Prawns, spring onions & bacon with cheesy polenta recipe
A take on shrimp and grits with cheesy polenta and pan-fried prawns, bacon and spring onion. The combination of the sweetness of the prawns and the saltiness of the bacon works perfectly against the mellowness of the polenta. Don't be overly cautious with the cayenne or lemon juice, as this really helps to cut through the richness of the dish.
TIP: When it comes to serving, the key is to keep both the polenta and the plate as hot as possible so it doesn’t start to set on the plate.
This recipe is from Slow by Gizzi Erskine, published by HQ, £25. Photography © Issy Croker.
Ingredients
For the polenta- 2 l fresh chicken or veg stock
- 200 g polenta, cornmeal or grits
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 80 g cheddar, grated
- 30 g parmesan, grated
- 30 g butter
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 pinch white pepper
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 100 g smoked streaky bacon, cut into lardons
- 1 tbsp butter
- 4 spring onions, finely chopped
- 0.5 tsp sea salt
- 0.2 tsp white pepper
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 squeeze of lemon juice
- 16 raw king prawns, peeled with tails on, deveined and split down the middle to butterfly
Details
- Cuisine: British
- Recipe Type: Polenta
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 20 mins
- Cooking Time: 75 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
For the polenta
- Put the chicken stock, polenta, thyme and ¼ teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil.
- Allow to simmer over a very low heat for 1 hour. Initially it will resemble murky yellow water, but have patience, it will slowly come together. Keep whisking the mixture, especially during the last 15 minutes of cooking, to prevent the bottom of the polenta scorching.
- Once you have a nice thick gloopy consistency similar to a well-cooked porridge which pulls away from the sides of the pan and has no bite to it when tasted, mix in the cheeses, butter and peppers. You will notice that the polenta lightens in colour and becomes lovely and shiny.
- Season with salt to taste and keep hot until ready to serve.
For the pan-fried topping
- Place the prawns in a bowl with enough olive oil to coat them, add the crushed garlic and allow to marinate while you get everything else ready. This dish cooks fast so have everything prepped and organised before you start cooking.
- Heat a frying pan over a medium heat with a slick of oil. Add the bacon and fry until it is starting to crisp and the fat has rendered.
- Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- In the same pan, melt the butter in the remaining bacon fat. Turn up the heat to high and add the prawns. You want to cook these hard and fast. When they have begun to turn opaque, return the bacon to the pan along with the spring onions, salt, pepper and cayenne.
- Check for seasoning and give it a generous squeeze of lemon juice before serving alongside the polenta.
This recipe is from Slow by Gizzi Erskine, published by HQ, £25. Photography © Issy Croker.
Gizzi Erskine portrait: Eeva Rinne
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