Color me utterly shocked when I realized I have yet to share my recipe for the best shrimp & grits! The reason it is so shocking to me is because shrimp & grits is probably in my top five favorite foods ever. Now, you can find lots of different recipes out there, but I have yet to see a single one that comes close to mine. So, hold on to your hats, because I’m about to blow you away with this deliciousness.

Scroll down for recipe.

That was a pretty good sales pitch, huh? But seriously, I’ve eaten shrimp & grits from a lot of restaurants and a lot of individuals, and in my totally biased opinion, I love mine the best. In addition, this recipe is also going to have some extra notes with it, because I recently challenged myself to make it gluten & dairy free (shoutout to my friend Brigitte!).

Spoiler Alert: It was still delicious! So, if you want to eat this decadent dish as is or without gluten & dairy, I’ve got you covered.

Makes 4-5 servings.

For the Grits

You will want to make these first as they’ll take the longest. Make sure to use stone ground grits!

In a pot, mix together:

• 1.5 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups water
• a dash of salt & pepper
• 1 Tbsp butter

First, bring to a boil, then add 1 cup of grits and mix well. Next, bring heat down to low. Then cover & cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Finally, mix in 3/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.

Substitutions to make dairy free: Silk brand of heavy whipping cream alternative, Earth Balance Vegan Butter, & Daiya Dairy Free Cheese. Use the same measurements!

For the Shrimp Topping & Gravy

Ingredients:

• Any color bell pepper (1), diced
• 1 kielbasa, sliced
• One pound raw shrimp, de-shelled & de-tailed
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 12 oz. can of beer
• 2 tsp flour
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• green onion, diced

Substitutions to make dairy/gluten free: Earth Balance Vegan Butter, Silk brand of heavy whipping cream alternative, 1 can of gluten free beer, & 1/4 tsp of Konjac root extract instead of flour.

In a small bowl, season the shrimp with cayenne pepper, garlic salt, onion powder, & flour. Use more or less cayenne depending on your ideal spice level.

In a large pan with tall sides, on medium-hight heat, place the butter, kielbasa, & bell pepper. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add the chicken stock, heavy cream, & beer. Let boil for 5 minutes. You can use any non-flavored beer for this. For instance, I enjoy a Pabst Blue Ribbon for this recipe.

If you are using the flour alternative of Konjac root, add it to the pan after boiling.

Next up, add the shrimp to the pan, bringing heat to medium. Then, cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens and shrimp is done.

The Perfect Dish

First, in a shallow sided bowl, put a large spoonful of grits down. Then another big spoonful of shrimp & gravy. Finally, top with the green onions.

I also enjoy adding some sriracha sauce to mine because I love it spicy!

Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!