Garlic Butter Shrimp and Grits
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Speedy comfort food at its best! Perfectly garlicky, buttery shrimp served with the creamiest grits!
This is my new favorite speedy meal. And I know it looks super fancy and impressive and maybe even somewhat intimidating, but it is truly the quickest weeknight meal you can whip up during those busy weeknights.
First you’ll need some quick cooking grits, except we’re going to doctor it up a bit using chicken stock and milk, adding a little more flavor and creaminess here. Then you’ll need some shrimp, a good amount of butter, garlic, lemon, paprika, thyme and some white wine. This cooks super super fast so be sure to keep a close eye on it.
From there, you can top off your creamy grits with the most garlicky, buttery, lemony shrimp with all the saucy bits. So quick and so so good, letting those grits sop up all that leftover sauce.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH SHRIMP AND GRITS
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Garlic Butter Shrimp and Grits: Frequently Asked Questions
Unsalted butter allows you to add as much salt (or as little) salt in your dish. It allows for more control and consistency.
You can replace unsalted butter with salted butter in a pinch, reducing the amount of salt indicated in the recipe, and adding to taste.
Additional chicken stock can be used for white wine as a non-alcoholic substitute.
You can thaw frozen shrimp overnight, transferring it from the freezer to the fridge the day before. For a quick thaw, you can run them under cold water until completely thawed, about 5-10 minutes. Pat them dry as thoroughly as possible to remove any excess moisture (so they can brown nicely and evenly).
The lemon juice helps balance out the flavors and richness of the butter.
Garlic Butter Shrimp and Grits
Ingredients
- 1 cup quick cooking grits
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups whole milk
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 shallot, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ cup dry white wine*
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves, divided
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Cook grits according to package instructions using chicken stock and milk in place of water; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter until melted, about 1 minute; set aside and keep warm.
- Melt remaining 7 tablespoons butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add shallot, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, thyme and paprika until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in white wine and Worcestershire.
- Add shrimp; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pink and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons parsley and lemon juice.
- Serve immediately with grits, garnished with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley; if desired.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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A huge hit! I didn’t expect to like it. I made it because my husband has said it was a favorite of his. I even had a backup meal for myself. We devoured every bite and will be making this on repeat.
Made this last night. I cut in half as there are only 2 of us. We are still talking about how delicious it was this morning. Then when I looked once again I realized I forgot to cut the butter in half! No wonder it was so good ! LOL.
Too funny, Katherine! Extra butter always makes things taste better, right? 🙂
I love reading the comments! I grew up eating grits with shrimp and garlic butter. It is so good to see so many people enjoying a traditional American soul food dish.
Damn delicious indeed! Family favorite and a great introduction to grits for me.
Very tasty! Just added hot sauce on top.
Very easy, quick and delicious!
This was easy, quick and delicious! I will reduce the butter to 4TB in the shrimp next time as it was SUPER rich for us but will make again for sure!
WOW! This was wonderful! The flavor was so good and it was easy to make. I used mashed cauliflower instead of grits for a low carb meal and it was perfect. This will be my go to shrimp from now on. Next time I’ll add the grits!
I’ve made “grits” using almond flour before. It was a great substitute. Try it!
This went very fast once I prepped everything. I even impressed my 7 year old and got him to eat shrimp! Very easy and very good
Oh, my! This was fantabulous! I used our family’s favorite grits recipe that includes diced roasted green chilis, onions & garlic, cheddar & pepper jack cheese and creole seasoning. Flavor explosion when combined with your shrimp recipe. Thank you for sharing this!
Great job made it tonight for the family
So good- I’ve made this multiple times. Thinking of switching it up slightly for a dinner party. Any thoughts on using the shrimp recipe scampi-style and serving with pasta?
Amazing, but remove the tail!!! I live in the low country, and you never serve shrimp and grits with the tail on. So messy! But flavors are where it’s at!
This was easy and delicious! I used leftover green chili cheese grits, and added a little blackening seasoning on the shrimp. This is a keeper, that I will make again and again!
Oh my goodness this was so good! I’m a cooking newb so I had to start over midway through and it turned out SO delicious. My only regret is I’m not sure how to scale it to having leftovers for a few days. Any suggestions on how to do that are welcome!
To scale any recipe for more or less servings, simply print out the recipe. Then go down the list of ingredients, and divide or multiply everything by the same number. (e.g. To double the recipe, just multiply everything by 2.) Cross out the original quantity, and WRITE down the new number. If I just do it in my head as I measure each item, I may forget to change one of more of the items. Go through the Directions. Make sure to change anything there that specifies an amount. E.g., this recipe refers to butter, lemon, and parsley amounts which would also need to be changed. Some websites allow you to scale a recipe automatically; however, they never change the amounts in the Direction section. You have to do this manually. Also look at pan/dish sizes, and cooking times. Larger quantities MIGHT take a bit longer. It’s actually a bit easier than it sounds! Good luck! Just don’t overcook your shrimp while reheating.
Fast and delicious! I added a little grated cheddar and Parmesan and thickened the roux a little, added a dash of Tony Chachere, then topped with green onions! Definitely a keeper!
What kind of white wine is best to use for thos recipe
Use a dry white wine like Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio.
Loved it! Used Trader Joe’s White Grits instead of Instant, otherwise made exactly as posted.
Hubs ate 2 big helpings. Definitely a keeper.
I really like your recipes but this is the first time that I made a comment. This was delicious but we tweeked it a bit. Cut down on the butter some and added a little grapeseed oil. We also added a whole red bell pepper chopped with the shallot and garlic since we weren’t having a vegetable with it. Topped it off with some red pepper flakes. Thanks for sharing this recipe. We will make it again and again!
Flavorful Grits & Shrimp!!
Added Shredded Colby Jack cheese…
This dish reminded me of New Orleans
(Overnight: Marinated shrimp w/Old Bay Seasoning)