The Best Fish and Grits Recipe

Tender fish fillets, perfectly seasoned with a smoky Cajun blend, are paired with creamy grits for a dish that’s as comforting as it is bold.

Any self respecting southerner knows that grits is a traditional side dish with fish - most commonly fried fish. Here you've got a recipe that's actually created to marry the fish and the grits.

Fish filets are cooked in a skillet with Cajun, Creole or blackened seasoning. Make your favorite style grits and top with the fish and optional pan sauce from where you cooked the fish.

This Cajun-style fish and grits recipe brings a spicy flavorful twist to a Southern classic.

Jump to:

• Ingredient notes:
• Steps for making fish and grits
• Expert tips
• Variations
• FAQ's about Fish & Grits
• Storing
• Need some ideas of what to serve with your fish and grits?
• 📖 Recipe
• Modern Southern Recipes

Ingredient notes:

This recipe is super flexible and can be adapted to what you have on hand and what's in your pantry and fridge.

Besides the fish and the grits you'll need the below ingredients:

We've made plain grits using the "quick" 5 minute type and whole milk for creaminess. We do not recommend using instant grits. If you want to go all out you could make pimento cheese grits like we do with our chicken and grits recipe. If you prefer stone-ground grits, by all means make them. Likewise we prefer white grits, but if you like yellow that's fine.

For the seasoning on the fish we use a fairly light dusting of our blackened seasoning blend. We like that you can control the salt and heat level to your preference. It's also easy to make a batch to keep on hand. If you're in a hurry, you can use a store-bought version of Cajun seasoning or Creole seasoning like Tony Chachere.

The fish can be any firm flaky white fish. One of our favorites is mahi mahi, but you could also use grouper, red snapper or any other with fairly thick filets. Since you're pan frying you don't want a thin fish that would fall apart, like tilapia.

If you made a fish dinner the night before, this is a great use of leftover fish!

See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.

Steps for making fish and grits

1. Make the quick grits and set aside to keep warm.
2. Brush fish filets with vegetable oil and sprinkle with seasoning.
3. Heat remaining oil in a skillet over medium heat to medium-high heat.
4. Cook fish in the hot oil for a couple of minutes (2-3 minutes per side) or until centers are firm and opaque and golden brown on the surface.
5. If making a pan sauce deglaze your pan with white wine or chicken broth scraping the bottom of the pan and the sides.
6. Put a serving of grits on a plate or in a bowl. Top with fish and if desired, spoon a little bit of pan sauce on top.
7. Garnish if desired with chopped parsley, green onions or lemon wedges.

Expert tips

• Use the long cooking type of grits if you like. We usually have on the hand the 5 minute type (not instant) and that's what we use. We use whole milk for this recipe but you could use skim, 1%, 2% or even half and half.
• Use a skillet that is not non-stick like a cast iron pan. You want some of the seasoning and bits of pan-fried fish to stick to the pan if you're making pan sauce.
• We find a temperature of between medium and medium high to be the sweet spot, but your cooktop may vary.
• The skillet for the fish gets pretty hot so we do not recommend using olive oil, but instead a high heat type oil like canola or safflower.

Variations

• You could make this recipe with your protein of choice. You could use Cajun shrimp, scallops or chicken (we've got the recipe for chicken and grits here and pork chops here).
• If you like a lot of spice, make it a true blackened recipe by going heavier with the seasoning.
• If you like creamy cheese grits but don't want to go the pimento cheese route just toss in a little sharp cheddar cheese and stir until it melts. If you just like buttery grits you can do the same with about two tablespoons of butter.

FAQ's about Fish & Grits

Storing

If you have leftovers, it's best to store the fish and grits separately. If you've made the pan sauce store it separately too. It will all keep in airtight containers and refrigerated for 4-5 days.

Grits reheat best on a stovetop over medium low heat, stirring and adding more liquid as needed. The fish is best heated on a stovetop in an open skillet. The pan sauce will heat nicely in the microwave or on a stovetop.

 For just one serving and to make it extra easy go ahead and assemble in an airtight container and when you're ready just microwave it. As long as you cover it with a paper towel it's going to be fine. With the pan sauce added it won't be quite as pretty as when freshly assembled, but it's still delicious.

Need some ideas of what to serve with your fish and grits?

Any of the dishes below would be fabulous!

• Summer Slaw
• Baked Tomato Slices
• Corn Souffle Casserole
• Squash Fritters
• Crustless Tomato Pie
• Crustless Squash Pie

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