Fresh Corn Polenta with Pickled Shrimp Recipe
Put summer's fresh corn to good use with this fresh corn polenta recipe. The pickled shrimp add a zesty zing when served atop the creamy polenta.
Equipment
- 1 glass bowl or glass Tupperware medium in size - for pickling the shrimp
Ingredients
Poaching the Shrimp
- 12 shrimp medium to large in size - shell on, but deveined (optional, you can use peeled shrimp if you prefer)
- 6 cups water
- 6 cups ice
- 1 lemon cut in half
- 2 1/2 tbsp salt
Pickling the Shrimp
- 3/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- t tsp worcestershire
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp hot sauce use your preference - I usually opt for Diamond Crystal
- 1/2 lemon sliced into small wedges
- 1/4 cup red onion sliced thin
Fresh Corn Polenta
- 4 ears corn husk and silk removed
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 lime
Dish Assembly
- micro-greens for garnish - fresh dill would work well too (optional)
Instructions
Pickling the Shrimp
- Add vinegar, sugar, garlic, crushed red pepper and bay leaf to a microwave-safe bowl or glass measuring cup. Heat mixture for two minutes, stir to combine and cool completely in the refrigerator (30 minutes to an hour).
- When mixture is cool, stir in olive oil, worcestershire, hot sauce and salt. Then, mix in lemon wedges and sliced onions. Set aside until poached shrimp are ready.
Poaching the Shrimp
- Add water, juice lemon and lemon halves and salt to a medium pot and bring to a boil.
- Add deveined shrimp, remove pot from heat and allow shrimp to poach for 5 minutes (or until they turn pink).
- Add in ice and allow to sit for another 10 minutes.
- Remove shrimp from pot and discard water and lemon. Peel shrimp (leave tails on if desired, optional) and place into glass bowl or Tupperware for pickling.
- Pour prepared pickling mixture over the shrimp. Cover shrimp and place in the refrigerator for at least three hours and up to 24 hours.
Fresh Corn Polenta
- Grate corn on the cob with the large holes of a box grater over a medium-size bowl.
- Heat grated corn, butter and salt over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until corn mixture thickens - about ten minutes. Taste and season with more salt as needed (polenta should now taste a bit more rich). Remove from heat and stir in juice of 1/2 lime.
Assembly
- To plate, add 1/4 corn polenta mixture to each bowl, top with pickled shrimp and garnish with micro-greens or fresh dill.
