Creamy Bacon-Mushroom Shrimp and Grits

Recipe courtesy of Florida Agriculture Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture.

Recipe Ingredients:

Grits for 4 servings
3 slices bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely minced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup celery, chopped fine
1/3 cup green pepper; chopped fine
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Dash hot pepper sauce
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Cooking Directions:

1. Prepare grits according to package directions; set aside and keep warm.
2. Fry bacon until crisp then remove from pan and set aside.
3. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat in the pan and add olive oil to bacon fat; heat over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, celery, green pepper, thyme, bay leaf and mushrooms; sauté until soft.
4. Add shrimp and cook until pink and cooked through.
5. Stir in half-and-half, bacon, cayenne pepper, hot sauce and lemon juice; simmer until heated through.
6. To Serve: In individual bowls or plates, spoon shrimp over grits; sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe and photograph courtesy of Florida Agriculture Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture.