grilled shrimp with sweet corn polenta

Grilled shrimp, salty pancetta, sweet corn, and creamy polenta.

Indubitably delicious.

I saw a recipe photo on the cover of Food & Wine last month that inspired this. I think it was actually a saffron risotto with grilled shrimp, but polenta sounded so much better. It was surprisingly easy and the flavor pay off was definitely high.

Not a single complaint. It even made fabulous leftovers for lunch the next day.

Make this, people will love you. You know, even more than they already do.

Grilled Shrimp with Sweet Corn Polenta

4 oz pancetta, diced

1 shallot, minced

4 cups chicken stock, divided

1 cup stone ground polenta (grits)

½ cup heavy cream, warmed

2 oz parmesan cheese, finely grated

20 large (18 ct) shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 tablespoon olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 ears of sweet corn, shucked and cleaned

In a 4 quart saucepan over medium-high heat, cook the pancetta until browned and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon, set aside. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the shallot until softened. Pour 3 cups chicken stock into the saucepan, scraping the bottom to release any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Allow to come to a boil. Add the polenta slowly while whisking constantly. Stir frequently, adding more chicken stock as needed to keep a smooth consistency, until polenta is tender, about 20-30 minutes. When finished, stir in the heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Season to taste with kosher salt. Cover and keep warm in a ceramic dish that can hold eat or over very low heat on the stove – stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, toss the shrimp with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the corn until blackened in some spots and tender. Cut the kernels off the ears and stir into the polenta. Grill the shrimp for about 1 minute each side or until opaque and grill marks appear. Serve the shrimp over the polenta and sprinkle with the pancetta bits.    

Comments

[katie]

Wowza that looks delicious! I love the fresh corn in the polenta. Ok you twisted my arm, I'm making it.

[TA Away]

Is that bacon on there? A++++

[yoliebolie]

Do you have an estimate of the nutritional info? This looks amaaazing.