This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
This chimichurri butter shrimp is tossed with a sweet corn chimichurri sauce and served over a bed of creamy polenta. It uses minimal ingredients and is a quick, simple, healthy, and delicious 30 minute dinner that anyone who enjoys shrimp will love. Great for busy nights when you only have a few minutes to get dinner on the table.
Hey, hi and happy Thursday! I hope you’re all having a great week and are starting to get excited for the weekend!
My mom just informed me that my youngest brother, Red is heading to prom on Saturday, I am so excited to see all the photos. Red’s best friend Brock, has a girlfriend named Paige. It’s Paige’s prom, and she set Red up with her girlfriend. The prom is in California, so sadly we can’t actually see Red before he heads out, but there will be photos and I can’t wait. I never went to my own prom, so I am so excited that Red is going. It’s such a fun teenage thing to do!
I’ll be sure to share photos in Sunday’s Favorite’s Post.
Anything you guys are looking forward to this weekend?
OK. Moving right along here. Let’s chat shrimp.
I’m excited to share this new easy recipe with you guys today! Not sure if you all have noticed or not, but lately I am really into southern inspired recipes. Hello to this oven fried chicken, these strawberry shortcakes, and now this yummy shrimp.
This shrimp surely isn’t a classic southern style recipe, but it’s inspired by the idea of shrimp and grits. I just did what I do, and expanded upon those flavors by getting a little creative with my sauce, and adding in lots of color and seasonal produce.
Very typical from me, I know, but this shrimp is SO GOOD.
Shrimp is one of those foods that I don’t actually cook very often, but when I do, I always love to change-up the flavors.
I’ve been thinking a lot about chimichurri lately and new ways to use this delicious herb filled sauce. Traditionally, chimichurri is spooned over grilled meats, like steak and chicken, or served as a dipping sauce. For a while I thought I was going to do a chimichurri chicken, but that felt a little on the boring side and I never ended up making it.
I played around with a few ideas, but in the end this shrimp recipe is what had me really excited. So I decided to turn my chimichurri chicken into chimichurri shrimp. I then added a little sweet corn into the chimichurri sauce for a burst of fresh flavor and color…best idea.
Nothing crazy, but the two simple tweaks made all the difference, and as mentioned, I am very exited about the way this turned out.
The chimichurri sauce is a mix of fresh herbs, like cilantro (you can sub in basil if you don’t like cilantro) and parsley, chilies, citrus, and sweet corn. The corn is not traditional, but when I saw it in the grocery store last week I suddenly had the idea to add it to my chimichurri sauce, so I did, and guys?
It’s a game changer.
I LOVE the sweet burst of corn in the herby sauce, it’s delicious. Plus, the pop of yellow color is visually appealing too, which you know I am all about.
The shrimp is cooked in a skillet with a touch of butter, and the chimichurri is added towards the end of cooking. Everything gets spooned over a big bowl of creamy polenta and finished with a side of extra chimichurri, because in my opinion you can’t have too much of this sauce. You could also serve this with a side of rice, but I really love the combo of creamy polenta and shrimp.
It’s so good.
We’ve really been enjoying this quick recipe the last couple weeks. The days have been so much longer and brighter that after work I love getting outside for a minute and enjoying spring.
Since this recipe takes less than thirty minutes to make, it’s perfect for when you don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen.
Plus, it’s seriously good.
Thinking you should make it for dinner tonight. Yep, seems like a good idea.
Watch the How To Video:
sweet corn chimichurri butter shrimp with polenta from Half Baked Harvest on Vimeo.
If you make this Chimichurri Shrimp and love it, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every one of you. Oh, and of course, if you do make this shrimp, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Sweet Corn Chimichurri Butter Shrimp with Polenta
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- juice of 1/2 lime
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1 ear yellow corn, kernels removed from the cob
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
Polenta
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup instant polenta
- 2 tablespoons butter
- kosher salt and pepper
Instructions
- 1. To make the chimichurri. In a medium bowl, combine the cilantro, parsley, jalapeño, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, lime juice, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Stir in the corn.2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the shrimp and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook until pink, about 2-3 minutes per side and cooked through. Add a few spoonfuls of the chimichurri and cook another minute or two. Remove from the heat. 3. To serve, divide the polenta between bowls and top with shrimp. Spoon over the remaining chimichurri. Enjoy!
