One taste of Southern BBQ Shrimp and Cheese Grits, a divine combination of creamy parmesan cheese grits and succulent, briny, gulf shrimp sautéed in a bold and spicy BBQ sauce, and you will be transported to the French Quarter in New Orleans!
Part of my Simple Summer Supper series Southern BBQ Shrimp and Cheese Grits only takes minutes to prepare and is an easy summer dinner recipe the entire family will enjoy.
With a blog name of Grits and Pinecones, I feel a special responsibility to ensure all of my recipes featuring grits are extraordinary, and this quick, easy and flavorful shrimp and grits recipe is that and much more!
In this recipe, BBQ shrimp are cooked New Orleans style, and not cooked on a grill at all. Instead, they are sautéed in a robust BBQ sauce made with lemon juice, Creole seasoning, and tangy Worcestershire sauce.
Cheddar and gruyere cheese are the likely suspects in most cheese grits recipes, but in this case, the smooth nutty taste of parmesan cheese balances out the spiciness of the BBQ shrimp and it’s a marriage made in heaven.
What are grits?
In case you aren’t from the South, you may be wondering what exactly they are? Very simply, they are dried corn kernels that have been ground into a coarse meal.
Three basic types:
- Coarse or stone-ground, which take from 30-60 minutes to cook;
- Quick, which are finer ground and cook in seven minutes; and
- Instant, which I do not recommend, and only take a minute or two to cook in the microwave.
I usually use “quick” grits in most of my recipes, which is what I used in this one.
What’s the difference in grits, cornmeal, and polenta?
All are all ground up corn kernels. Polenta is made with a specific kind of corn, and cornmeal is just a finer grind. They all have a mild corn flavor and, in some recipes, you can substitute polenta for grits and cornmeal for polenta.
Here’s what you will need:
You will need shrimp, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, creole seasoning, garlic, butter, and black pepper. For the grits, you will need quick grits, water, parmesan cheese, kosher salt, black pepper, and cream.
How to make it:
Start by making the BBQ shrimp. Combine the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, creole seasoning, and garlic in a large skillet placed over medium-high heat.
When the sauce comes to a boil, add the shrimp, and cook until they turn pink and opaque which should take about 2 minutes. (If your shrimp are larger or smaller than what’s called for in this recipe, adjust the cooking time accordingly. Do not cook the shrimp too long, or they will be tough.)
Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked shrimp from the pan. Set the shrimp aside and cover to keep warm.
Reduce the heat under the sauce to medium, and add the butter, a few cubes at a time whisking constantly. Continue whisking and add the rest of the butter, a few cubes at a time, and wait for the butter in the sauce to melt before you add additional butter.
When all the butter has been added and has melted, and the sauce is smooth and creamy remove from the heat and cover to keep warm. Set aside.
Bring five cups of water in a large saucepan to a boil over high heat. When the water comes to a boil, add the grits and salt. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for seven minutes, whisking every minute or so to prevent lumps.
Stir in the pepper, butter, and cream (if using) and mix well. Remove from the heat and add the parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted.
How to serve it:
Add the shrimp to the BBQ sauce and stir to coat.
Divide the grits into four bowls and top with equal amounts of the BBQ shrimp and sauce.
If desired, garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.
What to serve with it?
This is a stand-alone entrée, but if you would like to include some veggies with your meal, you could certainly add a small, simple salad or perhaps some freshly sliced tomatoes.
Related recipes:
If you like this recipe, you might also enjoy these popular recipes on my blog: Southern Cheese Grits Casserole, Easy Cheesy Parmesan Shrimp and Grits, Southern Spicy Tomato-Cheese Grits, and Make-Ahead Sausage and Grits Casserole.
If you are like me and love barbecue anything cooked in the oven, I think you might also like my Oven-Baked Baby Back Ribs and Dry Rub recipe.
And, if you are making this recipe to celebrate Mardi Gras, be sure to whip up a Hurricane Cocktail to really make it a party!
★ If you make this recipe, please consider rating it and leaving a comment. I’d love to know how you liked it!
Thank you so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones. I hope you’ll come back soon!
Southern BBQ Shrimp and Cheese Grits Recipe
Ingredients
BBQ Shrimp Recipe Ingredients:
- 1.5 lbs extra large shrimp (21-25 shrimp per pound), peeled, deveined and heads and tails removed)
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp Creole seasoning I used Zatarain's
- 2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic minced, you can substitute 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1.5 cups butter unsalted, cut into cubes, (keep the butter in the refrigerator until you are ready to add it to the sauce)
Parmesan Cheese Grits Recipe Ingredients:
- 1 cup quick grits
- 5 cups water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp heavy cream optional (you can substitute milk or half and half instead of cream)
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese grated.
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley for optional garnish
Instructions
BBQ Shrimp Directions:
- Combine the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, Creole seasoning and garlic in a large skillet placed over medium-high heat.
- When the sauce comes to a boil, add the shrimp, and cook until they turn pink and opaque which should take about 2 minutes. (If your shrimp are larger or smaller, adjust the cooking time accordingly. Do not overcook the shrimp, or they will be tough.)
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked shrimp from the pan and set aside. Cover to keep warm.
- Reduce the heat under the sauce to medium, and add the butter, a few cubes at a time whisking constantly. Continue whisking and add the rest of the butter, a few cubes at a time and wait for the butter in the sauce to melt before you add additional butter.
- When the butter has melted completely, and the sauce is smooth and creamy remove from the heat and cover to keep warm while you prepare the grits.
Parmesan Cheese Grits Directions:
- Bring 5 cups of water in a large saucepan to a boil over high heat. When the water comes to a boil, add the grits and salt. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for seven minutes, whisking every minute or so to prevent lumps.
- Stir in the pepper, butter, and cream (if using) and mix well. Remove from the heat and add the parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted.
Assembly:
- Add the shrimp to the BBQ sauce and stir to coat them with the sauce.
- Divide the grits into four bowls and top with equal amounts of the BBQ shrimp and sauce.
- If desired, garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.
Hi, Sharon.
I’ve not yet made this recipe as i wanted to make sure there wasn’t a typo. Does it really require three sticks (1.5 cups) of butter in the bab sauce?
By the way, if you ever need a sub at a meeting of your cookbook club, drop me a line. Mary can attest to my cooking skills.
Your blog is great. You are a master at photographing food!
Susan Barnes
Hi Susan,
Any friend of Mary’s is a friend of mine!
No, “gulp” the three sticks of butter isn’t a typo. It is what make’s the BBQ sauce so creamy and yummy! However, you will probably have some sauce left over so you won’t be ingesting all that butter. If you do make it please let me know what you think!
All my best,
Sharon