Prawns, spring onions & bacon with cheesy polenta recipe (2024)

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For the polenta

For the pan-fried topping

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

1 tbsp olive oil
6 garlic cloves, crushed
3.5 oz 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

1 tbsp olive oil
6 garlic cloves, crushed
3.5 oz 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

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 thatthe 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.

Gizzi Erskine portrait: Eeva Rinne

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