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Spicy Garlic Lemon Butter Shrimp with Parmesan Corn Polenta…a delicious bowl of late summer comfort food. This simple brown butter corn and parmesan polenta is creamy, perfectly buttery, and swirled with sweet corn. The shrimp is cooked in butter with spices and garlic, then finished with lemon…so flavorful and delicious! Especially when spooned over bowls of creamy polenta. A great under 30 minutes dinner.
Sometimes recipes are just a little more special. They might be more delicious, simpler to prepare, or just prettier. And while I know this shrimp might not seem oh so special or better than any other shrimp, I promise you it’s delicious.
Extra special as I love to say.
The only reason this recipe came to be is simple. My brother Red and his girlfriend, Hailey, are in town for the week. Whenever I have brothers in town I usually try to make something they love. But Red and Hails are even more fun because they’re down to try pretty much anything, and they love seafood.
I love cooking for others, so I used these two as a good excuse to make something they’d love. Since Hailey is really into shrimp I started with that, then built this quick recipe.
It’s spicy shrimp in a crazy delicious lemon butter sauce with creamy polenta.
Here are the details – start with the polenta
You need lots of corn, butter, and quick cooking polenta.
Start by cooking the butter and corn together until the butter browns and the corn begins to pop. Stir in a little milk and then the polenta.
The key here is to stir the polenta for five minutes until it gets creamy, then cover, and let it sit while you make the shrimp.
Once the polenta has been sitting for a bit, stir in lots and lots of parmesan cheese.
Now make the shrimp
It’s pan seared in butter with cajun seasonings until both sides are browned. I love to make my own homemade cajun spice mix, but if you’re in a pinch, store bought works too.
When the shrimp has crisped, add the garlic and fresh thyme. Then remove the shrimp from the heat and add the lemon juice. It takes maybe five or ten minutes from start to finish – tops.
Simple, but so much flavor from all the spices, garlic, and lemony butter pan sauce.
Finish it up
Spoon the creamy polenta into bowls, then spoon the shrimp and sauce overtop. I top with lots of fresh basil, and serve with crusty bread and a big arugula salad from the garden.
So quick and simple – so delicious.
The shrimp is definitely the star here, but it really can’t be the star without it’s supporting actor, the polenta. So be sure to make them both. Trust me, you’re going to love it!
Looking for other shrimp recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Honey Garlic Shrimp, Corn, and Avocado Bacon Salad
Spicy Southern Style Shrimp with Lemon Basil Orzo
Sheet Pan Jalapeño Pineapple Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Garlic Sauce
Lastly, if you make this Spicy Garlic Lemon Butter Shrimp with Parmesan Corn Polenta, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Spicy Garlic Lemon Butter Shrimp with Parmesan Corn Polenta
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 434 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Parmesan Corn Polenta
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 ears corn – kernels removed from the cob
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup dry polenta
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- kosher salt and black pepper
Shrimp
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 1/2 pounds raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- juice from 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
Instructions
- 1. To make the polenta. In a medium pot, melt together the butter and corn. Cook 5-8 minutes, until the butter browns around the corn. Add 2 cups water and the milk. Bring to a low boil, then whisk in the polenta, stirring until the polenta is soft and thick, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat off, cover the pot, and let the polenta sit 5 minutes.2. Meanwhile, make the shrimp. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter, shrimp, cajun seasonings, and a big pinch of pepper. Cook on both sides until seared, about 2-3 minutes per side. Stir in the garlic and thyme and continue to cook until the garlic is fragrant. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and basil. 3. Spoon the polenta into bowls, then spoon the shrimp and sauce over the polenta. Eat and enjoy!
Notes
Homemade Cajun Seasoning: mix 2 1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika, 2 tablespoons garlic powder, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon dried thyme, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon black pepper. Makes 3/4 cup.
Just when I think your recipes can’t get any better – you pop off with one of these.
