Shrimp + Grits (The Lovers Edition)

Shrimp, grits, cheese and bacon. These are a few of our favorite things. Being from the south, we cant help but to love grits and what else goes better with grits than shrimp? Well, maybe fish, but you get the point. 

If you aren’t making reservations at a fancy restaurant for the holiday and would rather prepare a meal for your Valentine straight from the heart then have no fear, The Tasty TurnUp is here! We’ve added a special lovers touch to this dish: heart shaped shrimp skewers! Adorable yet cheesy right? Play some Marvin Gaye, some Luther Vandross, or a little Anita while preparing this romantic dish for your lover. Trust us, they will be impressed. 

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 30 min
Total: 45 min

Ingredients

• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined (wild caught if possible)
• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 cup grits 
• 4 cups of water
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley 
• 1 cup thinly sliced scallions
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• Salt and Pepper 
• Toothpicks 

Instructions

1. Bring water to a boil. Add grits and cook until water is absorbed, about 5 mins (We used Aunt Jemima Quick Grits, but feel free to use regular grits or stone grits for this recipe). Remove from heat and stir in salt, pepper, butter, and cheese. 
2. Fry bacon strips in a large skillet until browned, pat dry. Once bacon has cooled, chop into small pieces.
3. Rinse shrimp and pat dry. Remove tails from shrimp leaving a few with tails for shrimp hearts.
4. Add shrimp to bacon grease and cook until shrimp turn pink. Add chopped bacon, garlic, lemon juice, scallions and parsley. Sauté mixture for 3 minutes. 
5. Remove shrimp with tails from mixture. Take 1 toothpick and skewer through 2 shrimp to form a heart. Sit shrimp hearts to the side. 
6. Spoon grits into serving bowl. Add shrimp mixture and mix well. Place shrimp hearts on top of mixture for an edible garnish.
7. Serve immediately! 

Date Posted: 2-14-2019