Low Country Shrimp & Polenta
Celebrate the last days of summer with this weeknight twist on a low-country boil. This week's recipe features a rich, creamy polenta with Cajun-boiled shrimp, corn, and potatoes.
Smoked paprika gives this dish its bright color and nostalgic end-of-summer taste.
I think there's this idea that shrimp is too elite for everyday cooking, but this versatile protein is incredibly easy to prepare, inexpensive, and healthy. Most people don't think about seafood for immune health, but crustaceans pack a serious punch in immune-supporting nutrients. (Read more about the antioxidants and other benefits of shrimp at Web MD here.) It's a little high in cholesterol, but not in the proper proportion and frankly, if you are a low-cholesterol candidate, this is not your blog. Also, I have toyed with the idea of putting estimated times to make the dish or to complete various steps, but honestly, I have no idea how long it will take you and how long it takes me might be completely misleading.
Last week I received several comments of elation that I didn't demand everyone read or scroll past my life story for every recipe. Thank you for the compliments. I am sure your life is just as interesting (or boring) as mine and we don't really need to devolve into self-serving monologues. I'm here to cook and to eat. I assume you are too. Good, glad we sorted that out.
The frozen shrimp at Whole Foods is perfect – you can pull out the exact number you want to cook at one time and keep the others safely stowed in the icy dark until you're ready to make this recipe again.
I chose polenta because I like the firmness it provides, but you could use grits. Just follow the package directions for cooking. Get the freshest corn you can - I highly recommend a farmer's market or roadside stand to ensure it was harvested this week. You'll get the best flavor out of it now before the sugars in the kernels start to transition into starch.
This recipe serves two for lunch; double it for a hefty dinner.
Ingredients:
1 cup salted vegetable broth (homemade preferred but store bought is fine).
1/4 cup polenta
4 tbsp butter
Cajun seasoning (to taste)
Fresh corn (on the cob preferred)
Smoked Paprika
Salt (to taste)
1/4 cup cheddar cheese
6-8 shrimp
Fresh lemon slices (optional)
2 fresh herb leaves (optional) - cilantro, basil, or parsley recommended - thinly sliced
Step 1: Prep the Ingredients
Set a large pot of water over high heat and wait for it to boil. While you're waiting, add 2 tbsp butter, Cajun seasoning (I add about 2-3 Tbsp), and salt. Dice one large potato and add to the water to boil. Remove when tender - about 10-15 minutes.
Wrap each half ear of corn in foil with one tablespoon of butter, dash of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Position the butter on the top of the corn so it melts down over the cob as it cooks.
I like to cook my shrimp in the shell because it retains more flavor and keeps it from drying out. However, you MUST devein the shrimp, which is something of a misnomer. The narrow, black line along the edge of the shrimp is not a vein. It is shrimp feces. Technically, you can eat it, but who would want to? Take a sharp paring knife to the "vein" at one end of the shrimp and pull it out. It normally comes out all at once in a thin, string-like line. If it doesn't, you'll have to delicately go in and remove the rest along the full line of the shrimp.
Fill a large bowl or strainer with ice and set aside.
Step 2: Cook
Put your foil-wrapped corn in the oven (you can also steam it if you prefer, but the oven steams and butter-bastes it at the same time this way). Set a timer for 15 minutes.
Place a small saucepan on the stove and heat the vegetable broth until it boils. Add polenta, the remaining 1 tbsp butter, and a dash of smoked paprika. Don't add salt yet until you know how it develops.
When the potatoes come out of the boiling water, allow to reheat fully to boil and then drop the shrimp in gently. You can do this one at a time by hand or lower them in in batches with a slotted spoon. When they turn pink and rise to the top, pull them out and place them on the ice bath.
Continue stirring the polenta as it reduces down over the next five to seven minutes. Taste periodically and salt as needed (if at all). Just before turning off the heat, add the cheddar cheese and stir in. Set aside to allow it for firm up.
Remove the corn from the oven, open the foil, and allow it to begin to cool.
Step 3: Plate
Distribute the polenta evenly between the bowls. Add boiled potatoes in a circle in the center of each bowl, then 3-4 shrimp on top/arond.
Slice the cooked corn off the cob and sprinkle over the top of the shrimp. Add a dash of paprika. If you're using herbs, they go on last. You can use tweezers if you're feeling bougie, but it's really only if you need to feel fancy. Squeeze a lemon slice over the top of everything and add a final tinge of salt. Serve hot. Freshly-brewed iced Earl Grey tea recommended.
Did you make this? Tell me how it went! Pictures and videos encouraged! Tag @delicatablog.