INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of Southern style grits
1 pound of medium white shrimp
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
4 tbs. of butter
Cajun Seasoning
6-8 slices of bacon
Step 1
Cook the grits
To do this, follow the instructions on the packaging to cook 1 cup of grits. It should take around 20 minutes, which is roughly how long it should take to cook the bacon and shrimp. Begin boiling the water and heating the skillet for the bacon. When you add the grits, make sure to constantly stir them for at least the first 5 minutes so as to ensure a smooth consistency- no one likes lumpy grits.
Step 2
Cook bacon
Cook the bacon on medium heat- I do this to retain the straight shape of the bacon which allows for easy cutting later. I use 6 slices of bacon, but up to 8 should be fine. Try to keep the bacon from curling as much as possible. Cook the bacon to slightly under ideal crispiness, as they will be added back to the shrimp later and cook a little bit more. When the bacon is done frying, place the cooked bacon on paper towels to soak up the grease.
Pro tip:
When the oil on top of the bacon begins to have a frothy texture, the strips are fully cooked and are now beginning to crispen. I would take them off now, as they will continue to cook a little while drying, and also later when added back to the shrimp. When cooking other bacon dishes, you can judge the desired crispiness by how long after its had a frothy texture.
Step 3
Cook the shrimp and maintain the grits
The grits should be thickening up by now, and it's time to cook the shrimp.
Add the shrimp, roughly 6 per serving of grits (this roughly makes 4 servings- so around 25 medium white shrimp, just under a pound). The bacon grease serves as a great base to cook the shrimp, and it retains a high heat without burning like butter would. The bacon and shrimp also exchange a lot of flavors and complement each other nicely.
Once the shrimp are beginning to turn pink, add the seasonings. We went for a spicy variation today, so we used a cajun seasoning blend (2tbs. roughly), some hot sauce (roughly 1tbs.), and salt and pepper to taste. The shrimp will cook further and continue to turn pink.
When the shrimp have cooked for 5-6 minutes, they should be nearing completion. I usually determine this by looking at their tails and bases for coloration. You can generally recall what that area of the shrimp looks like. The tails of the shrimp will turn orange-pink, and the ends of the tails will become even darker in color. It's seafood, so make sure to adequately cook the shrimp.
Chop the bacon up into smaller slices and strips.
When the shrimp is done cooking, add in the remaining tasty ingredients like minced garlic, fresh herbs and spices like parsley or various italian seasonings and the bacon from earlier.
The grits should be nearing completion at this time, so take the shrimp off the burner once the garlic is done cooking. The garlic will begin to turn lightly golden brown. Once it has, immediately remove from heat so that the garlic does not burn.
Step 4
Setting the grits
When the grits are done cooking, and have a pretty thick texture and smooth consistency, add in the cheese and butter. 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, half a stick of salted butter, and salt/pepper to taste. I like to use crushed black pepper and sea salt for the consistency and depth of flavor they add.
Once everything has been stirred in and mixed well, you'll have an extremely smooth, creamy grit base for the shrimp.
Pour the grits onto the plate, and spatula the shrimp on top of the grits, making sure to scoop up bacon and garlic along the way.
Step 5
Eat.
