Cajun Shrimp and Grits Recipe with Andouille Sausage
This Cajun Shrimp and Grits Recipe with Andouille Sausage features creamy, cheesy grits, paired with Cajun-spiced shrimp and smoky andouille sausage. This popular Southern dish, which many of you crave and order in restaurants, also comes with easy-to-follow instructions. Now you can enjoy them at home!
. . . and there's always more when it comes to Cajun Cuisine and other Seafood Recipes!
This Barbecue Shrimp Bowl is a New Orleans shrimp dish. It's similar to Shrimp and Grits and very flavorful, featuring smoked sausage as well. It has a thinner sauce than the shrimp and grits recipe below. You can serve it with buttery grits, too, or sop it with a loaf of fresh French bread.
For more New Orleans-inspired dishes, join in on the Fat Tuesday festivities with 25 Mardi Gras Food Recipes To Help You Celebrate. No matter where you are in this great, big, beautiful world, you can experience a taste of Southern Louisiana's rich tradition, and not just during Mardi Gras season, too.
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Ingredients
This classic Southern dish packs a lot of flavor into succulent shrimp over creamy grits.
- Stone-ground grits - a better choice than regular or instant grits due to their coarse and satisfying rustic texture, which requires them to cook longer. See how to cook them here.
- Chicken broth-add flavor by always cooking grits in it.
- Salt - to season the grits and enhance the flavors of the ingredients.
- Sharp cheddar cheese - strong cheddar taste makes the best grits
- Salted butter - to flavor and make the grits creamy and cheesy.
- Fresh shrimp - peeled with or without their tails.
- Cajun seasoning - for spicy shrimp.
- Bacon grease - adds bacony, smoky flavor to the cooked shrimp.
- Andouille Sausage - diced sausage that adds smoky, spicy flavor.
- Yellow onion - the tastiest and leading member of the Cajun vegetable trinity.
- Celery - its unique taste is a prominent part of the trinity family.
- Red bell peppers - the third component of the trinity -they add color and a sweet flavor.
- Garlic - an essential punch of flavor for the sauce.
- Chicken broth - a flavorful liquid for the sauce.
- All-purpose flour - to thicken the broth.
- Heavy cream - finishes off the shrimp and grits sauce to perfection!
- Green onions - for garnish.
See recipe card below for quantities.
Instructions
Cajun Shrimp and Grits Recipe is an easy shrimp dish to prepare. Easier than you think! So don't let the number of ingredients and steps deter you from creating this Southern comfort food.
Grits
- Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan on medium-high heat.
- Add salt to the broth.
- Stir in the grits until they are smooth and lump-free, then return to a boil.
- Lower the heat to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 40 - 45 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, stir in the butter and cheese, then cover the pot and set it aside.
Shrimp
- Check the shrimp for any remaining peelings, then rinse and drain them in a colander.
- Season the shrimp with the Cajun seasoning, coating them evenly.
- Heat 1 ½ tablespoons of bacon grease in a large skillet.
- Place the shrimp in a single layer in the pan and cook for about 2 minutes. Then, turn the shrimp over and cook for a few more minutes, or until the shrimp turn pink. Remove them from the skillet to a bowl to set aside.
- Add 1 ½ tablespoons of grease to the skillet and heat until hot.
- Brown the sausage in the grease
- Add the Cajun trinity-onions, celery, and bell peppers - to the sausage in the same pan, and cook until soft.
- Stir the flour into the cooked vegetables and sausage.
- Stir in the broth slowly until there are no lumps from the flour, then add the cream and seasonings until thoroughly combined, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add shrimp, stir, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes on medium-low heat.
- Adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Serve the flavorful shrimp and creamy sauce over hot cheese grits; garnish with sliced green onions, optional.
Hint: If you have shell-on shrimp, after peeling and deveining, be sure to pass your fingers through the raw shrimp to ensure they are free of shells and black veins. Rinse in cold water, drain, and pat dry with a paper towel.
Substitutions
- Quick grits may be used as an alternative to stone-ground grits; they will not take as long to cook and will have a smoother, yet still creamy, texture.
