If there ever was ever a dish/meal that described my marriage perfectly it’s this One Pan Mexican Shrimp and Grits. This dish has all the comforts of the Southern classic Shrimp and Grits, which you could say represents my husband to a “T” because he is Southern through & through. But it also has the mix of fresh ingredients with a savory Mexican taste. Which represents me, since I was born & raised in California.
But when you mix all the amazing flavors together, it’s a match made in heaven! 😉
The beauty of this dish is the fresh ingredients all blended together with the grits and of course that it’s a one pan meal.
There are several ingredients that go into this dish, but trust me it’s so worth it. I don’t want to be one of those bloggers that say, it’s easy or made in minutes. But…honestly it’s little effort for an incredible filling meal.
I’m sure this One Pan Mexican Shrimp and Grits will become a family favorite.
You simply chop up your red peppers & your tomatoes, wash your cilantro and that’s really all the prepping that it takes. You can use regular tomatoes or if you have the mini variety pack from Costco – use those like I did. The other fun thing about serving this dish (or one pan meal) is the colors! It’s all so beautiful put together.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of EVOO
- 1 medium red pepper
- 1 - 2 teaspoons of minced garlic (depending on your taste)
- several cherry tomatoes or 2 medium sized chopped
- handful of rinsed cilantro
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon of Mexican seasoning (depending on your taste)
- 1 teaspoon of Lemon Pepper
- juice from 1 lime
- 1-2 sliced Avocados
- 1 1/2 cup of shredded cheese (Mexican cheese or cheddar - whatever you have on hand)
- Grits - follow the directions on the back. I used yellow corn (polenta) gluten free grits but white grits would work just as well.
- 1 lb of shrimp or you can use the frozen 12 oz bag
Instructions
- In a large pan or cast iron skillet heat your EVOO on medium heat.
- Saute' your chopped red pepper in EVOO, after 3 minutes add your minced garlic. Blend together for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add your tomatoes and a handful of cilantro - blend/stir together over medium heat - leave some to add to the top.
- Add your s&p, cumin and mexican spices - blend/stir together.
- Add your shrimp to the skillet
- Add the juice from 1 lime over everything in your skillet.
- Cook your shrimp until light pink/coral color. (5-6 minutes depending on the size* and amount of shrimp) Once your shrimp is cooked take your cooked shrimp out of the pan and place on a plate temporarily.
- Turn the heat up to high and add your water* for your grits so it will start to boil.
- Add your grits and stir occasionally. Grits typically cook in 3-5 (depending on the amount) so make sure you are watching & stirring them.
- Once your grits on done, top with the remaining 1/2 of shredded cheese, place your cooked shrimp on top, add extra chopped tomatoes and cilantro for color/presentation & extra yumminess.
- Slice 1-2 avocados and place them on top of everything.
- Sprinkle lemon pepper over the entire skillet.* (depending on taste)
- Enjoy~!
The shrimp are just so little, so they don’t take long to cook. I tried this dish before and left them in the pan while the grits cooked, and it just wasn’t my favorite. It’s worth the extra step to remove those little shrimp boogers. 😉
But leave as much of the other ingredients in the pan while you cook the grits. The grits will absorb all the other flavors from the red peppers, garlic, cilantro, lime juice – etc… and will become full of flavor.
On a good day with little interruption (which hardly ever happens in this house) I can make this dish from start to finish in 20 minutes.
My husband sometimes tops his bowl with salsa.
Sometimes, I’ll add bacon in with this dish.
That’s the beauty of it. You can add more or take away if you don’t like something or you don’t have something on hand. It will still taste great!
