I was late to the shrimp and grits game. While everyone was enjoying them I was somewhere questioning why in the world people put shrimp and grits together in one dish – I didn’t get it. After moving to Atlanta, I got into it a bit. It wasn’t my go to order at a restaurant but I was becoming more open to the idea. I’ve made shrimp and grits at home before; this is one of John’s favorite dishes (or so he claims). While John and were traveling to New Orleans (I think), we had a dish somewhere that sparked today’s cheesy shrimp and grits dish.
The collard greens in this shrimp and grits bowl are my favorite, olive oil braised collards. They’re so flavorful and honestly, olive oil makes a lot of dishes even better.
Anyway, in one of my posts from last week, I wrote about me watching Jane the Virgin. So here’s an update: this show is still sort of crazy. It’s a little unbelievable and over-the-top but I’m two seasons in now and I feel like I have to see it through. I will say, some of the voice-over jokes make me giggle but it really is a pretty ridiculous show. At the same time, I get why people like it.
Speaking of being all over the place, I think I’m a bit delirious and there’s a good reason for that. I went to a Janelle Monae concert in Nashville, got back to Chattanooga at 3am only to turn around and get back up at 7am because I had to work an event at 8am. So if you’re reading this and absolutely nothing makes sense, that’s why. Can we just laugh about it and move on?
Cheesy shrimp and grits with collard greens
Alright this yumminess requires a bit of planning because the collards need to cook for 1 – 1 1/2 hours. You could make them a day before you plan to build the shrimp and grits bowls then heat them up when you’re ready. As for the grits, I use quick cooking grits because – why not?
Obviously, per the title of this post, these are cheesy grits. Feel free to use whatever cheese you like but I went with Parmesan and decided to go a little heavy on the black pepper. Cheesy, peppery grits are the best. Let’s get into some of this deliciousness.
Cheesy Shrimp and Grits with Collard Greens
Ingredients
Collard Greens
- Visit full recipe here
Beer Sauce
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 12oz bottle beer
- 3/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- Splash of heavy cream
Shrimp
- Salt & pepper
- Creole seasoning (like Tony Chachere's)
Grits
- 2 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 2/3 cup quick cooking grits
- Splash of heavy cream
- Salt & pepper
- Generous amount of Parmesan cheese
- Butter
Instructions
- First, cook the collard greens as the instructions here (this can be done a day ahead of time).
- Next, make the beer sauce. In a small saucepan, melt butter then then add green onions and garlic; cook until softened (about 5 minutes). Add beer, Worcestershire sauce and a splash of cream and increase the heat. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the sauce is thick and syrupy (the sauce will reduce quite a bit too). Remove from heat.
- Season the shrimp then sauté until opaque. Combine the shrimp with the beer sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- In a saucepan, bring the broth to a boil. Whisk in the grits, reduce to a simmer and cook (stirring constantly) until the grits are cooked fully - about 5 minutes. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and keep warm until you're ready to serve.
- To serve: fill a bowl with grits, spoon sauce and shrimp on top then top with collards.
