Your email address is required to begin the subscription process. We will use it for customer service and other communications from Milk Street. You can unsubscribe from receiving our emails at any time.
Polenta with Shrimp and Tomatoes
Polenta e schie, a specialty of Venice, Italy, is polenta topped with tiny local shrimp called schie. The dish typically is a minimalist, sauce-free marriage of corn and crustacean, but Michela Tasca, owner of Ca’ de Memi farm and bed and breakfast in Piombino Dese, just north of Venice, taught us a version in which the schie are poached in a simple tomato sauce accented with garlic and fresh herbs. Our version uses the large shrimp available in the U.S. in place of the schie. We simmer the polenta in the oven; the gentle, even heat obviates the need for frequent stirring. This means that while the polenta cooks, you’re free to prep the other ingredients. Be sure to use coarse stoneground cornmeal; fine cornmeal produces gluey polenta, and steel-ground cornmeal lacks flavor. If juicy, ripe tomatoes are not available, look for cocktail or Campari tomatoes, as we find them to be dependably good no matter the season.
6
Servings
Tip
Don’t begin cooking the shrimp until the polenta is done. In the covered pan or pot, the polenta will remain hot for the short amount of time it takes to cook the shrimp and tomatoes. Don’t worry if the shrimp are only parcooked after their quick sear. They’ll finish cooking when they simmer with the tomatoes for a couple of minutes.
1¼ hours
Ingredients
-
1
cup coarse stoneground yellow cornmeal
-
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Directions
-
01Heat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the lower-middle position. In a large oven-safe saucepan or small (4- to 5-quart) Dutch oven, combine the cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt and 5½ cups water, then whisk to combine.Bring to a gentle simmer over medium, stirring often, then place uncovered in the oven and cook for 45 minutes.
Pardon the interruption
You need to be a Milk Street Digital Member to see the full recipe
JOIN MILK STREET DIGITAL & PRINT
12 WEEKS FOR JUST $1
and get access to all of our recipes and articles online, as well as in print.
GET DIGITAL & PRINTReviews
March 12, 2023
I make this again and again.
This is a company pleaser.
July 30, 2022
Try with fried polenta
I made this dish when everyone else in the house was sick because I had already thawed the shrimp. Well, that turned out amazing because we used the Milk Street fried polenta recipe with the left overs and the crispy polenta paired perfectly with the shrimp and tomatoes. It's my partner's new favorite and she doesn't realize it was supposed to be fresh polenta!
December 24, 2022
Grits and shrimp?
Recipe works well with grits. Tomatoes should be sweet and overripe/juicy. Can use cooked spinach instead of parsley. Careful with shrimp which keeps cooking off heat. Fry about 30 seconds to one minute, remove from heat, add to tomatoes just before serving. If tomatoes too acid use dash of sugar
June 26, 2022
What’s wrong with my polenta?
The flavor for this dish was fantastic but I couldn’t get the polenta right. I increased the polenta to 1.5x and used 8 cups of water instead of 8.25. Despite increasing the oven cooking time by up to 20 minutes, the polenta never thickened to what I call the mounding stage (think soft peaks). By that time the small humans in my life needed their supper so I decided to serve. How could I do this differently to get the results I wanted?
April 26, 2023
Comfort Food
Delicious simple sauce and easy polenta! Made it on a rainy day and will make it again soon. Don't give in to the temptation of over searing the shrimp(like I did), they finish quickly and nicely in the simmering sauce.
Become A Subscriber To Rate and Review All Our Recipes.
Please Log in or join today for $1.
I'm so excited to be apart of Milk St.