If you don’t have an excessive appetite for food as I do (The proper term is Foodie… I think that’s what they call it…), or you’re not a southerner or have been exposed to the south, then you probably haven’t heard of Cajun shrimp and grits. So let’s get caught up to speed on what this blazing hot dish is….
This recipe I promise has become such a popular dish among my friends and family. Every event or party that I do, I serve this as an appetizer. Everyone loves it, and requests it all the time. Word has been passed around my circles, and it always becomes a topic of discussion. I have made this recipe so much, which is why I have updated the photos… As I learn more about photography and editing, I thought I would give it a shot, and redo my photos for this recipe. Let me know in the comments if you like the new photos (an older photo is at the bottom of this post)….
But anyway, Shrimp and Grits are a delicious combination of shrimp and andouille sausage, that one combines with a Creole Cajun sauce. This mixture is then served over a creamy cheesy grits mixture. Simple as that.
My first time with shrimp and grits was a few years ago in Atlanta, Georgia. I was hooked after that. Once we relocated to Hawaii, I found a Southern Cuisine restaurant that had some of the best shrimp and grits. I would get the shrimp and grits and my little devil (the kid) would get the chicken and waffles.
The place had no air condition, but we were still happy and content as the sweat poured down our face in that little hot box. The food was that good, that you didn’t give a damn about the sweat bullets popping up on your forehead! Haha!
Well, guess what??? The place closed down all of sudden! We were like “what do we do now”. You guessed it…. I finally came up with a recipe I was comfortable enough with to get my shrimp and grits fix. So I am gonna share it with you lovely folks. I hope that you enjoy it! Let me know what you think!
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Important Cooking Tips:
When you make this recipe, my ingredients calls for Cajun Seasoning. In my recipe I provide a homemade Cajun Seasoning Recipe with less salt. If you choose to use store bought Cajun Seasoning, please take note that your Cajun Seasoning will have more salt. This can make the sauce salty! Adjust your store bought Cajun Seasoning accordingly to avoid this.
(Older Pictures)
Cajun Shrimp and Grits
Ingredients
- Ingredients:
- 1 pound of shrimp (Shell removed, Cleaned)
- 12 ounces andouille sausage
- For Grits:
- ¼ teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (see recipe in notes below)
- ¾ cup of grits
- 3 cups of water
- 3 teaspoons of chicken bullion
- 1 and ½ cups of shredded smoked gouda cheese
- 1 cup of shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Salt to taste
- For Sauce:
- Drizzle of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ½ cup of chicken broth
- ½ cup of heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning (see recipe in notes below)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Dry shrimp off with a paper towel, then add one tablespoon of Cajun seasoning to the shrimp. Let the shrimp marinate for at least 15 to 30 minutes if you can.
- While shrimp are marinating, you can brown your sausage,and make the grits.
- Slice your andouille sausage, and brown them in a pan that you have lightly sprayed with baking spray.
- Remove the sausage from the pan.
- Now start cooking your grits. First get the water to a boil, and then add the grits and chicken bouillon. Cook your grits per the grit’s package instructions.
- After the grits have finished cooking, add the butter and shredded cheese to the grits. Stir the grits until the cheese and butter have melted.
- Then, add the Cajun seasoning and heavy cream to the grits and stir until blended. Salt grits to taste. Set aside (the grits will thicken as they sit.)
- Once the shrimp are ready to cook, brown the shrimp in the same pan you cooked the sausage in (there should be some grease left in the pan from the sausage, if not add oil to the pan to cook the shrimp).
- Cook the shrimp for about one minute on each side. Remove the shrimp from the pan. You may have to do two batches to avoid over crowding the pan.
- Next, add the drizzle of olive oil, and tablespoon of butter to the pan. Once the butter has melted, add the minced garlic and let it cook for about a minute on medium heat, making sure not to let the garlic get brown.
- Then, add the chicken broth and heavy cream to the pan.
- Next, mix the Cajun seasoning into the sauce.
- Let this sauce mixture cook for about 5 to 7 minutes on medium heat letting the sauce reduce to about half the amount.
- After the sauce has cooked, salt the sauce to taste, and remove the sauce from the heat.
- Add the shrimp and sausage to the pan of sauce.
- Serve the sauce mixture over the grits.
- Top the dish with additional shredded cheese, additional Cajun seasoning, and chopped green onions.
Notes
Servings:
Makes about 3 tablespoons of seasoning mix Ingredients:
1 and ½ tablespoons of paprika
1 tablespoon of oregano
½ teaspoon of ground coriander
½ teaspoon of ground thyme
1 teaspoon of white pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon old bay seasoning Mix all the ingredients together and blend in food processor if you can to grind the mixture into a fine powder. Store in airtight container. Tasty Note:
I double the sauce because my family likes more sauce to spoon over the grits.
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