Greek Shrimp and Grits (Shrimp Saganaki Grits)

Greek Shrimp and Grits is an incredible fusion of flavors from two great cuisines, halfway around the world from each other.

Plump shrimp in a beautifully flavored tomato sauce and topped with feta cheese. That’s our shrimp saganaki, the inspiration behind the “Greek” part of this dish.

And then, everything atop a pile of cheesy grits. That’s our Southern favorite, shrimp and grits. The combination is amazing!

In case you hadn’t noticed, we love our shrimp and grits. We’ve cooked them blackened, with pesto, and even made a surf and turf version.

We’ve been brainstorming ways to expand our shrimp and grits collection, and we’re going to have a lot more coming. But we think this Saganaki variation was a real winner.

Ingredients for Greek Shrimp and Grits

• Cheese grits
• Shrimp – We always use jumbo for our shrimp and grits.
• Extra virgin oil oil
• Onion – Diced.
• Canned diced tomatoes
• Herbs and spices – Dried oregano, red chili flakes, black pepper, fresh parsley.
• Flavor enhancers – White wine and honey
• Feta cheese

How to make Greek Shrimp and Grits

For the Grits

Cook grits according to the directions on the package. The cooking time will vary from 5 minutes for quick grits to half an hour for stone ground. (We don’t recommend instant grits for this recipe)

Once cooked, stir in cheese. Cheese is a must for shrimp and grits, for texture as well as flavor. We originally thought to use feta for this recipe, but thought that might be overdoing the feta, as it’s already in the saganaki.

We ended up using provolone, which is mild enough to not overpower the other flavors.

For the Shrimp

Season your shrimp with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Toss well and set aside.

In a skillet or pan, heat up olive oil then sauté the onions till they start turning golden brown.

Add in sliced garlic along with red chili flakes and oregano and sauté. Add in white wine, deglaze the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add in tomatoes along with honey and parsley. Stir well and cook for 15 minutes to develop a thick sauce. Taste and adjust any seasoning to your liking.

Add in shrimp. Combine well with the sauce. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. At the end, flip the shrimp over and top with feta. Simmer till it gets soft and melty, and the shrimp cooked through.

Assembling your Shrimp and Grits

Now the easy part… Get a big bowl and serve a nice heap of cheesy grits. Top with your Greek shrimp mixture. Garnish with some fresh parsley, and while you’re at it you might as well give it all a good splash of extra virgin olive oil!

Recipe Tips

• Don’t neglect to salt the water before adding grits. Once cooked, they will not absorb the salt.
• Stir grits frequently for the first few minutes to avoid clumping. No one wants lumpy grits.
• If grits thicken up too much while preparing the shrimp, simply stir in a little more water until you get the desired consistency.
• If using frozen shrimp, make sure to first thaw completely by submerging in water.
• When peeling shrimp, make sure to also remove the dark vein running along the back of the shrimp. Of course, you can always buy already peeled and deveined shrimp to make life easier.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

Store any leftovers separately, as they have different shelf lives. The shrimp mixture can refrigerate in an airtight container for a couple of days. The grits last well up to five days in the fridge.

Reheat the saganaki in the microwave or on the stovetop. The grits should be reheated on stovetop on a fairly low temperature, along with some extra water, as they will have thickened up.

So, the next time you see some plump shrimp at the market, think of this amazing flavor fusion delight. Trust us, it’s amazing.

And if you love shrimp and grits as much as we do, you’ll definitely want to subscribe to GypsyPlate. We have some great ideas churning up, and plan to become the go-to food blog for all your shrimp and grits needs.

In the meantime, give this great recipe a try, and please let us know how you love it. And until the next post in this series, you can also satisfy your grits craving with our grillades and grits! Until next time…

Greek Shrimp and Grits, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!

Try some of these other great shrimp recipes!
Shrimp de Jonghe
Shrimp Remoulade
Rasta Pasta
Shrimp Creole
Jambalaya Soup
Shrimp fra Diavolo

Greek Shrimp and Grits (Shrimp Saganaki Grits)

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Greek Shrimp and Grits is an incredible fusion of flavors. Plump shrimp in a beautifully flavored tomato sauce, topped with feta and served atop a creamy bed of grits.

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Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked grits
• 4oz provolone cheese
• 1lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided + more for garnish
• 3 cloves sliced garlic, divided
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 tsp red chili flakes
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 14oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 2 tsp honey
• 4oz feta cheese, crumbled
• Parsley, for garnish

Instructions

1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil over high heat. Add salt to the water and stir in grits. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until cooked, stirring frequently. Refer to package for cooking time, which will vary depending on the type of grits. Once cooked, stir in provolone cheese. (see note 1)
2. In a bowl, mix shrimp with one tablespoon olive oil, one chopped garlic clove and salt and pepper to taste. Toss well to cover the shrimp all over.
3. In a pan, heat remaining olive oil on medium high heat and sauté the onions till soft and starting to turn brown, about 5-6 minutes. Add in remaining two cloves chopped garlic, along with red chili flakes and oregano, and sauté for a minute.
4. Add in wine and cook for 2-3 minutes, deglazing the pot. Add in tomatoes, stir well. Add in honey and parsley and simmer for 15 minutes so you create a rich, thick sauce.
5. Add in marinated shrimp and stir well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
   Turn shrimp over and sprinkle feta all over. Cover cook another 4-5 minutes, till the feta is soft and looks melty.
6. In individual serving bowls, serve grits and top with shrimp mixture. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and extra virgin olive oil.

Notes

1. If grits get too thick, you can always stir in more water. If you add too much water, you can cook it off. They are very forgiving.

Nutrition Information

Yield 4 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 533Total Fat 21gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 13gCholesterol 259mgSodium 1443mgCarbohydrates 45gFiber 4gSugar 6gProtein 37g

Nutrition information calculated by Nutritionix.

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Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.