Ingredients
Directions 11 steps | 40 Minutes
Make the polenta. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring 4 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt to a boil. Slowly whisk in the polenta and cook, stirring constantly, until the polenta pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 10 minutes.
Add the grated fontina cheese and remove it from heat. Set aside and keep warm.
Make the hot and spicy shrimp. Heat a saute pan on medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and give it about 30 seconds to heat up. Once hot, add the shrimp. Sauté until they turn pink, about 1-2 minutes. Do not overcook them. Take them out of the pan and set them aside.
In the same pan, sauté the shallot and garlic until soft, about 1 minute.
Add the red pepper flakes and smoked paprika. Stir to combine.
Add the chopped tomatoes, white wine and chicken stock.
Deglaze the pan and let the sauce reduce and thicken, about 5 minutes.
Add the shrimp back to the pan and heat through, about 1 minute.
Add the chunks of butter one piece at a time and whisk to combine.
Turn off the heat and add the chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon.
Serve hot over polenta. Enjoy!
Notes:
Variations:
- If you don’t like it spicy, you can omit the red pepper flakes or use less.
- You can substitute more wine for chicken stock.
- Substitute shrimp for chicken, sausage or a combination of all three. Kind of like jambalaya without the rice.
- How about mussels or clams or both? Include the shrimp and you have 3 angry shellfish!
- If calories are not your concern, you can add a few tablespoons of half-and-half or heavy cream to the sauce. It will give it a creamy texture and cut back the heat a little from the red pepper flakes. If using this option, there is no need to use butter at the end.
- Serve as a pasta sauce or serve with mashed potatoes, rice or baguette.
Make it lighter:
- Do not add the butter at the end when finishing the sauce.
- Add chicken stock to the polenta or a creamy texture instead of butter and milk.
Do Ahead:
- The sauce without the shrimp can be made up to 3 days in advance. But save whisking in the butter until you want to use it. When ready to serve, heat the sauce on the stovetop on medium heat. Meanwhile, sauté the shrimp separately and add to the sauce when ready to serve. Whisk in the butter, one piece at a time.
- The polenta can be made up to 3 days in advance. You can reheat it on the stove or in the microwave. I don’t mention using a microwave often, but starches like pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, polenta, etc. heat up nicely in the microwave. Whether on the stovetop or microwave, you want to add some liquid, like water, chicken or vegetable stock, or milk when reheating.
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