Shrimp & Grits (aka Prawns & Polenta) w/ Dashi Butter
If I could offer one piece of seafood advice, it’s this: buy local whenever you can. I usually grab a double batch, peel and devein the lot (if I’m feeling patient), then freeze half for another day. Lay them flat on a tray to freeze first so they don’t turn into a single frosty prawn brick later. Your future self will thank you.
If you want to sneak in a few extra vegetables, feel free to fry off some onion, spring onion or capsicum before cooking the prawns. Otherwise, keep it simple and serve this alongside steamed broccolini or a corn, tomato and cucumber salad. The prawns and dashi butter are the stars here, so everything else can play backup.
ingredients
- 250g raw deveined prawns
- fine salt
- 20g butter, softened
- ½ tsp instant dashi powder
- 1.5 cup full cream milk
- ⅓ cup coarse ground cornmeal/polenta
- 1 tsp vegetable/chicken stock powder
- 2 tsp olive oil
Season the prawns lightly with salt and pop them on a rack over a plate in the fridge for a few hours. It’s a small step that works wonders — a bit of dry air helps the surface caramelise later.
Mash together the butter and dashi powder in a small bowl and set aside. That’s your secret weapon.
Warm the milk in a small saucepan, then slowly sprinkle in the cornmeal while stirring. Add the stock powder and keep stirring over low heat for about ten minutes, or until it’s thick and creamy. Add more liquid if it starts clinging to the spoon like cement. You’re after smooth and comforting, not stodgy school dinner.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Toss in the prawns and cook for just a few minutes, stirring so they colour evenly. If the pan looks a bit dry, a splash of water won’t hurt. Once they’re opaque and pink all over, take them off the heat and stir through that dashi butter so it melts into everything gloriously.
Spoon the prawns and buttery juices over warm polenta and serve straight away. This is comfort food with a quiet little wink — rich, silky, and just the right amount of fancy.