Shrimp And Corn With Cheese Grits
These Shrimp and Corn Grits are full of flavor with the addition of salsa and extra sharp cheddar. And you can have this delicious dish on the table in under 40 minutes, which makes it a great weeknight meal!
Table of contents
Why We Love This Recipe For Corn Grits
This recipe is a little bit Texas and a little bit Vermont. Growing up in a house with a mom from Texas and a Dad from New York, it was just as likely that we’d have grits for breakfast, as it was to have oatmeal. That sort of explains a lot about why I think this recipe makes total sense as a pairing. It’s like corn two ways or something.
I made these cheese grits with spicy salsa and cilantro. Usually in Texas you’d likely see Colby Jack as the featured cheese, but I used extra-sharp Vermont Cheddar. Using a really sharp cheese means you can get away with using less of it, saving on saturated fat and calories.
Then I whipped up a sweet corn sauté with local Vermont organic sweet corn cut off the cob, gorgeous garden fresh scallions and tasty little shrimp from Maine (they were frozen and thawed) taking this dish to the next level and making it a complete meal!
If you love this recipe, this Spicy Shrimp and Cheese Grits with Tomatoes recipe is fabulous as well! It is so fast, delicious and healthy.
Key Ingredients For This Shrimp And Corn Grits Recipe
Grits
Grits are made from ground corn and can be made from either yellow or white corn. The grind is coarser than corn meal. They are a traditional Southern dish and can be served for breakfast, as a side dish or an entree with the addition of shrimp or other protein.
Extra-Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Extra-sharp cheddar adds so much flavor to this dish and because it has such a strong flavor profile a little will go a long way and save on fat and calories.
Salsa
Adding salsa is a quick and easy way to add a ton of flavor to the grits. The acidity in the tomatoes pairs perfectly with the slightly sweet grits.
Sweet Corn
Sweet corn is a specific variety of corn and has a higher sugar content than other varieties. It adds a great fresh sweetness and wonderful chewy texture to this dish.
Shrimp
I used small (51-60 shrimp per pound) frozen and thawed wild shrimp from Maine. Frozen wild shrimp is a great option and is usually very easy to find. Shrimp and grits are a very popular combination because their flavor profiles pair perfectly.
Other Ingredients For This Recipe
- 2 2/3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 bunch scallions, sliced, ¼ cup sliced greens separated
- 1/3 cup salsa
- 2 tablespoons cilantro
- 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- pinch ground chipotle or cayenne pepper
- 1 small tomato, diced
Step By Step Instructions For Shrimp And Corn Grits
Step 1: Prepare the cheese grits.
Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Gradually sprinkle in grits and ½ teaspoon salt, return to a simmer, stirring often. Cover, reduce heat to low or to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook stirring occasionally until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in ¼ cup sliced scallion greens, cheese, salsa and cilantro.
Step 2: Prepare the shrimp and corn.
Meanwhile, prepare shrimp and corn: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn, the remaining scallions, chipotle or cayenne and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally until the corn is piping hot all the way through and the scallions are wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp and cook, stirring often until the shrimp are opaque and just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in tomatoes.
Step 3: Serve.
Serve the grits with the shrimp and corn.
FAQs and Expert Tips
You can serve them with a simple green salad, sauteed greens, or cornbread.
Both grits and corn meal are made from ground corn, but grits are a much coarser grind.
Yes, add them to a pot over low heat and gradually add water until you get the consistency you want. Do not heat them for more than 2-3 minutes to avoid burning them.
Additional Shrimp Recipes To Try:
This recipe for gluten-free sweet potato noodles topped with shrimp, cilantro pesto and peas is a clean eating weeknight meal ready in under 45 minutes!
This Mexican jicama shrimp salad with jicama, avocado and grapefruit is the perfect light meal and the left-overs will make a stellar healthy lunch too!
This recipe is an easy, healthy 20-minute entrée: Shrimp in Garlic Lemon Sauce.
Nothing says summer like these Shrimp Kabobs!
This Sheet Pan Shrimp and Sausage Dinner recipe is a super simple one pan meal perfect for weeknight dinners.
Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!
Happy Cooking! ~Katie
PrintShrimp And Corn With Cheese Grits
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
These Shrimp and Corn Grits are full of flavor with the addition of salsa and extra sharp cheddar. And you can have them on the table in under 40 minutes, which makes them a great weeknight meal!
Ingredients
- 2 2/3 cups water
- 2/3 cup grits, such as arrowhead mills organic yellow grits
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 bunch scallions, sliced, ¼ cup sliced greens separated
- ¾ cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, 3 ounces
- 1/3 cup salsa
- 2 tablespoons cilantro
- 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Kernels from 6 ears sweet corn, about 4 cups
- pinch ground chipotle or cayenne pepper
- 12 ounces small peeled and de-veined shrimp, such as frozen thawed wild Maine
- 1 small tomato, diced
Instructions
- Prepare cheese grits: Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Gradually sprinkle in grits and ½ teaspoon salt, return to a simmer, stirring often. Cover, reduce heat to low or to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook stirring occasionally until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in ¼ cup sliced scallion greens, cheese, salsa and cilantro.
- Meanwhile, prepare shrimp and corn: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn, the remaining scallions, chipotle or cayenne and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally until the corn is piping hot all the way through and the scallions are wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp and cook, stirring often until the shrimp are opaque and just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in tomatoes.
- Serve the grits with the shrimp and corn.
Notes
How to reheat leftover grits:
Add them to a pot over low heat and gradually add water until you get the consistency you want. Do not heat for more than 2-3 minutes to avoid burning them.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: entree
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3/4 cup grits and 1 1/2 cups shrimp and corn
- Calories: 313
- Fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 43 g
- Protein: 20 g
Keywords: Cheese Corn Grits, Recipe for Corn Grits, Shrimp and Cheese Grits Calories, Shrimp and Corn Grits Recipe
Shrimp and Grits is a true southern favorite.
★★★★★
I love this combination of shrimp, corn, and cheese! You can’t go wrong! It’s so flavorful and delish!
★★★★★
25 minute meals are my jam. The kids and hubby all asked for seconds.
★★★★★
I’m not normally a grits fan but the use of sharp cheddar makes it really tasty
★★★★★
This is one of our favorite dinner recipes. We’ve made it several times and it’s always a hit with my family!
★★★★★
My uncle always eats his cheese grits out of a mug, so the more down-home the plate presentation, the better, in my book. It will taste good no matter what! Can’t wait to hear how you like grits:)
So it’s been a year and I wanted to tell you that this has become a FAMILY FAVORITE that we make OFTEN. Am about to sit down and enjoy this great dish right now – fantastic recipe!
I love hearing that my friend! Thank you so much for reporting back.
OK am totally making this – even bought grits after I hunted them down at the store (having never made grits before I had no idea they would be next to the oatmeal!). Somehow am doubting mine will look like yours but I’m trying to embrace my inner southern chef 😉