“Angry Shrimp” – Spicy Shrimp in Tomato Sauce Over Polenta

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My friend Tracey had this dish at a restaurant and loved it. I don’t blame her. It is pretty delish. So I created this recipe based on her description of the meal.

The video is us genuinely trying the recipe without practicing or rehearsing. We are figuring it out as we go. Obviously I had some idea of where to start based on Tracey’s description. My point, I tested the dish again and honed it some more after the video. So the list of ingredients below is more complete and has a couple of ingredients that I did not use on the video.

Don’t forget to scroll down for ideas on Variations and Do Ahead tips. I am also including links for some of the products I used for you to purchase through Amazon with just a click.

Serves 4          Difficulty Level – easy-intermediate

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups cooked polenta
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound medium or large shrimp with tail on, seasoned with salt
  • 1 small shallot, chopped finely, about 3 tablespoons
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon, or to taste, red pepper flakes
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika (not in the video)
  • 1 cup chopped tomatoes, either fresh, canned, or boxed. I used Pomi brand chopped tomatoes
  • ½ cup white wine
  • ½ cup chicken stock
  • ¼ cup parsley, roughly chopped
  • 1 ½ tablespoon of butter, cut into chunks
  • sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • squeeze of lemon (optional) (not in the video)

Heat a sauté pan on medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and give it about 30 seconds to heat up. Once hot, add the shrimp. Sauté until they turn pink, about 1-2 minutes. Do not overcook them! Take them out of the pan and set aside.

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In the same pan, sauté the shallot and garlic until soft, about 1 minute. Add the red pepper flakes and smoked paprika. Stir to combine. I did not use smoked paprika in the video. It was an afterthought, but it definitely adds another dimension of flavor to the dish.

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Add the chopped tomatoes, wine, and stock. Deglaze the pan and let the sauce reduce and thicken, about 5 minutes.

Add the shrimp back to the pan and heat through, about 1 minute. Add the butter chuncks one piece at a time and whisk to combine. Turn off the heat and add the chopped parsley and squeeze of lemon, if using.

Serve hot over polenta.

The difference between coarse and fine ground polenta.

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Variations:

  • If you don’t like spicy, you can completely omit the pepper flakes or use less.
  • You can substitute more wine for chicken stock.
  • Substitute shrimp for chicken, sausage, or a combination. Kind of like a jambalaya without the rice.
  • OMG! How about mussels or clams or both! Include the shrimp and you have 3 angry shellfish!
  • Make it lighter by not adding the butter at the end when finishing the sauce.
  • Make it lighter by adding chicken stock to the polenta to make it a creamy texture instead of butter and milk.
  • If calories are not your concern, you can add a few tablespoons of half and half or heavy cream to the sauce. It will give it a creamy texture and cut back the heat a little from the red pepper flakes. If using this option, no need to use butter at the end.
  • Serve as a pasta sauce, or serve with mashed potatoes, rice, or baguette.

Do Ahead:

  • The sauce without the shrimp can be made up to 3 days in advance. But save whisking in the butter until you want to use it. When ready to serve, heat the sauce on the stovetop on medium heat. Meanwhile, sauté the shrimp separately and add to the sauce when ready to serve. Whisk in the butter, one piece at a time.
  • The polenta can be made up to 3 days in advance. You can reheat on the stove or in the microwave. I don’t mention using a microwave often, but starches like pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, polenta, etc. heat up nicely in the microwave. Whether on the stovetop or microwave, you want to add some liquid, like water, chicken or vegetable stock, or milk when reheating.