Blackened Shrimp and Gouda Grits

Blackened shrimp and grits in turquoise bowl.

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5 from 16 votes

Blackened Shrimp and Gouda Grits

Classic Southern Blackened Shrimp and Grits recipe featuring Smoked Gouda Cheese

Prep Time10

Cook Time8

Total Time18

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Cajun, Creole, Louisiana, Southern

Servings: servings

Calories: 466kcal

Author: Anecia Hero

Equipment

Cast iron skillet
Tongs

Ingredients

1 pound shrimp , large; peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons blackened seasoning
Louisiana Hot Sauce , optional; as garnish

Ingredients for Grits

1 cup grits , quick cooking
4 cups water , or chicken broth
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup heavy cream
1½ cups smoked Gouda cheese, shredded (buy about an 8 ounce block)
smoked paprika (optional) to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Prep

Peel and devein shrimp; pat dry and place on paper towel; lightly season with blackened seasonings; set aside
1 pound shrimp, 2 tablespoons blackened seasoning
Shred smoked Gouda cheese; set aside

Prepare the Grits

Bring 4 cups of water (or chicken broth) to boil in large stockpot
4 cups water
Add grits; reduce heat to medium-low; cook 5-minutes or more, until grits are creamy
1 cup grits
Add garlic powder, heavy cream and shredded cheese; combine well; taste for salt; add smoked paprika (optional); turn heat to simmer and make the blackened shrimp
1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 cup heavy cream, smoked paprika (optional) , 1½ cups smoked Gouda cheese, shredded

Make the Shrimp

Heat a seasoned cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat; do not add any oil or butter
Once skillet is super hot; add seasoned shrimp in a single layer (you may have to turn on the overhead vent now)
Cook 2-3 minutes then, use tongs to flip shrimp; cook another 2-minutes; remove shrimp from skillet; season to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Plate cooked grits in bowl; top with blackened shrimp; garnish with Louisiana Hot Sauce, green onions or parsley
Louisiana Hot Sauce

Notes

Prep time:

Allows for peeling and deveining shrimp; if you purchase shrimp already peeled, the recipe goes even faster!

Cook the grits first
Prepare the shrimp:

Place shrimp in single layer in pan; if your skillet isn't big enough, work in batches

A note about the cheese:

This recipe uses aged Smoked Gouda; if you substitute with pre-shredded or block-style Cheddar cheese, the result will NOT be the same

Cheddar is more oily and has a sharper taste; the texture and flavor of the grits will be completely different.

If you want to use a Cheddar cheese instead of Gouda, get a high-quality, aged cheddar in a block and shred it yourself; do not use pre-shredded cheese of any kind

Total yield:

This recipe makes about four cups of grits; if you don't need that much, follow the directions on the side of the grit box (they have it broken down into one or four servings)

I allow about 8 large shrimp per person, but if you have big eaters, you might want to plan for 10 shrimp per person

Note the nutrition information doesn't take into account how many shrimp per person; it just calculates one pound of shrimp divided by 4.....

Nutrition