I’m going to stop trying to get ahead in my blogging life.
This is the second time I’ve made plans to cook and photograph a month’s worth of blog recipes in one weekend, only to have my plans completely foiled.
The first time, my hard drive crashed, wiping nearly all the photos of my hard work. This time, I gave myself a concussion by walking into a door frame while *cringe* talking to my cat. (If you know me, you’re not surprised by this. And…if you’ve known me since high school, you’re really not surprised by this.)
I had a whole weekend planned of cooking, photographing, editing, and writing, followed by relaxing with a book. I was really looking forward to it. Instead, I spent almost the entire weekend watching numerous Amy Adams and Emma Stone movies that were on TV because that’s all my bruised little brain could handle for the ensuing 48 hours.
Interestingly, one of the Emma Stone movies was The Help, which fit in perfectly with my latest book review and this book-inspired recipe for Rush. A ton of delicious Southern food appears in Rush, so it was a real struggle to decide what to cook for this post. In the end, though, I settled on a classic (kinda) — shrimp and grits. I love this combo, and I devoured it every chance I got during my honeymoon in New Orleans.
However, I’m a Northern gal, and up North we don’t make grits; we make polenta, especially if we have any Italian blood in us. So, I’m doing a Northern riff on a classic Southern dish — Paprika Shrimp with Smoked Gouda Polenta.
This dish is one of Husband’s favorite meals, and I like it because it’s super easy to whip up on a weeknight when I come home from work. I’ve made the recipe countless times — it’s definitely a staple meal at the Cottage — though this was the first time I’ve stopped to actually measure out (and write down) the ingredients. At least, for the shrimp portion of the dish. The polenta part, you should absolutely follow to the letter since it might turn out totally wonky if you don’t.
However, when it comes to the shrimp, I usually just toss spices and such into the pan, eyeing it up and tasting it as I go. You’re welcome to do this, as well — nay, I encourage it! But, for those of you who have to follow a recipe (I getcha), you won’t find a tastier and simpler meal than this one.
Most shrimp and grits dishes involve barbecuing the shrimp and/or tossing them in a smoky sauce, but I find this can make the meal a little too spicy. Since we generally tone down the heat factor in our house, I used paprika, which packs a ton of flavor without the heat, to season the shrimp instead of chili powder or peppers.
Feel free to use smoked paprika if you want a bolder flavor, or if that’s all you have in the house. Even if you use regular paprika like I did, the smoked Gouda that’s melted into the creamy, thick polenta will give you plenty of that BBQ flavor, calling to mind some Southern roots.
I did think about making actual grits for this particular recipe. However, I recently watched a Good Eats: Reloaded episode about them, and I damn near had a heart attack when I learned just how completely unhealthy they are.
I understand why — both grits and polenta have very little flavor in their natural state, so you really need to jazz them up to make them edible. My Smoked Gouda Polenta is by no means a health food, but it’s certainly better than what went into the grits that Alton Brown prepared!
If you’ve never had polenta before, now is the time to try it. It’s one of my favorite side dishes, and not just because it is amazingly simple to make. A good polenta is creamy and luscious, yet has a slight bite to it from the ground cornmeal. It dollops wonderfully onto your plate as a vehicle for sauce, so it’s a great alternative for mashed potatoes or rice. Best of all, it’s versatile; you can skew its taste to your preferences (don’t like smoked Gouda? Use parmesan cheese instead!).
Enjoy this Paprika Shrimp and Smoked Gouda Polenta with a glass of Chardonnay, or, my preferred way and using the Rush beverage of choice, with an ice-cold “Co-Cola.”
Paprika Shrimp and Smoked Gouda Polenta
Ingredients
POLENTA INGREDIENTS
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
- 1 1/3 cups cornmeal
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups grated smoked Gouda cheese
- 4 chopped green onions, divided
PAPRIKA SHRIMP INGREDIENTS
- 2 lbs medium raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 lemon, juiced
Instructions
PREP INSTRUCTIONS
- Chop green onions and set aside.
- Grate cheese and set aside.
- In a medium bowl or pitcher, whisk together 2 cups of the chicken broth and all of the cornmeal. Set aside.
- Cut and juice one lemon; set juice aside.
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
- Make the polenta first: In a medium pot, combine the 2 remaining cups of chicken broth, 4 tbsp butter, and 1/2 tsp salt. Bring mixture just to boiling over high heat, then add the cornmeal mixture to the pot, stirring as you go. Reduce heat to low and simmer polenta until thickened, stirring slowly and constantly, for about 7-10 minutes. You want the polenta to thicken to the consistency of a starchy pudding.
- Once polenta is thickened, remove pot from heat and immediately stir or whisk in the grated cheese. Once the cheese is fully combined, place lid on the pot and set aside to keep warm while you cook the shrimp.
- Next, make the shrimp: Melt 4 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp, paprika, onion powder, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper, and stir to combine.
- After about 3-4 minutes, add the fresh lemon juice and about half of the chopped green onions. Stir to combine, then let mixture simmer until shrimp are fully cooked, another 7-10 minutes, depending on how "done" you like your shrimp.
- To serve: Spoon polenta into a bowl, then spoon shrimp and paprika butter sauce on top. Sprinkle with remaining chopped green onions. Serve immediately.
Mmm, looks delicious! I love paprika 😊. And I can totally emphathise with the whole walking into a doorway because of the cat! I’m forever bumping into doorways just walking through them, cat or no cat 🤣
Paprika is one of my favorite spices!! It brings so much flavor and pretty color to any dish. Haha, and I’m glad I am not the only accident-prone one out there!