This Cajun Shrimp and Grits recipe will wow everyone at the table! This recipe is truly “World Famous” and was personally blessed by Gordon Ramsey.
In our kitchen there is a guest chef: this is Tanorria Askew! Tanorria is a MasterChef finalist turned personal chef and shares with us her famous shrimp and grits recipe. And my goodness, we can’t Wait So you can try those creamy grits, tender shrimp, and delicious veggie sauce!
Why this world famous recipe? Well, when Tanorria joined MasterChef, Gordon Ramsey himself declared his shrimp and grits to be the best in MasterChef cuisine. How impressive is that? Since Tanorria is our true friend and colleague, we asked her to share her secrets with us… and luckily, she agreed! Even better, we made a video to show you how it’s done. Watch below!
>>Follow Tanorrie on Instagram!
Video: how to make shrimp and grits
Make the BEST shrimp and grits
Tanorria taught us all the secrets of preparing the best shrimp and grits: creamy grits, veggie sauce and shrimp. Now his original recipe uses sausage, which is classic in a Cajun shrimp and grits recipe. Since this site is all about vegetarian, vegan, and seafood recipes, we asked her if she’d be okay with shrimp and grits without sausage. Of course, Tanorria agreed and created this amazing new version of their classic.
If you prefer shrimp and grits with sausage, go to his website for Shrimp and Grits with Okra! Otherwise get to the kitchen! First: oatmeal.
How to make the best creamy beans
How do you make the best creamy beans? First let’s talk about what grains are. Groats are ground cornmeal that is boiled and made into a kind of porridge. Originally from the southern United States, the dish is typically served with savory toppings for breakfast or dinner. Oatmeal is very similar to polenta, which is basically the Italian version of oatmeal! There are very small differences between oatmeal and polenta that we could address, but don’t want to get too technical.
The main course : You can use labeled packaging when purchasing oatmeal for this Shrimp Oatmeal recipe medium ground cornmeal or oatmeal.
The secrets of these creamy grains? It’s all about butter and cream, baby! Here are the rough steps to get perfectly creamy grains:
- First, cook a mixture of milk, seafood broth, and butter. Once cooked, stir in cornmeal or oatmeal and reduce heat to low.
- Add salt and simmer the oatmeal until thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Finally stir in the cream and mix until creamy.
You’ll find these grains taste savory and cheesy, but there’s no cheese! Butter and cream prevail until the end. What I liked about these beans is that they have little lumps, which is my favorite. (I’m a lumpy wheat cream type girl here!)
What is the Cajun Holy Trinity? make the sauce
Once you’ve cooked these grains, you can proceed to the veggie sauce. Here, Tanorria uses a version of the Cajun Holy Trinity to make this sauce shine. What is the Cajun Holy Trinity? It is a blend of the three “sacred” vegetables of Cajun cuisine: Onions, peppers and celery. These are used as the base for many Cajun/Creole dishes such as crawfish etouffee, gumbo and jambalaya. For Tanorria’s version of the Holy Trinity, she omitted celery and substituted garlic. And I have to say that we stand behind this decision 100%.
For the veggie sauce in these shrimp and grits, dice the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. If needed, click on each of these links for more instructions on how to quickly chop each vegetable. Next, sauté the veggies and add Old Bay (yes!) and smoked paprika (double yes!). Add seafood broth, then simmer to thicken into a sauce.
And then the veggies are ready for… the shrimp!
How to cook shrimp for shrimp and grits
The last step in this shrimp and grits recipe is the shrimp. The shrimp will cook just above the vegetables in the pan. Here’s what Tanorria does to ensure they cook evenly and don’t overcook:
- Arrange the shrimp on top of the veggies in a clockwise direction – this will help you remember which shrimp went into the pan first and which ones will cook the fastest.
- Watch as the shrimp begin to turn pink on the underside – this should take about 2 minutes.
- Use tongs to rotate the shrimp, then remove from the heat once all transparency is gone. It will take another 1-2 minutes.
Prepare your oatmeal, add the shrimp, top with dollops of gravy… and prepare to be amazed.
Which shrimp to use?
For this recipe we recommend the following type of shrimp:
- Find large shrimp, with tail, which has already been gutted. (If your shrimp aren’t deveined, learn how to devein shrimp here.)
- That is fresh or frozen Shrimp work here! (See Defrosting Shrimp below.)
- Seek wild fish if possible. If you live in the United States, look for the united states taken if you can 90% of the seafood we eat in the United States is imported. Imported seafood is at risk of being overfished, caught under unfair labor conditions, or farmed in environmentally harmful ways.
How to thaw frozen shrimp
If using frozen shrimp for this recipe, follow these steps to thaw frozen shrimp:
- Place the frozen shrimp in the refrigerator overnight to thaw. Or,
- On the day of serving, place the frozen shrimp in a large bowl of very cold water. Shake the bowl every 5 minutes to break up clumps of shrimp that have frozen together. Shrimp should be defrosted in about 15 minutes.
And that’s it!
This is by far the best shrimp and grits recipe we’ve had. A big thank you to Tanorria for sharing her recipe and showing us how it’s made! Be sure to follow Tanorria on Instagram and give her social affection.
This best shrimp and oatmeal recipe is…
Pescetarian and gluten free.
The description
This Cajun Shrimp and Grits recipe will wow everyone at the table! This recipe is truly “World Famous” and was personally blessed by Gordon Ramsey.
For the grains
- 1 ½ cups medium or coarse cornmeal or grits
- 1 cup milk
- 3 cups Seafood Broth
- ¼ cup butter without salt
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ cup whipped cream
For the shrimp
- 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 green pepper
- 1 Red pepper
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 1 lb 21/30 ct shrimp, peeled and deveined (tail optional)
- 1½ tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning (store bought or homemade)
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 Lemon, grated and squeezed
- 1 cup seafood broth (or ½ cup seafood broth ½ cup White wine)
- ¼ cup whipped cream
- Chopped chives for garnish
- Heat a medium-sized saucepan over high heat. Add the seafood broth, milk and butter. let it cook. Quickly stir in the cornmeal and reduce the heat to low. Add the salt. Simmer until thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep it from sticking to the bottom.
- Meanwhile, dice the bell pepper and yellow onion. Chop the garlic.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add peppers, onions and garlic. Brown 1 to 2 minutes, then season with Old Bay, smoked paprika, and salt. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, then add the lemon zest and juice. Pour in the seafood broth and simmer until thickened, 2-3 minutes.
- Add the shrimp to the vegetables in a clockwise direction (see video!). Cook until they are just beginning to turn pink on one side, about 2 minutes, then use tongs to flip the shrimp and cook until pink and cooked through, about 2 minutes. Pour the cream on top and, without stirring, work in with tongs until just incorporated. Remove from fire.
- Once the grains are cooked, pour in the heavy cream and mix until creamy and incorporated.
- Place oatmeal in bowls and garnish with shrimp and dollops of sauce. Garnish with chives.
- Category: main course
- Method: Cook
- Kitchen: From the south
Keywords: shrimp and grits, shrimp and grits recipe, best shrimp and grits, cajun shrimp and grits
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