- Use olive oil or vegetable oil in place of the bacon grease.
- You can use leftover steamed, sautéed, or boiled shrimp, but avoid overcooking them in the sauce.
Variations
- You can omit the smoky andouille sausage to have a meatless, seafood-only dish.
- Some shrimp and grits do not have a cream sauce; omit the cream in the last step for a thinner sauce.
- Serve the shrimp sauce over a bed of white rice instead of grits.
Equipment
This tool is an ever-present help in times of need. Peeling shrimp goes a lot quicker, and it effortlessly removes that nasty vein. Much better than using the tine of a fork. It's inexpensive and quite handy! I keep one in my kitchen at all times.
Good Cook Shrimp Deveiner and Cleaner
Buy Now → 
Storing the Cajun Shrimp and Grits
Store the grits and the shrimp in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
Top Tip
For best results, keep a close eye on the shrimp while cooking so they don't overcook; if they do, they'll become tough and rubbery. When the shrimp are shaped like the letter "c", they are cooked. When they're shaped like a tight letter "o", they are overcooked.
FAQ
The basic ingredients for shrimp and grits are grits, of course, cooked until they are creamy, and sometimes flavored with cheese. The shrimp (with or without their tails) are cooked in a flavorful cream-based sauce with spicy seasonings.
Shrimp and Grits originated as a fisherman's breakfast food in the Low Country of the Southern states, primarily in Georgia and South Carolina.
Some versions of Shrimp and Grits are cooked in a cream sauce, a tomatoey sauce, or a thin sauce without cream. There are some recipes with or without sausage, but they are always served over a bed of flavorful grits, made with or without cheese.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this Cajun Shrimp and Grits Recipe with Andouille Sausage? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Shrimp and Grits:
📖 Recipe
Cajun Shrimp and Grits Recipe with Andouille Sausage
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish, Seafood
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: Cajun
Description
This classic Southern dish packs a lot of flavor into succulent shrimp over creamy grits.
Ingredients
Grits
- ¾ cup stone-ground grits
- 4 cups chicken broth
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
Shrimp
- 1 ½ pounds raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, or more
- 3 tablespoons bacon grease
- 8 ounces andouille sausage, diced
- 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
- ½ cup celery, chopped
- ½ cup red bell pepper, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- sliced green onions - for garnish.
Instructions
Grits
- Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan on medium-high heat.
- Add salt to the broth.
- Stir in the grits until they are smooth and lump-free, then return to a boil.
- Lower the heat to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 40 - 45 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the pot from the heat, stir in the cheese and butter, cover it, and set it aside.
Shrimp
- Check the shrimp for any remaining shells, then rinse and drain them in a colander.
- Season the shrimp with the Cajun seasoning, coating them evenly.
- Heat 1 ½ tablespoons of bacon grease in a large skillet.
- Place the shrimp in a single layer in the pan of bacon grease and cook for about 2 minutes. Then, turn the shrimp over and cook for a few more minutes, or until the shrimp turn pink. Remove them from the skillet to a bowl to set aside.
- Add 1 ½ tablespoons of grease to the same skillet and heat until hot.
- Brown the sausage in the grease.
- Add the Cajun trinity of onions, celery, and bell peppers to the same pan with the sausage and cook until soft, stirring often.
- Stir the flour into the cooked vegetables and sausage.
- Stir in the broth slowly until there are no lumps from the flour, then add the cream and seasonings, stirring until thoroughly combined, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add shrimp and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes on medium-low heat.
- Adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Serve the flavorful shrimp and creamy sauce over hot cheese grits; garnish with sliced green onions, optional.
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
- If you use shell-on shrimp, after peeling and deveining, be sure to pass your fingers through the uncooked shrimp to ensure they are free of shells and black veins. Rinse in cold water, drain, and pat dry with a paper towel.
- For best results, keep a close eye on the shrimp while cooking so they do not overcook, or they will become tough and rubbery. If the shrimp are shaped like the letter "c", they are cooked. If they are shaped like a tight letter "o", they are overcooked.
- Substitute vegetable oil or olive oil for bacon grease.
- Add a little more broth if the grits are too thick.
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