also to locals and vacationers to the low country that hire me to cook. It continues to blow their (and my) mind.
Lowcountry Shrimp and Grits Recipe are Versatile
The hint of lemon zest in this shrimp and grits recipe gives this classic southern dish "pop" and the optional cayenne pepper gives the dish heat. Don't have cayenne pepper? Give it a splash of your favorite hot sauce instead.
Don't like bacon? Cool - leave it out. Don't want to mess with cooking bacon? Buy pre-chopped pancetta instead. It's generally sold in 4 ounce increments and that will work perfectly too. You will still need to cook it.
Don't like grits? Don't be heartless! Give them another go. Grits are creamy and simple, but more importantly they are a conduit for soaking up the beautiful brown gravy (roux) from the shrimp. Still don't like 'em? Ok - try the shrimp and roux with mashed potatoes or rice instead.
Can't find andouille at the store or looking for a different taste or less spice? Try kielbasa. Both are smoked meat and are similar, but andouille is more well known in Cajun cooking and is generally a bit spicier.
Shrimp and Grits can be a heavier meal because of the gravy, sausage, and bacon. Serve shrimp and grits with a light side dish (think salad or roasted veggies) since the sauce (roux) is so rich.
Grits Are Good!
Grits are versatile. They can be made with or without cream or cheese. In the video, I wanted simpler grits and just made them with water because shrimp and grits are so decadent.
Grits are generally a 1:4 ratio of 1 part grits to 4 parts liquid. Stir the grits often so they don't become clumpy or stick to the bottom of the pan.
Also, be careful, grits get piping hot when cooking. Y'all know what I'm talking about if you've ever been burnt by a splatter of piping hot grits or oatmeal.
Best Lowcountry Shrimp And Grits
EatSimpleFood.com
This lowcountry shrimp and grits recipe is filled with bacon, andouille sausage, and local shrimp. The thickened roux makes for the best sauce and it's served over creamy grits.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Low Country
Ingredients
Ingredient List Grits:
- 1 ½ cup coarse ground grits
- 4 + cups water
- 2 cups half and half
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all purpose flour (or gluten free flour)
Ingredient List Shrimp:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 12 ounces pre-cooked andouille sausage, sliced into ⅓"
- 6 ounces bacon (~ 6 slices), sliced
- 1 ½ lbs shrimp, peeled & deveined
- 1 small onion (~ 1 ½ cup), diced
- 2 small red, orange, or yellow bell peppers (~ 2 cups), diced
- 1 Tbsp garlic, minced
- l lemon - zest and juice
- 1 ½ cup chicken broth
- pinch cayenne pepper if you like it hot (optional)
Instructions
Make the grits:
- Bring water, half and half, 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, and salt to a boil and slowly whisk in grits.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. You will need to stir this every 3-5 minutes so the grits don't become lumpy and/or burn to the bottom of the pan.
- Slowly add more water or half and half as needed if the grits become too stiff. Cook for ~ 30 minutes (or according to package instructions).
Make the roux: (equal parts fat and flour (technically by weight) to thicken the sauce).
- Melt ¼ cup butter in a small pan and slowly whisk in flour. Stir often and watch carefully as this paste is easy to burn (if you burn it, lower the heat, and start over).
- Cook ~ 5-10 minutes or until medium brown in color. Watch it carefully, it can burn quickly if you don't (see video).
- You can make the roux ahead of time. It is fine sitting for an hour or more as long as it's not still cooking in the pan (FYI - roux freezes well). Make the grits and roux at the same time, as they both require a little more attention than the rest of the meal.
Make the Shrimp & Sauce:
- Bring a large pot to medium high heat and add vegetable oil. When hot, add andouille and cook until browned.
- Remove andouille (keep any liquid in the pot) and cook chopped bacon in the same pot ~ 4-6 minutes or until done.
- Remove bacon, lower heat, and cook onion, peppers, and garlic in the pot ~ 5-7 minutes or until tender. Feel free to remove some fat if you feel like it's too much.
- Place andouille, bacon, (and any liquid from it) back into pot and add chicken broth, lemon juice, lemon zest, and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Bring to a boil, add roux, and let simmer ~ 15 minutes.
- Add shrimp & cook ~ 3-4 minutes or until shrimp are cooked through.
- Remove from heat and let thicken ~ 5 minutes before serving. You may need to add ¼ to ½ cup broth or water to your pot if the sauce has thickened to much.
- Serve over grits and add salt to taste. Happy Eating! Beckie
Notes
- Don't want to mess with bacon? Buy pre-chopped pancetta instead. It's generally sold in 4 ounce increments and that will work perfectly too.
- This recipe also works great with Turkey Andouille Sausage.
- Keep the shrimp shells and combine with water, salt, and your favorite herb or spices to make a killer homemade seafood stock / broth.
The Lowdown on Lowcountry Shrimp and Grits
The Lowcountry (AKA Low country) refers to a geographical low lying region off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in portions of Georgia and South Carolina that includes sea islands and the coast line.
Some definitions also include parts of low lying coastal islands of North Carolina. Coastal areas like New Orleans are not part of the proper definition of lowcountry but are also known for their unique coastal and Cajun cuisines so you'll see a lot of shrimp and grits versions in these areas as well.
The Lowcountry is also known for unique traditions, economies, history, architecture, and cuisine.
The influences of Shrimp and Grits can be seen in African origins. Charleston was one of the major (if not the major) port for the transatlantic slave trade. Shrimp and grits is a cuisine that comes together from mixed cultures, traditions, and influences.
Southern shrimp and grits was traditionally a simple fisherman's breakfast. Living in the lowcountry is a dream and I love seeing early morning fisherman out casting their shrimping nets.
Serving Suggestion
Light side dishes complement this Lowcountry Shrimp And Grits recipe:
You May Also Like
If you like Shrimp and Grits you may also like these Shrimp recipes:
Things In My Kitchen:
- Shrimp peeler & deveiner – this makes faster work of peeling & deveining. It’s not fancy but this plastic one works better than any out there made of steel or that have big clunky handles.
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"Make the roux: (equal parts fat and butter (technically by weight) to thicken the sauce)."
Equal parts fat and flour.
yes sir! Thanks for the correction Reginald! Will update now.
How much garlic did you add?
Hi Reginald and Fannie - sorry for the late response. I added about 1 Tbsp of chopped garlic but I like garlic so it's also ok to add less. Thank you, Beckie
I have made several shrimp and grits recipes and this is the best so far, I used low sodium chicken stock for water and added six-eight OZ of crab meat to mine.
Thanks for the comment Titus! I love this recipe and the modifications that you did (that crab!) sound amazing. I will have to try it.
the best yet
Do you have a cook book available?
Hi Julius! Sure don't, but your comment makes me think that I should 🙂
With so many different recipes to choose from, I’m certainly glad that I chose this one. It was both creamy and savory. Not to mention very filling! The only thing I did differently was chop my sausage a little smaller and added some Cajun seasoning in my gravy mixture. It was a hit with my family of 4. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for letting me know how you adjusted it for your family and for leaving a comment Nika! It is one of my favorite recipes, and I am always stuffed afterwards but still want more. lol.