Shrimp and Grits with Red-Eye Gravy is a fun twist on traditional Shrimp and Grits. The sauce is based on Red-Eye Gravy, another classic southern recipe that is made with coffee and served over country ham.
How To Make
Shrimp and Grits with Red-Eye Gravy is a super easy dish to make. First, get your grits going because they take the longest to cook.
Next, a little country ham that has been cut into slivers is pan-fried until crispy. Set it aside and add a little butter and oil to the pan. Lightly season the shrimp with salt and garlic powder and cook them in the butter/oil mixture for just 2 to 3 minutes. Set the shrimp aside with the ham.
Add a little more butter to the pan along with 1 tablespoon of flour. Cook the flour for 1 minute and then add 1/2 cup of strong coffee, 1/3 cup of BBQ Sauce, and 1/3 cup of chicken broth. I love the slightly sweet and smoky flavor the BBQ Sauce gives the shrimp and grits. The sauce just needs to simmer for a minute or two and you are ready to plate the dish as soon as the grits are done.
I add a little Parmesan cheese to the grits but some cheddar cheese would be good too.
Shrimp and Grits with Red-Eye Gravy makes a fabulous brunch recipe. Your guests will really be impressed.
Recipe Tips
- You can use fresh or frozen and thawed shrimp. If you don’t live near the coast where you have access to very fresh shrimp, you are probably better off buying frozen shrimp.
- Be careful not to overcook the shrimp. They are done as soon as they turn opaque. Two to three minutes should be plenty.
Storage
Store leftovers grits and leftovers shrimp mixture in separate containers in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Shrimp are highly perishable so I don’t like to keep leftovers for long. If the grits are too thick, stir a little milk or water into them before reheating.
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Shrimp and Grits with Red Eye Gravy
Equipment
Ingredients
Grits
- 3 cups water
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking grits
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Shrimp and Red Eye Gravy
- 1/4 pound country ham, cut into thin strips
- 2 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
- 1 1/4 pounds medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/2 cup strong coffee, room temperature
- 1/3 cup bbq sauce, I use Stubb’s Sweet and spicy
- 1/3 cup chicken broth
- 2 green onions, sliced
Instructions
- Bring water, milk, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Slowly whisk in grits. Turn heat down some and cook, stirring frequently for about 15 minutes.Stir in butter, cheese and pepper and keep warm.
- Add ham to a large nonstick or cast iron pan. Cook over medium-high heat for a few minutes to get crispy. Remove ham from pan and set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and heat over medium-high heat. Season shrimp with salt and garlic powder and add to pan. Cook about 2 to 3 minutes, just until cooked through. Remove shrimp from pan and place with ham.
- Add remaining tablespoon of butter to pan and sprinkle flour into pan. Cook flour for 1 minutes and then whisk in coffee, bbq sauce, and chicken broth. Simmer until thickened.
- To dish up, divide grits between 4 bowls. Top with shrimp and ham and sauce. Sprinkle with green onions.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
We loved it. It’s the firs time I have ever made it at home. I always like to order it at the few restaurants around our area that serve it.
The best shrimp and grits I have ever tasted made with red-eye gravy was at a biker bar on A1A just north of Flagler Beach, FL. Then a few years ago, my favorite shrimp & grits was suddenly unrecognizable: NO red-eye gravy, clumpy dry grits and just plain tasteless. I haven’t been back since. I guess their best chef had retired. Sad.
I’m looking forward to trying the 5-star listed above. Thanx
Outstanding! My 90-year old Swedish father-in-law said, ‘out of this world’. Creamy, cheesy grits and a complex-tasting sauce that was indeed very easy to bring together. I used water in the red eye sauce instead of chicken broth and were none the worse for it, Thank you for a great recipe!
Fabulous. Never used milk before in grits and they were really creamy. I will always do grits this way.
I am going to try this. The recipe looks like it will be great. Need to get all the ingredients.
I NEVER post a review on a recipe before I try it, but here is my first exception. This looks outstanding. I’m fixing this tonight with some beautiful fresh wild caught Georgia shrimp. The ONLY change I will make is to use regular grits rather than quick cooking (instant). I cannot bring myself to use instant!! Unlike the traditional “grits for breakfast” grits, we like to cook them down over an extended period of time slowly adding some milk as they tighten up. The end result is a fabulously creamy, silky base for whatever you’re going to serve them with. Sorry, that’s the traditionalist that I am!! This is going to be perfection, I know it already! Thank you for the recipe.
Got water in my mouth :D. Very delisious recipes you post on your blog. I’ll try few recipes tomorrow. Thanks
Thank you so much! I can’t wait to make this. You can’t have too many different ways to make shrimp and grits, in my opinion.
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Hi Christin. This recipe looks so good and different, and I can’t wait to make it. However, I don’t see a measurement for the grits. How much do I add to make the recipe? Thanks in advance.
Thanks for catching that for me. It should be 1 1/2 cups of grits.