Polenta
- 1. In a medium saucepan bring 2 cups of water and the milk to a boil over medium heat. Slowly whisk in the polenta, stirring, until the polenta is soft and thick, about 5 minutes. Stir in the butter until melted. Season with salt and pepper.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
My new favorite shrimp dish. For real.
I hit four stars by accident in my comment and couldn’t figure out how to delete it so I’m doing a second one because it was so delicious and will definitely make again and therefore five star worthy!!
No worries Ashley, thanks again for trying the recipe!! Have a great Friday!
Made this tonight and it was delicious! Definitely will make again:) I didn’t have polenta so served it over brown rice and yummy??
I meant to put five stars?♀️?
Thanks again Ashley:)
Hi Ashley,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:)
WOW sooo good!! My 2 year old loved it too! Not sure why he kept calling it zucchini haha but I will definitely be making it again!
Hey Shawn,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your review, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xx
All I could find was already cooked polenta- brand: Ancient harvest. Your recipe says 2 cups of milk, but does not say how much water. This package says to put polenta in a heated sauce pan and adding a little broth or milk at a time . Mash and stir until creamy. Can you please help? I have never cooked polenta.
Hi Sarah,
I would follow the package instructions, my recipe is for dried polenta:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I did as you said.. this was delicious! Our 3 year-old even loved it. Definitely making this again. Your recipes are such a hit in our home. Thanks for making me look good!
Hi Sarah,
Happy Friday! I am so excited that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for giving it a go! xT?
I loved this dish even more than I anticipated I would! Now I’m just trying out what to do with my leftover polenta. Easiest / yummiest may be to make this recipe again!
Hi Carla,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for your comment and making this recipe. So glad it hear it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Absolutely, positively delicious. I already had leftover polenta on hand, (which is why I went searching for a polenta dish) so I didnt follow the instructions for that part. However, the shrimp and chimichurri was absolutely delicious. I will definitely be making this recipe again!
Hey Alexandra,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Happy Valentine’s Day❤️ xTieghan
I have made this twice recently! It’s delicious. I usually find that I need 2 ears of corn rather than one to make my chimichurri look like it does in your video. I like to put a dash of smoked paprika on top just for color.
Thank you for your inventive and fool-proof recipes!
Hey Sally,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
Too late in the season for cilantro, but we still have some basil in the garden, so I used that. We also had poblano peppers on hand, so I subbed them for the jalapeño. This was delicious! And so quick and easy. Thank you for another restaurant quality meal!
Thank you so much Jane! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This was AMAZING. So comforting but light and fresh with the corn. Such a quick good week night meal!
I am so glad you loved this one, Jenn! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
Absolutely delicious! I didn’t have cilantro, so I did a mix of lemon basil and oregano with the parsley and apple cider vinegar instead of red wine vinegar, and the flavor was still incredible! I especially love the bite you get from the jalapeno.
Thank you so much Ettienne! xTieghan
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I was just wondering if you need to boil the corn ear before you remove the kernels? I’m a perfectionist so i want this recipe to come out perfect!
Hi Karla,
Nope, you are all good with the corn as is! I hope you love the recipe! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I am not sure that anyone can share such a good recipe but thank you for that.
Thank you!
Made a version of this tonight and it was a huge hit! (Both my husband and I loved it which is rare to make us both happy!) I served it deconstructed for my kids and they loved it too! A few slight changes: used a can of unsweetened coconut milk and with the 2 cups of water and made Indian Head corn meal polenta. Added a good hunk of butter and some shredded parm at the end. I didn’t have jalapeño for the chimmichurri so I found a little frozen fire roasted poblanos and added that and some crushed red pepper on the shrimp. I grilled the shrimp instead (but smeared with some butter and put a little chimmichurri on beforehand). Sautéed some spinach and cherry tomatoes with a spoonful or two or the chimmichurri, threw that on top of the polenta and topped everything with some chopped avocado. That chimmichurri goes a long way and everything was delish! Gone before any pictures could even happen.
That is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much for trying this recipe Emily! xTieghan
This was easy and quite delicious. Will make again!!
Thank you so much Kris! xTieghan
There is no mention of the corn in the directions! I nearly forgot. Just ended up throwing it in the shrimp pan before the shrimp, but would like to hear your recommendation.
Hey Megan! The corn is in step 1 one, see below. I bolded it for you. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
1. To make the chimichurri. In a medium bowl, combine the cilantro, parsley, jalapeño, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, lime juice, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Stir in the corn.