Cajun Inspired Shrimp Boil + Grits

I’ve told y’all before that I grew up in Louisiana for part of my childhood. Because of that, many of my family’s favorite dishes are cajun dishes. Gumbo is near and dear to our hearts, but that is a pretty lengthy recipe. So today, I’m going to share with you two recipes that I’ve come to love. Then I’m going to throw them together to make my Cajun Inspired Shrimp Boil + Grits.

This delicious recipe is sponsored by Good Moo’d. Although I have been compensated, all thoughts, opinions and mouth-watering recipes are my own.

Admit it – this recipe sounds good af! Cajun boils are one of my favorite things to cook (and eat) because they’re so dang easy to make. Grits fall under that same category so when you put the two together, it’s a match made in cajun heaven! 

Shrimp and grits has pretty much become a classic recipe at this point. There aren’t too many brunches you’ll go to that won’t have it on the menu. The beautiful thing is, they’re almost never the same recipe. And the same goes for this one.

How to Make Savory Grits

I’m not going to lie, this was my first time cooking grits this way. But I had some chicken broth I made earlier this week so I figured why not. The broth added such a savory, flavorful touch to the grits. 

The other ingredient I used was a familiar one, Good Moo’d Lactose free ultra-filtered whole milk. It has 25% less sugar than the leading lactose free milk so it’s not as sweet. But mainly, I used it because it makes grits SUPER creamy and acted as a good agent to balance flavors in this recipe.

I put a cup of each in a pot, added a couple sage leaves and brought it to a boil. Then added 1 cup of grits and cooked it according to the package. After it was all cooked through, I took out the save, sliced up some lactose-free cheddar cheese and mixed it until it melted.

How to Make a Shrimp Boil

You’ll start out with making your shrimp boil. Fill up a pot about ½-¾ full, then season. You can use either powder or liquid crab boil (found in the seasoning section of your grocery store) to make the base of the shrimp boil. But whatever you do, taste your water before adding ingredients. While you will want it slightly over-seasoned, too much can make your dish too spicy or salty. After you’ve got the seasoning figured out, add at least 1-2 quartered lemons, 1-2 quartered onions, and a bulb of peeled and halved garlic. Trust me when I say this will add mad flavor to your dish. Bring that to a boil then we’ll start adding the good stuff.

When making a cajun boil, you always want to consider how quickly each of the ingredients cook, and add them from longest to shortest. Shrimp will always take the least amount of time to make so I add that in during the last 5-10 minutes (depending on if it’s frozen or not). If you’re cooking with potatoes, that’ll be the first thing you add to the pot. In this recipe, we’ll add the corn first and cook it for about 5 minutes, then we’ll add the sausage for about 2 minutes, and finally the shrimp for the last 5 minutes. Typically, you never take any of the ingredients out of the pot until the end. But if your pot isn’t big enough, just make sure each ingredient cooks through before removing the item from the boiling water, then add the next.

How to Make Sage Tomatoes

This is a fun add on that you might not need, but will totally want. Heat up about 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan and season the oil with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Then throw in some cut up fresh sage and a nice little pack of washed cherry tomatoes. Sautee them until they’ve blistered (or a little more if you like some char).

Hot to Plate Cajun Inspired Shrimp Boil + Grits

First, add a healthy dollop of grits. Then spoon on some of the shrimp boil (ignoring the corn for a minute). Totally fine if you get some of the water in there. It should be seasoned if you followed instructions earlier. (: Top this off with the yummy tomatoes then lay a piece of your corn on the side of the grits. I like to add some fresh green onions for color and crunch, but you can totally use parsley if that’s the green veg you have! VOILA! You made grits!