Isn’t it funny how your tastes change as you get older? I like things now that I would have never tried when I was a kid and really not even enjoyed as a younger adult, but now I’m all over it. One of those types of dishes is shrimp and grits. There is a restaurant here in KC called Rye that totally changed my opinion on the dish- their version is like something sent from heaven. Now this recipe isn’t as good as theirs, I’m not sure what they do to create such a dish that I dream about months after I’ve eaten it, but regardless this recipe is good. Good enough to enjoy at home and feel like you’ve made something a little fancy and a lot tasty. It comes together pretty easily, the only downside is the grits take an hour to cook so you have to have a little bit of time. If you’re craving it this shrimp and grits with bacon recipe is a keeper!
Do you cook seafood often? For some reason I shy away from it even though we all enjoy it. Its a goal of mine to cook more seafood this year. I was so surprised that my 4 year old downed these shrimp and of course the bacon, he wouldn’t touch the cheesey goodness of the grits but heck, thats just more for me. 🙂
Shrimp and Grits with Bacon
Serves 2, double for more people
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup grits
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup swiss cheese
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 4 slices of bacon
- 1/2 lb raw shrimp, peeled & de-veined
- 1-2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
- 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. In a dish that can transfer from stovetop to oven, I use an enamel coated cast-iron skillet, heat on the stove over medium heat and melt the butter. One the butter is melted add the grits, milk, and both cheeses. Stir to combine and then place in the oven. Bake uncovered for 1 hour.
- When the grits have 30 minutes left start to prepare the shrimp. First cut up the bacon into small pieces and place in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until the bacon is done and crispy, remove from pan with slotted spoon and place on paper towel.
- Generously season the shrimp with Old Bay season and then add the shrimp to the pan with the bacon grease and cook over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes per side. You will see the shrimp turn from translucent to opaque. Remove from pan and place on the paper towel with the bacon.
- Last, dump the diced tomatoes into the pan, this should deglaze the pan and make it easy to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan to stir in with the tomatoes. Cook for 3-5 minutes to get everything warm.
- Serve by placing the grits on a plate with bacon, shrimp and tomatoes tossed together and placed on top.
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I need to give full credit for these grits to my step-mom Michelle, they are truly delicious southern cheesey grits. They are the only grits I will make, because lets be honest I normally gag at the thought of grits. But these, these will make a southerner out of anyone. 🙂
If you try this recipe be sure to let me know on instagram (@handmadeintheheartland) or in the comments, I love to hear what you think!