Gordon Ramsay’s shrimp and grits is Creole-seasoned prawns seared with garlic, shallots and Worcestershire, finished with vodka and butter, served over brown butter polenta with Parmesan. The shrimp take 2 minutes, the grits take 10, and the whole dish is on the table in under 15 minutes.
Ramsay has never published a shrimp and grits recipe under that name, but everything you need is across two of his books. The grits come from his Cajun-spiced Monkfish with Polenta in Ramsay in 10, where he says “this is my take on shrimp and grits” but uses monkfish instead of prawns. The shrimp come from his NOLA-style BBQ Shrimp in Uncharted, his actual Southern US prawn technique from the Louisiana episode. On the Late Show he told Colbert he’d make it “creamier, adding butter and grated Parmesan cheese” and make it “look a bit sexy.”
What makes this version different from every other recipe online is the brown butter in the grits. Ramsay browns the butter until nutty before adding the polenta, which toasts the grains in fat and gives them a depth that boiling in water alone never gets close to. That one step is why restaurant grits taste different from the packet instructions, and none of the competitor recipes on page one mention it.
Gordon Ramsay Shrimp and Grits
Course: DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy2
servings5
minutes10
minutes520
kcal15
minutesCreole-seasoned shrimp over brown butter Parmesan grits, built from Ramsay’s polenta technique in Ramsay in 10 and his NOLA-style BBQ shrimp from Uncharted. He told Colbert his fix for grits is “creamier, butter, Parmesan.” This version does exactly that. Source: Adapted from Ramsay in 10 (Hodder & Stoughton, 2021) and Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted (Grand Central, 2024).
Ingredients
For the grits:
90g (6 tbsp) butter
90g (½ cup) quick-cook grits or polenta
400ml (1¾ cups) chicken stock
60g (2 oz) Parmesan, finely grated
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the shrimp:
350g (12 oz) raw king prawns, peeled and deveined
2 tsp Creole seasoning
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 bunch spring onions (about 6), thinly sliced
3 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
30ml (1 oz) vodka or white wine
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Directions
- Start the grits: Put half the butter into a large saucepan over a medium heat. When the butter has turned nut brown and smells nutty, add the grits and stir to coat in the fat. Slowly pour in the stock while whisking constantly. The grits will start to thicken as they heat.
- Cook the grits: Swap the whisk for a wooden spoon and keep stirring as the grits cook for 3-5 minutes until thick and creamy. Add the remaining butter and grate in the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, stir until the butter and cheese have melted, then cover with a lid to keep warm.
- Season the shrimp: Toss the prawns with the Creole seasoning and salt in a bowl.
- Sear the shrimp: Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the prawns in a single layer and cook for about 30 seconds until they start to turn opaque.
- Build the sauce: Add the garlic and shallot and cook for 1 minute until softened. Flip the prawns and add the Worcestershire sauce, spring onions and cubed butter. Once the butter melts completely, add the vodka or white wine and let the mixture simmer for 1 minute. Once the prawns are pink, remove from the heat and squeeze over a lemon wedge. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Serve: Spoon the grits into two wide bowls. Arrange the shrimp on top and pour the butter sauce over everything. Garnish with sliced spring onions and serve with lemon wedges on the side.
FAQs
Why does Ramsay brown the butter before adding the grits?
Every packet of grits tells you to boil water and stir them in, which gives you bland porridge. Ramsay does the opposite in his Ramsay in 10 polenta: he browns the butter first until it smells nutty, then adds the grits so they toast in the fat before any liquid goes in. That one step coats every grain in browned milk solids, which is where all the flavour lives.
It is the same principle behind his shrimp scampi where the sauce of caramelised shallots, white wine and capers builds in layers rather than everything going in at once. Fat first, liquid second, cheese last.
What did Ramsay tell Colbert about shrimp and grits?
On the Late Show, Colbert challenged Ramsay to explain how he’d improve the Southern classic. Ramsay said he’d make it “creamier, adding butter and grated Parmesan cheese” and make it “look a bit sexy.” He did not mention cream, which is what most recipes add for richness, because his approach is butter and Parmesan doing the work instead.
His own website reportedly lists shrimp and Parmigiano cheese grits as “the most popular American food served to him,” so this is not a dish he just talked about once and forgot.
What is the difference between grits and polenta?
Ramsay addresses this directly in Ramsay in 10 when he says “you could also use American grits, which are very similar but made from ground white corn rather than yellow corn, so are lighter in colour and have a slightly different texture.” Both work in this recipe, though true Southern grits have a more delicate flavour while polenta is earthier and slightly more coarse.
If you are in the UK, polenta is easier to find in supermarkets. If you are in the US, stone-ground grits from a Southern brand are the move because quick-cook grits lose texture.
What is the Creole seasoning from the Uncharted recipe?
Ramsay’s NOLA-style BBQ Shrimp uses a simple Creole blend of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, thyme, cayenne and black pepper. You can buy pre-mixed Creole seasoning in most supermarkets, or make your own by mixing equal parts smoked paprika and dried oregano with half parts garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne and black pepper.
The key is not to over-season because the Worcestershire and butter sauce already brings salt and umami. A light coating on the prawns is enough for the sear to do its job.
What did Ramsay praise on MasterChef?
In Season 7, contestant Tanorria Askew made shrimp and grits that Ramsay called “the best in the MasterChef kitchen.” Her version included andouille sausage, bell peppers, okra and a veggie gravy over the grits, which is closer to a Low Country version than the streamlined one here. If you want to take this recipe further, dicing a chorizo or andouille sausage and frying it until crisp before cooking the shrimp adds a smoky, meaty layer underneath the seafood.
Tanorria went on to publish the recipe in her cookbook Staples +5, and it is worth looking up if you want the full competition version.
Do shrimp and grits reheat well?
The grits reheat perfectly because they are just starch and fat: add a splash of stock and stir over low heat until creamy again. The shrimp do not because they go rubbery in the microwave and lose their sear. Cook fresh shrimp each time and warm the leftover grits as the base.
If you want a shrimp dish that works as leftovers, the prawn tostadas from Ultimate Home Cooking use the same garlic and chilli flake marinade but the seared prawns work cold the next day tossed through the salad, which grits obviously do not.
