Creole Shrimp and Polenta
Creole Shrimp and Polenta is a simple comfort-food meal that’s packed with Southern flavor. Made with sauteed shrimp, vegetables, and creamy polenta. Ready in 30 minutes or less!
If you’ve been a long time reader of Fisiz it probably comes to no surprise that we're a HUGE fan of Southern food.
A few of our favorite dishes: Baked Cajun Salmon, Garlic Cajun Tacos, Cajun Chili Stroganoff, Slow Cooker Shrimp Creole, and this Creole Shrimp and Polenta.
True story: we actually came up with this dish playing a “Whatcha got in the fridge” for dinner one night. The goal of the game is to use whatever ingredients are in the fridge or pantry, and create a meal. Well, the beauty of this Creole Shrimp and Polenta recipe is that it’s made with minimal ingredients so we had everything in stock.
You can keep ingredients to make this dish on the fly by stocking your fridge with frozen shrimp and your pantry with speedy cooking polenta. Plus, with an arsenal of spices, you can’t ever go wrong!
Spice up Shrimp Polenta with Kitchen-made Creole Seasoning:
To make this dish flavorful, we suggest making your own kitchen-made creole seasoning. You can certainly purchase store-bought if you need to. All you need to do is mix the following ingredients in a bowl. Pro tip: double the recipe so you can have extra seasoning.
- Dried oregano
- Dried thyme
- Smoked paprika
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Cayenne pepper – *This is a choose your own adventure spice. The more you add the more heat will appear. Start small with about ¼ tsp and move up if you like spicy!
Prep 10 minutesCook 20 minutesTotal 30 minutesMakes 4
Ingredients
- 2 tsp Smoked paprika
- 1 tsp Dried oregano
- 1 tsp Dried thyme
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- 1 tsp Onion powder
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
- 1 lb Fresh large shrimp, peeled, deveined
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 tbsp Unsalted butter, divided
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup Diced yellow onion
- 1/2 cup Diced green pepper
- 1/2 cup Diced celery
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 cup Speedy-cooking polenta
- 1/4 cup Milk
- 1/3 cup Shredded mozzarella
- Chopped green onions, for garnish
Method
- In a small mixing bowl combine the oregano, thyme, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. Set aside and reserve about 2 to 3 tsp for the polenta.
- Next, place your unfrozen shrimp on a large baking sheet and pat dry. Drizzle the shrimp with olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, and a bit of the creole seasoning until evenly coated.
- Preheat your large skillet to medium-high heat and melt the butter with a bit of olive oil. Cook the shrimp (if you have a bunch of shrimp you will need to work in batches) for about 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove from the skillet and place on a plate.
- Next, add a little bit more olive oil to the skillet and over medium heat cook the onion, celery and green pepper. Cook until softened about five minutes and then add the garlic. Continue to continue until everything is well combined.
- Bring 3 cups of water and a pinch of salt to a boil. Add in 1 cup of the polenta and continue to cook and stir. This will happen quickly. Keep stirring until smooth for about three minutes. Stir about 1.5 tsp creole seasoning (more if you want a stronger flavor), 1 tbsp butter, milk, shredded cheese, salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
- To serve: divide the polenta among four bowls. Top with polenta with vegetables and shrimp. Garnish with green onions and serve.
