Do you know Jenna? She runs the blog Eat Live Run and came over earlier this year to hang out and help me with the massive cookbook photoshoot. This woman not only dices carrots like a madwoman, but she’s one of the most talented gals I know. Plus, my kids adore “Auntie Jenna” – when you’re a kid, and you call someone “Auntie” or “Uncle” it doesn’t mean they are related to you, it just means they love you, trust you. I definitely know it’s a Chinese thing, and I’m sure that it’s the same in many other cultures too.
Jenna’s first book, White Jacket Required: A Culinary Coming-of-Age Story, will leave you laughing, crying and hungry. Think about it. There aren’t many books that can make you feel all three!
Will you do me a favor? Give Jenna a shoutout on Facebook and Twitter!
Shrimp and Grits Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup stone-ground dry grits
- 12 slices bacon
- 1 leek, diced (see note above)
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 1 pound medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/4 cup white wine (or vegetable stock)
- 1/4 vegetable stock
- 2 cups half-and-half (or milk)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the grits according to package directions. Remove from heat but keep covered on the stove while you prepare other ingredients.
- In a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, fry the bacon. When bacon is beginning to crisp up, push the bacon to the side of pan. Add in the shrimp and saute until done, about 2 minutes. Remove the cooked bacon and the shrimp to a bowl.
- To the same pan, add leeks, onion, and green pepper to the hot bacon grease and cook over medium high heat until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add white wine to deglaze, then stir in the vegetable stock and half-and half and bring mixture to a simmer. Continue to simmer sauce until it starts to thicken, about 2 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Divide cooked grits among four bowls. Then divide in the shrimp and bacon to each bowl. Ladle sauce over and serve with hot sauce if desired.
Notes
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comment section! I always appreciate your feedback and I know other readers do, too!
Stay in touch with me in our 
Shrimp & Grits is one of my litmus test dishes when eating out. I have refined my own recipe over the past decade, and this is the closest I have found.
About the only difference is that I use less bacon and add diced red bell pepper in addition to the green.
this was so fun to make , tasty and different , i must admit the 3rd time i made it was for breakfast and my friend thought it was perfect too 🙂
YUMMMMMMY! Love the video blog, definitely gonna try to make this!
p.s. one of my FAVORITE things about living in Hawaii was being called Auntie <3
Not just a Chinese thing, I thought it was a southern thing. We always called my mom’s best friend Aunt Myrna, to this day. I was at a big family gathering with my mom’s three sisters and Aunt Myrna was there, every bit as much an “aunt” as her three sisters.
Stone ground grits are the best!
So delicious. My husband will be excited to try this. Thank you for sharing this brilliant recipe.
Oh I love this…and the bacon…I could dive right in!
Thanks for sharing! I just finished reading Jenna’s book, and loved it so much. South Carolina Shrimp and Grits had my mouth watering for sure. Being a Native Floridian, it was fun to read about the familiar cities!!
Yum, grits!
Thank you! I was looking for spaghetti squash “instructions”, found yours (thanks!), and then discovered this awesome looking creation AND a new read – wow! :). Thanks again.
Easy recipe to prepare! I love seafood very much! Fun to prepare all your recipes. Well done
My grandmother makes exactly this recipe
Yum! Bacon, leeks, and shrimp – this is a great combo! Good luck on the cookbook photoshoot! I just read your first cookbook and loved it! Looking forward to seeing your next book!
I love shrimp and grits so much…but always make the same recipe. I think it might be fun to mix it up a bit and give this one a go. It looks fantastic.