Don’t freak out… but I never tried shrimp and grits until I moved to North Louisiana for college. I thought I had discovered some new, innovative way to eat shrimp and couldn’t wait to tell my family. They were all “duh, of course shrimp and grits are a thing.” OK. Thanks for depriving me of this flavorful dish my whole life, y’all. I guess I felt like I had to make up for lost time, because almost every time I saw shrimp and grits on a menu after that, that’s what I ordered! I’ve tried shrimp and grits from North Louisiana to South Louisiana and parts of Mississippi in between. I’ve tasted what works and what really doesn’t. So just trust me on this one. I’ve had my fair share!
I got this “grit” base recipe from my girl @mamahenessy uses a lot and changed it up a little bit (cranked the heat up to cut down on cooking time and removed some of the spices). These cauliflower grits are more of a creamy, mashed potato-like consistency and would make a great base for several different dishes. I might play around with cutting all of the spices out and replacing them with a splash of Worcestershire sauce and a hefty dose of ground black pepper, then putting my BBQ shrimp on top. The possibilities are endless!
Ingredients:
2 heads of cauliflower (around 3.5-4 lbs)
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 bay leaves
Sea salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
4 cups chicken stock
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 stick butter
Dried rosemary to taste
4-6 pieces of cooked bacon
2 lbs shrimp
2 links of andouille sausage (optional)
Chopped green onion
1. Clean cauliflower and cut into smallish pieces. (Throw out the greenery!)
2. Place cauliflower into crockpot and cove with chicken stock.
3. Add garlic, salt, pepper, and bay leaves.
4. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours.
5. Check after 3 hours. If cauliflower is tender, remove from heat and drain through a sieve.
6. Remove bay leaves.
7. Place hot, tender cauliflower in a mixing bowl.
8. Add butter, cream cheese, and heavy whipping cream.
9. Mix until smooth and add rosemary.
10. Add Parmesan cheese while “grits” are still warm and combine.
11. Fry a pack of bacon in a pan and reserve bacon grease.
12. Grill andouille sausage.
13. Cook cleaned, peeled shrimp in bacon grease. (I usually add more garlic at this step!)
14. Crumble 4-6 pieces of bacon into mixing bowl.
15. Cut sausage into small pieces and add to mixing bowl.
16. Combine on low speed.
17. Plate your “grits” and top with shrimp. Garnish with green onion.
Note: Steps 11-13 may easily be done while cauliflower is cooking in crockpot and saved to add to the grits. Make the most of your time!
Net carbs: 7.6g (makes 6 servings)
Lazy NOLA Keto 