Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup coarsely ground grits
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 2 pounds uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
- salt to taste
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1 medium lemon, juiced
- 1 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 5 slices bacon
- 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Directions
- Bring water and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Whisk grits into the boiling water, and then whisk in half-and-half. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until grits are thickened and tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
- Season shrimp with salt and cayenne pepper. Add lemon juice, toss to combine, and set aside to marinate.
- Place sausage slices in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove sausage from the skillet.
- Add bacon to the same skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly browned, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain, then chop or crumble when cool enough to handle. Leave bacon drippings in the skillet.
- Add bell peppers, onion, and garlic to the bacon drippings; cook and stir until onion is translucent, about 8 minutes.
- Stir cooked sausage and marinated shrimp into the skillet with the cooked vegetables. Turn off the heat and set aside.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, stirring to create a smooth roux. Turn heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is golden brown in color, 8 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully, mixture burns easily.
- Pour the roux over the sausage, shrimp, and vegetables.
- Place the skillet over medium heat, add chicken broth, bacon, and Worcestershire sauce, and stir to combine. Cook until sauce thickens up and shrimp turn opaque and bright pink, about 8 minutes.
- Just before serving, mix Cheddar cheese into grits; stir until cheese is melted and grits are creamy and light yellow.
- Spoon grits onto plates and serve shrimp mixture over top.
Shortlink https://transfcu.org/shrimp-and-grits/
