SHRIMP AND GRITS

By bklynmommy

Ingredients

• For the grits you will need:
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup quick cook grits
• 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cut into cubes (about 1 cup)
• For the grits you will need:
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup quick cook grits
• 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cut into cubes (about 1 cup)
• For Shrimp Broth
• This is super basic and you can add whatever kind of veggie scraps that you want like onion, or garlic.
• Reserved shells from shrimp
• 2 cups of water
• salt
• few peppercorns

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from lifesambrosia.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a medium sauce pan, bring chicken broth and water to a boil over medium heat. Add butter, let melt.
Slowly whisk in the grits, stir for about 1-2 minutes to ensure that they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Reduce the temperature to low, cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cheddar. Cover and cook another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cheese melts and the grits are creamy. Leave covered on low heat until ready to serve.

Combine shrimp, Cajun seasoning, cayenne and granulated garlic in a bowl and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to use.
In a skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until browned. Place on a paper towel lined plate, set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons of pan drippings.
To the same skillet add onions and garlic. Cook 3-5 minutes or until softened. Add shrimp. Cook until pink.
Once shrimp are pink, add flour and cook one minute. (Note: It is important to cook the flour for a minute so that you don’t have a pasty flavor to your sauce). Add the shrimp broth and cook until it thickens, about 3 minutes. Add half and half and cook until the sauce reduces by 1/3, about 5 minutes, it should be creamy and will coat the back of a spoon. At the last minute add in reserved bacon bits. Pour shrimp and sauce over grits and serve immediately.

Place shrimp shells in saucepan. Pour water over, add salt and peppercorns. Bring to a bowl, reduce heat and let simmer about 20 minutes.
Using a colander, strain the broth over a bowl. Discard shells.