Shrimp & Grits

Comfort food, anyone? Every time we visit my hometown Sumter, SC, that next morning, my husband and I always have breakfast at our favorite spot called Baker’s Sweets. I always get the same thing every time; Shrimp and Grits. It’s so delicious and comes with a healthy portion of shrimp and sausage. One morning, I was trying to decide what to make for breakfast. I opened the freezer and saw a bag of frozen shrimp that we hadn’t cooked yet. Aha! That’s when I made my own version of Shrimp and Grits. I hope you like it.

Ingredients:

• 6-10 frozen large deveined shrimp, cleaned and thawed
• 1 cup of grits
• 2 slices of bacon
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp green onion, sliced

Directions:

1. Slice green onion and set aside.
2. Cook grits per directions and set aside.
3. In a small bowl mix together cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.
4. In a cast iron skillet, add bacon and cook. Remove bacon from skillet and place on a paper towel to discard excess grease.
5. Add shrimp to skillet using bacon grease for flavor.
6. Sprinkle seasoning mix on shrimp. Cook shrimp for 2-3 minutes before turning.
7. Sprinkle other sides of shrimp with seasoning mix and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Shrimp should turn bright orange.
8. Once cooked, set shrimp aside.
9. In a small pan over medium-high heat, add 1/2 tsp olive oil.
10. Crack and add 1 egg. Season as desired and flip once one side has cooked.
11. Once egg is cooked on both sides, set aside.
12. To assemble, add cooked grits to a medium bowl, add fried egg, add cooked shrimp, add crumbed bacon, and green onion. Enjoy!