Serves a Crowd

Polenta with Chorizo and Shrimp

by:
November 17, 2020
4.6
10 Ratings
Polenta with Chorizo and Shrimp
Photo by Anna Chwistek | Serving Dumplings
  • Prep time 5 minutes
  • Cook time 15 minutes
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

Manchego cheese polenta with shrimps and chorizo. A garlic butter sauce with green olives and cherry tomatoes. Beyond any doubt a 20-minute knock-out flavor bomb.
There are about as many polenta recipes as there are reasons to love it. It’s quick to cook, creamy with a nice texture and it can take on so many flavors. Spicy chorizo? Check. A butter sauce? Check. Garlicky shrimp? Check-check.
This recipe is great for busy weeknights or that virtual dinner party you’re planning. The hardest thing about this recipe? Deciding how many times per week you want to eat this polenta. If you’re always excited about shrimps or a creamy polenta, then this recipe is made for you. It’s easy to make and delicious, you can throw it together whenever the craving strikes.
First we fry the chorizo, add shrimp, then garlic and the spices, this will add a lot of depth to the sauce. Next we throw in the cherry tomatoes and olives, and cook everything together for a couple of minutes. When the tomatoes start to burst, we help them a little by pressing down the tomatoes with a wooden spoon to release their juices and create a flavorful sauce that makes for nice tender bites.
Lastly, we make the polenta. Instant polenta works really well in this recipe, you’ll only need 2 minutes to boil it, then stir in Manchego cheese and some butter. Done.
You can use kielbasa or bacon in this recipe, but spicy chorizo gives this polenta a nice kick.
Can’t find Manchego cheese? Use fontinella cheese, pecorino, mozzarella or mild cheddar.
Got some leftover mashed potatoes? Use them instead of polenta and just add some cheese. —Anna Chwistek | Serving Dumplings

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • polenta
  • 200 grams (1 cup) instant polenta
  • 400 milliliters (1 3/4 cup) milk
  • 400 milliliters (1 3/4 cup) unsalted chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • sea salt + black pepper
  • 130 grams (4.7 oz) grated Manchego cheese
  • shrimp and chorizo
  • 450 grams (1 pound) shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 100 grams (3.5 oz) spicy Spanish chorizo sausage, cut into slices
  • 150 grams (5.2 oz) green olives, pitted
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon each: dried oregano, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper
  • 4 scallions, chopped
  • fresh parsley, for serving (optional)
  • 200 grams (7 oz) cherry tomatoes
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Directions
  1. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. Add chorizo, cook for 1 minute over medium-high heat. Then slide chorizo a little aside and add shrimp. Cook for 2 minutes, tossing often. Add garlic, sauté for 1 minute, stirring often. Add more olive oil, about 3 tbsp. Stir in oregano, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Add cherry tomatoes, cook about 2 minutes or until the tomatoes start to burst. Don’t forget to stir from to time, you don’t want to burn anything as we are cooking on high heat constantly. Press on the back of the tomatoes with a wooden spoon to release their juices and stir to combine. Stir in olives, lemon juice, scallions and butter. Set aside.
  2. In a saucepan, bring chicken stock and milk to a boil. Slowly whisk in the polenta, stirring continuously, about 2-3 minutes, over low heat. Stir in butter, Manchego cheese, salt and black pepper. Turn off the heat, cover and let stand for 1 minute. If the polenta thickens too much, thin with some additional milk or chicken stock.
  3. Divide polenta over bowls, top with chorizo and shrimp mixture. Serve!
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See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Sarah Smith
    Sarah Smith
  • Jaxmccaff
    Jaxmccaff
  • Anna Chwistek | Serving Dumplings
    Anna Chwistek | Serving Dumplings
  • Steve
    Steve

Popular on Food52

9 Reviews

Steve
Steve May 3, 2024
Are you using fresh spanish chorizo or cured?
 
Anna C.
Anna C. May 3, 2024
Hi Steve, I used cured Spanish chorizo. Enjoy the recipe!
 
Peekabooher
Peekabooher October 8, 2023
Wow! Amazing flavor and presentation. I just made this last night using ingredients I had on hand. I had to use the premade tube of polenta, spicy Italian ground sausage, and smoked mozzarella. Flavor bomb is right Anna! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
 
Anne E.
Anne E. July 27, 2022
Made this for the first (not last) time tonight. A couple of notes-the sauce is SO GREAT! I would use large shrimp or if you have to use small shrimp, remove them to a plate after 2 minutes so as to avoid overcooking. I sliced my chorizo very thin and some pieces were overcooked so would cut 1/4 inch or larger next time. The polenta was divine and this dish was gorgeous. Prep took a bit but the cooking process was speedy. Definite keeper!
 
Sarah S.
Sarah S. May 5, 2022
Very good! I agree with Tod23 - cook the chorizo, tomatoes, garlic and spices together for a while before adding the shrimp so they are not overcooked. I don't see where the lemon juice goes in?
 
Anna C.
Anna C. May 5, 2022
So happy you enjoyed the recipe! ...and sorry for the confusion, the lemon juice goes in together with the olives. The recipe is fixed, thank you!
 
Todd23
Todd23 March 26, 2022
this is a delicious recipe with very little work. The changes I made were to cook the chorizo, tomatoes, garlic and spices together for a while before adding the shrimp as I had smaller shrimp and they would have been overcooked to add the in the beginning. I used calamata olives and also added some corn starch to thicken the sauce. Really good and great for a weeknight meal or a dinner party.
 
Amy
Amy January 6, 2022
Tried this tonight for the first time because of a re-post on instagram. Thank you! Amazing!! Will definitely make it again. Easy and very tasty :)
 
Jaxmccaff
Jaxmccaff October 10, 2021
Very nice meal! I made regular polenta instead of instant polenta which obviously increased the cook time but I could see this being a quick week day meal. I cut the amount of cayenne in half and I’m glad I did as it was still quite spicy! I also added some baby spinach at the end for a little more veg. Great flavours. Will make again!