Spicy prawns with roasted corn polenta
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
Spicy prawns with roasted corn polenta
With a nod to Cajun gumbo and ‘shrimp and grits’, these spicy, saucy prawns sit on a pool of creamy polenta that’s packed with roasted corn for extra flavour and texture
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
Spencer Lengsfield
Spencer Lengsfield
Ingredients
- 25g unsalted butter
- ½ onion, finely diced
- 1 stick celery, finely diced
- 1 small green pepper, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely crushed
- ½ x 175g pack okra, sliced diagonally
- ½ tsp ground cayenne pepper (optional)
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 500ml chicken stock
- 1 x 225g pack frozen Taste the Difference Raw Peeled Jumbo King Prawns, defrosted
- ½ tbsp cider vinegar
- ½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
For the polenta
- 4 sweetcorn cobettes
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 70g polenta
- 100ml milk
- 25g unsalted butter
To serve (optional)
- crusty bread
Step by step
Polenta is an Italian dish of coarse cornmeal cooked with stock or milk and served either soft like mash, or firm and cut into slices.
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Preheat the oven or air fryer to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7. Roast or air-fry the sweetcorn with the oil and salt for 20 minutes, until lightly browned all over.
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For the prawns, melt the butter in a pan set over a medium heat and sauté the onion, celery, green pepper and garlic for 3-4 minutes, until soft. Add the okra, cayenne pepper, if using, paprika, tomato purée and flour, and cook for a further 1-2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and slowly pour in 220ml of the stock, whisking constantly. Cook over a low heat for a few minutes to thicken, then add the prawns and gently simmer for 2 minutes until cooked through. Season and stir in the cider vinegar and Worcestershire sauce.
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Meanwhile, slice the corn kernels off the cobs, once cool enough to handle. Put in a blender with a splash of water and blitz to an almost-smooth purée.
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In a saucepan, bring the remaining 280ml of stock to a boil, then whisk in the polenta and cook, stirring, until thickened. Stir in the milk, butter and corn purée until combined. Divide the polenta between shallow bowls, top with the prawn mixture and finish with black pepper. Serve with crusty bread, if liked.
