I love shrimp and grits. If it’s on a menu, I almost always get it to see the chef’s interpretation. One of my favorite shrimp and grit recipes incorporates chirozo sausage, mushrooms, and goat cheese in the grits to make it extra creamy. (recipe coming soon). My husband is Italian-American, so I cook a lot of Italian inspired dishes and grits are basically the same as polenta. So, I decided to change my favorite shrimp and grits recipe into an Italian inspired shrimp and polenta recipe.
Jump to RecipeSo what is the difference between grits and polenta? Or maybe I should start with what is the same. Both grits and polenta are made from ground cornmeal, which is basically dried corn. They are both cooked with water or stock to make a creamy porridge. The main difference is the type of corn. Polenta is typically made with a yellow medium ground cornmeal. I say “typically” because to be more precise, in Italy polenta is the method of preparation, not the type of corn. You could prepare polenta with chickpea flour or buckwheat meal. But here in America, polenta means yellow cornmeal while grits is a finer ground white cornmeal. So in a nutshell… yellow corn = polenta, white corn = grits.
This shrimp and polenta incorporates traditional Italian ingredients such as sundried tomatoes, ricotta cheese, and of course Italian sausage. But it is also extremely versatile because you can easily substitute ingredients to your liking. You could use calamari instead of shrimp, braised beef instead if sausage, fontina or asiago instead of ricotta. Share your version of this recipe in the comments below so I can see what yummy goodness you created.
Sausage Ragu
Ragu is an Italian term for a slow cooked meat sauce. Although it’s a “fancy” term, making a ragu is super simple. Sautee the onion and garlic, brown the sausage, add tomatoes, spices and simmer. When I’m making this recipe, I usually start with the ragu so it has plenty of time to simmer before making the polenta. If you’re short on time, make the ragu while the chicken stock for the polenta is heating up. If you have more time, start the ragu early in the afternoon and let it simmer for a couple hours. The longer it simmers, the tastier it gets. I use hot Italian sausage, and it’s not very spicy because the polenta calms down the heat. But you could use mild Italian sausage or ground beef too.
The Polenta
This polenta is so smooth and creamy. I use Bob’s Red Mill polenta and yellow grits. In a large pot heat 6 cups of chicken broth until boiling. When the water is boiling, add two cups of yellow cornmeal “polenta” and simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. While the polenta is cooking, carmelize the onions and cook the shrimp. Check the heat often making sure not to burn the polenta. Once the liquid is completely absorbed and the cornmeal is a soft porridge consistency, remove from heat, add the ricotta and parmesan cheese and mix thoroughly.
Add the finishing touches
To caramelize the onions heat butter in a pan, add the onions and let cook on low heat. The longer you cook them the sweeter and crispier they will get. But if you’re short on time add a little sugar to speed up the process.
While the onions are caramelizing, clean the shrimp by removing the shells and tails. I know some people will tell you to keep the tails on, but I prefer to not remove tails while I’m eating, so I do it now. Put the cleaned shrimp on a towel to get out any excess moisture. Put the shrimp in a bowl and toss them with lemon juice, garlic powder and parsley. Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet and place shrimp in one layer in pan. Cook on one side until pink and then flip them to the other side. Set the cooked shrimp to the side.
Plating
Add about two large scoops of polenta to a bowl and top with a scoop or two of the sausage ragu and 4 or 5 shrimp. Top it all off with some caramelized onions and MANGIA. That’s Italian for “Eat Up”. I can’t wait to see how this turned out for you. Share you pictures and comments below.
Shrimp and Polenta
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil divided
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb hot Italian Sausage
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp sun dried tomato
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 1 can san marzano tomatoes
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 lb Shrimp
- 2 tbsp butter divided
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp parsley diced fresh or dried
- 1 tbsp lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 1 yellow onion sliced
Polenta
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups corn meal polenta
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- ½ cup shredded parmesan
Instructions
Ragu
- Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large pot. sauté diced onion and garlic until translucent.
- Add sausage to onions and garlic and brown.
- Add tomato paste, sundried tomatoes, tomato sauce, italian seasoning and salt to taste. Stir together and add the whole San Marzano tomatoes, squeezing by hand as you add them.
- Stir well and simmer on low for at least 30 minutes. Stirring frequently.
Polenta
- Add 6 cups chicken broth to a large pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling add 2 cups of corn meal. Stir well and simmer for 30 minutes.
- When the water is completely absorbed, removed from heat and fold in ricotta and parmesan.
Shrimp topping
- In a small sauce pan heat 1 tbsp butter. Add sliced onions and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes.
- While onions are cooking, remove the shells and tails from shrimp. Place on paper towel to remove excess liquid. Put shrimp in a medium bowl and toss with garlic powder, parsley and lemon juice.
- In a large skillet, cook the shrimp until pick. Remove from heat immediately.
