Blackened Shrimp & Grits Recipe

Are you in the mood for a comforting and delicious Southern-style dish? Then, you’ve come to the right place because today, we are excited to share with you a fantastic recipe for blackened shrimp and cheese grits!

This classic dish is the perfect combination of creamy and cheesy grits, succulent shrimp, and savory Blackened Seasoning Recipe that will leave your taste buds dancing with joy. Whether you’re cooking for yourself, your family, or a group of friends, this recipe is a crowd-pleaser that will satisfy everyone’s cravings.

So, grab your apron and let’s get cooking! Trust me; you won’t regret it once you take that first bite of this mouth-watering shrimp and  grits recipe.

What are Corn Grits?

Corn grits are made from dried and ground kernels of corn, which are sometimes referred to as hominy. The kernels are first treated with an alkali solution, such as lye or lime, to remove the tough outer hull and germ, leaving behind the softer, starchy endosperm. This process is called nixtamalization, and it helps to increase the nutritional value of the corn by making its nutrients more bioavailable.

Once the nixtamalized corn is rinsed and dried, it is ground into coarse or fine particles, depending on the desired texture of the grits. The resulting product is then often cooked with water or milk to create a porridge-like consistency, and can be served as a side dish or used as a base for other recipes such as polenta or cornbread.

There are many types of grits out there, from stone ground to instant. We prefer stone-ground. Read this article to decide which will work best for you. Fair warning, instant grits has been pre-cooked, and does not have as much flavor, so steer away from that, if you can.

Know Your Grits: Stone-Ground, Speckled, Instant, And More

Article by Lisa Cericola, editor at Southern Living

Ingredients for these Shrimp and Grits

Corn Grits: Look  for good quality corn grits, that are not instant. Stone ground orange corn grits are our favorite.

Dairy: We use milk, butter, pepper-jack and cheddar cheese for the ultimate in cheesy flavor. Feel free to vary the types of cheese, by trying smoked gouda, or sharp white cheddar.

Spices: Adding some cajun spice adds a bit of heat, which we love in our grits. For the shrimp, we use blackened seasoning, but you can also just use good old salt and pepper.

Shrimp: We always have frozen shrimp in the freezer, so this dish is a great one to make any night of the week. Using a larger shrimp, de-veined and all but the tail shells removed makes for a showy dish.

Veggies: Onions, peppers and corn, along with some fresh garlic adds an amazing flavor to this dish!

white bowl with yellow cheese grits, blackened shrimp, and sautéd onions, peppers and corn.

Blackened Shrimp & Grits

This dish is comfort food at it's best. Creamy cheesy grits, and blackened shrimp topped with a medley of veggies.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Course: dinner
Cuisine: Cajun
Keyword: Cajun Shrimp Grits, grits, shrimp
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 690kcal
Author: Bruce and Dina Miller

Equipment

  • pot
  • 2 Pans
  • Grater
  • Wooden spoon
  • Tongs

Ingredients

Ingredients for cheese grits:

  • 1 cup Corn Grits
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 1/2 Cups sharp cheddar cheese freshly shredded
  • ½ cup pepper jack cheese freshly shredded
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Pepper & Corn Saute: 

  • 1 Poblano pepper diced small
  • 1 large or 2 small jalapeno peppers diced small
  • 1 red or orange pepper diced small
  • 1 small red onion diced small
  • 6 cloves of peeled garlic shredded with microplaner
  • 1 bag of frozen corn
  • Garlic olive oil or canola oil for cooking
  • 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning

Blackened Shrimp: 

  • 24 Jumbo raw shrimp 21-25 size, de-veined and shelled
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon blackened seasoning

Garnish

  • Sliced green onions or chives

Instructions

Prep shrimp:

  • Peel and de-vein shrimp, leaving tails on. Rinse shrimp, drain, and pat dry with paper towels. Add shrimp, blackened seasoning and a teaspoon of canola oil into a bag. Keep shrimp in fridge, while preparing the rest.
    24 Jumbo raw shrimp, 1 tablespoon blackened seasoning, 3 tablespoons canola oil

Prepare grits:

