{Pinned there, Done That} Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Grits

I came across this pin the other day for Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Grits from foodnetwork.com and Oh. My. Gosh... this was an awesomely quick and yummy shrimp and grits recipe!

In fact, hubby couldn't really tell the difference between this recipe and my Wedding Shrimp and Grits recipe. It totally is. In his defense, I haven't made the Wedding Shrimp and Grits recipe in quite a while, lol, and they both have grits, shrimp, and andoulli sausage. But similarities end there, wedding recipe calls for heavy cream, a STICK of butter, and cheddar... Lemon Garlic has water/chicken broth,  It is SO much healthier and quicker though, but you do kind of miss out on all the creamy goodness of the Wedding Shrimp and Grits.

My grits were a touch runny... maybe the extra lemon juice I added, I don't know. But they were perfect 15 minutes later after hubby got off a phone call to eat.

I did tweak this recipe a bit, but it took me only 30 minutes start to finish (compared to the 30 some-odd minutes of just qrit-work in the Wedding recipe).

Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Grits

original recipe
footnetwork.com + a few tweaks

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup instant grits 
• 2 C water + 1 C chicken broth
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact
• 2-3 andoulli sausages (my addition)
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)  (I decided cayenne was not necessary since I was using andoulli sausage which tends to be spicy.
  
• Juice of 1/2 lemon, plus wedges for serving (I added an extra tablespoon or two of jarred lemon juice to the shrimp/andoulli mixture)
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Bring 3 2 cups of water and 1 cup of chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, covered. Uncover and slowly whisk in the grits, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan and 1 tablespoon butter. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, slice andoulli sausage into coins and saute in a large skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add the butter to the pan until melted. Add shrimp, garlic and cayenne, if using, and cook, tossing, until the shrimp are pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add 2 tablespoons water, the lemon juice (plus extra jarred lemon juice) and parsley; stir to coat the shrimp and andoulli sausage with the sauce and season with salt and pepper.

Divide the grits among shallow bowls and top with the shrimp and sauce. Serve with lemon wedges.
Serves: 4

I HIGHLY recommend this recipe!