Garlic Butter Shrimp With Pimento Cheese Grits

A white bowl with Honey Garlic Butter Shrimp over Pimento Cheese Grits.

5 from 1 vote

Garlic Butter Shrimp With Pimento Cheese Grits

If there is a single dish Charleston, South Carolina and the surrounding Lowcountry is best known for, it'd be shrimp and grits.

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Author: Jenny DeRemer

Cost: $3.09 per serving

Ingredients

for the creamy pimento cheese grits

½ cup stone ground grits
1 cup milk
1 cup water may substitute chicken broth for a richer taste
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
⅓ cup pimento cheese see my recipe for white cheddar pimento cheese

for the garlic butter shrimp

6 to 8 large raw shrimp peeled, deveined, and butterflied and cut through
3 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
2 cloves garlic minced, or more to taste
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon honey or more to taste

Instructions

for the creamy pimento cheese grits

Combine the grits, milk, water, salt and pepper in a medium sized non-stick saucepan.
Bring the contents of the pot to a boil. Begin whisking when the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and continue whisking for 3 minutes.
Make sure the heat is on a very low setting and place a lid on the pot. Simmer stirring occasionally for 12 minutes.
Add the pimento cheese and and the butter and whisk to fully melt both and combine. Replace the lid and simmer for an additional 5 to 8 minutes.
Remove from the heat but keep lid in place. Keep warm while shrimp are prepared.

for the garlic butter shrimp

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup. Once the butter has cooled to room temperature, add soy sauce, honey, minced garlic, and wine. Whisk thoroughly to combine.
Halve the garlic butter mixture and set one half aside. Add the shrimp to a plastic zipper bag. Add the remaining half of the marinade over the shrimp, seal the bag, and squeeze the bag to coat all of the shrimp. Marinate for 15 minutes on the counter.
Melt the remaining butter in a large non stick skillet over medium high heat. Remove shrimp from the marinade and add to the pan. Discard the marinade. *NOTE: if you plan to add optional ingredients, add them at this stage assuming they are fully cooked and need only be heated through. See my list of optional add-ins at the top of this post.
Reduce the heat to medium. Sauté shrimp for 3 minutes on one side before flipping. Pour the reserved half of unused marinade over the shrimp. Sauté for an additional 3 minutes. Shrimp will be opaque and the garlic butter sauce will have slightly thickened. Remove from heat and taste for seasoning.
To plate this dish, whisk the pimento cheese grits until they're smooth and spoon grits into 2 bowls. Top with shrimp, and equal amounts of the pan sauce. Garnish with ground black pepper if you like and serve immediately.

Notes

Make Ahead: Peel, devein and butterfly shrimp up to 1 day in advance. Bag prepared shrimp and place bag in a large bowl over ice. Refrigerate until ready to use. Note that ice will still melt in the fridge, so use a big bowl with only 1/4 ice.

Prep and measured out all other ingredients up to 1 day in advance.

Pro Tips: Ensure melted butter is completely cooled before marinating the shrimp. Hot enough, the butter will begin to cook the raw shrimp while marinating.

There are many varieties of grits to include stone ground, quick cooking, and instant. For the purposes of this recipe, I am specifying stone ground grits. There are links to stone ground grits in the post for purchasing.

Nutrition