  • Put water, and milk into a pot, and bring to a low boil. Reduce to a simmer, using whisk to stir, slowly pour in grits. Continue to stir grits until it come back to a simmer. Simmer, stirring often, until grits absorb the liquid.Times may vary, depending on the grits you use, 20-30 minutes.
     Stir in blackened Cajun seasoning, set aside to keep warm.
    1 cup Corn Grits, 1 cup whole milk, 1 cup water
  •  Stir in butter, both of the cheeses, allowing to melt. Add the Cajun seasoning,stir, and set aside to stay warm.
    1 1/2 Cups sharp cheddar cheese, ½ cup pepper jack cheese, 4 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning

Prepare pepper corn mixture:

  • Heat up a cast iron skillet, with light coating of canola oil or garlic olive oil. Put corn in hot pan. Season with salt and pepper. Roast corn till golden brown, stirring with metal spatula. Set corn aside, in a bowl, covering with foil.
    1 bag of frozen corn, 3 tablespoons canola oil

Cook shrimp

  • Put another cast iron pan outside on a hot grill, heating for 5 minutes.  You may do this inside, but still make sure pan is very hot! Re-heat pan used for corn, till very hot. Add just a drizzle of canola oil. Put shrimp into large cast iron pan, set timer for 3 minutes. Cooking times vary, depending on size of shrimp, so turn over when they start to become opaque, cooking for 2 more minutes, and pull off heat to avoid over cooking. We time them to be done when sauté is done.
    24 Jumbo raw shrimp

While shrimp cooks, sauté onions and peppers

  • While shrimp is cooking, finish the sauté mixture. Add onion into the other hot pan, cook for 1 minute. Stir in garlic, & cook for 1 minute. Toss in peppers, stirring, to heat, but allow to remain crisp. Turn shrimp over, set timer for 2 minutes. Toss corn into pepper and onion mixture, continue to cook, stirring
    1 Poblano pepper, 1 red or orange pepper, 1 small red onion, 6 cloves of peeled garlic, Garlic olive oil or canola oil for cooking, Salt and pepper to taste

Assemble shrimp and grits:

  • Serve grits in a large bowl, placing shrimp and pepper-corn mixture on top! Sprinkle with green onions or chives, and enjoy!
    Sliced green onions or chives

Notes

This recipe works well with shrimp cooked on stove, or out on grill. You can also sub out scallops or grilled chicken  for the shrimp. This is a great vegetarian dish, served without the shrimp!

Nutrition

Serving: 6shrimp and grits | Calories: 690kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 189mg | Sodium: 822mg | Potassium: 585mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 3254IU | Vitamin C: 70mg | Calcium: 549mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Looking for more seafood recipes? Check these out!

 

Dina and Bruce at the Golden Gate Bridge

Hi, we are Bruce and Dina Miller. We love to cook every night. We enjoy making a few healthy dishes, and also comfort food. We love crafting cocktails too! Come take a look, we would love to share our recipes with you.

Comments

  1. Janie Reply

    5 stars
    Loving this shrimp this with all the goodies. The corn saute was a great topping to the shrimp and grits!

  2. Natalie Reply

    5 stars
    Yum! The pepper & corn sauté look so good! I can’t wait to make for my family!

    • Dina and Bruce at the Golden Gate Bridge

      Bruce and Dina Miller Reply

      Natalie,

      We serve this for our family and they love it!!

      Thank you,

      Dina and Bruce

  3. Stacey Reply

    5 stars
    These cheesy grits with blackened shrimp have everything you want in grits and the best flavor combination!

    • Dina and Bruce at the Golden Gate Bridge

      Bruce and Dina Miller Reply

      Stacey,

      This has got to be one of our family’s most favorite recipes!

      Thank you,

      Dina and Bruce

  4. Gina Abernathy Reply

    5 stars
    Shrimp and grits is a southern favorite. This recipe was a hit with the family!

  5. Chenee Reply

    5 stars
    That looks absolutely amazing! I love cheesy grits – I can only imagine how good they are with added cajun spices and shrimp on top!

  6. Liza Reply

    5 stars
    The combination of seasoned and blackened shrimp, poblano peppers and corn, and creamy grits is out of this world! I can’t wait to make this for my mom, who loves shrimp and grits. Brilliant recipe!

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