Shrimp and grits
Creamy cheddar grits under garlicky, buttery shrimp, the Southern comfort dinner that’s much easier than it looks.
- 35 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $3.78 a serving
- 560 calories
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup quick grits
- ¼ cup butter, divided
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- 1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, thawed if frozen
- 2 tsp Cajun seasoning
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced, whites and greens kept apart
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- ½ lemon, juiced
From your pantry
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Each serving has about 560 calories, 38 g protein, 41 g carbs and 28 g fat, and costs about $3.78 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No shredded cheddar? Cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
- No raw shrimp? Frozen raw shrimp works.
- No green onions? Chives work.
- No lemons? Limes work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Bring the water, milk and salt to a gentle in a medium over medium-high heat.
Boil. Boiling means heating a liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. It’s the fastest way to cook pasta, potatoes and eggs, because it’s as hot as water gets.
How you’ll know: Bubbles are breaking across the whole surface, not just at the edges, and steam is rising.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Medium-high heat
Dolly’s tip: Stay close. Milk climbs up the pan and boils over the second you look away.Whisk in the grits in a slow stream, turn the heat to low and cover. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, every minute or two, until thick and creamy.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Low heatTimer: 6 min
Dolly’s tip: Whisking while they pour in is what keeps lumps from forming.Take the pan off the heat and in 2 tablespoons of the butter and the cheddar until . Cover to keep warm.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
the shrimp dry and them with the Cajun seasoning.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Heat the oil in a large over medium-high heat. Cook the shrimp in one layer 1 to 2 minutes per side, until pink and opaque, then move them to a plate.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium-high heatTimer: 3 min
Dolly’s tip: Crowded shrimp steam instead of browning. If they don’t fit flat, cook them in two batches.Food safety: Shrimp are done when they turn pink and opaque all the way through and curl into a loose C. A tight O means overcooked, not unsafe.
Turn the heat to medium, add the rest of the butter, the garlic and the green onion whites, and for about 30 seconds, .
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Medium heatTimer: 30 sec
Pour in the broth and lemon juice and . Let it bubble for 1 to 2 minutes, until by about half.
Scrape up the browned bits. It means loosening the brown bits stuck to the pan with a wooden spoon, usually right after adding liquid. Those bits are concentrated flavor, and they melt into the sauce.
How you’ll know: The bottom of the pan looks clean again, and the liquid turns darker and richer.
Reduce. Reducing means simmering a liquid with the lid off so some of the water steams away. The sauce gets thicker and its flavor gets stronger.
How you’ll know: The level drops in the pan, and the sauce coats the back of a spoon instead of running off.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min 30 sec
Return the shrimp and their juices to the pan and to coat them in the sauce.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Medium heat
the grits, adding of hot water if they’ve set too thick, then spoon them into bowls and top with the shrimp, sauce and green onion tops.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Splash. A splash is a small, quick pour, about a teaspoon to a tablespoon. It’s there to loosen or brighten a dish, so the exact amount doesn’t matter.
How you’ll know: The dish looks a little looser or tastes a little brighter, not soupy.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