Not only was it amazingly delicious it was easy to make. Great texture, delicious flavor, fresh yet filling. We agreed our kiddos (19 and 25) would LOVE it also, so much so I instantly texted it to my daughter to make for her husband.
Thank you for another recipe that’s going on the regular rotation in my house!
Hey Kristen,
Happy Wednesday! I really appreciate you taking the time to make this recipe, I love to hear that it was a hit! Thanks so much for your kind message?xT
Fabulous! Even my picky 9 year old loved it!
Hey Jennifer,
Happy Wednesday! I really appreciate you taking the time to make this recipe, I love to hear that it was a hit! xxT
This was delicious!! My family never needs to ask where I get my recipes from as its always here!! Will definitely make this again. I did cut back on the Cajun seasoning as my spice tolerance isn’t as high as some. So good!
Hi Michelle,
I really appreciate you giving this dish a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Hope you’re having a great Wednesday! xT
This was fantastic!! Thank you!
Hey Kathleen,
Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
I’m confused about something. I’ve never made polenta but I’d love to try it. I saw that you said to use quick-cooking polenta in the body of this recipe (before the actual recipe) but on the ingredient list, it didn’t specify to use the quick-cooking polenta. Can you clear that up for me? Thanks.
Hey Renee,
Here is the link for the exact polenta that I used:
http://l.thrv.me/HBH7131-bobs-red-mill-polenta-corn-grits
Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xx
So yum. I’m not a big shrimp fan just because I think they’re more work than they’re worth (they’re never deveined to my picky satisfaction), but the flavoring here is so good I forgave them. Perhaps I’ll even try a different protein sometime.
My store was out of dry polenta, so I bought a good quality roll. It’s a fussy process, no doubt, but turned out great. I followed the polenta steps as the recipe states, holding out the water at first, and cubed the roll, dropping them into the pan. It takes a bit to soften, and required a few splashes of water to get smooth and creamy, but well worth it. Another winner.
Hey Meredith,
Happy Sunday! I am so glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for making it:) Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! ?
Quick and delicious! 10/10
Hey Christina,
Happy Friday!!? Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your review, I am so glad it was a hit! xT
I made this last night for Company and will make it again! So delicious and easy! I did the prep in the afternoon then once we were ready to eat I had it all done and together within 15 minutes! A tossed salad with homemade lemon vinaigrette and no turning the Oven on during a Heat wave! OUTSTANDING!
Hi Rena!
Happy Sunday! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner:)
Superb recipe. Done very quickly yet it comes across as a recipe that looks like you put in tons of effort! The addition of the fresh corn was a game changer for the polenta…my daughter, who doesn’t love it, devoured this polenta. Family agreed this was a hit and to put it in the rotation.
Hey Lisa,
Thanks so much for your comment and sharing your feedback! I am glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for trying it out! xTieghan
Turned this into a shrimp and grits one night trying to use up some items in my fridge. Took a few liberties but stayed pretty true to the recipe. Absolutely delicious!
Hi Stacie,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and making this recipe:) I love to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
I am preemptively rating this because I only made the shrimp component, but—wow—they were delicious. That sauce!! And I’m not even a huge fan of shrimp. My kids even ate it.
Hey there,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and making this recipe:) I love to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
That polenta and the sauce! YUM!! This was easy and DELICIOUS. Thank you so much, for sharing another amazing recipe with us.
Hi Paula,
Happy Friday!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe out and sharing your feedback! I love to hear that it was a hit!☀️
First time giving feedback on a recipe (they’re all excellent). But this one will a popular in our family including the picky eaters. Simple and so good… in fact, I’m doubling the sauce next time because it was soooo delicious with the polenta. Thanks!
Hey there,
Happy Friday!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe out and sharing your feedback! I love to hear that it was a hit!☀️
Wow, this was so good. My husband and I both thought it was delicious. The only change I made was to use canned corn instead of corn on the cob, only because that’s what I had. Will definitely be making this again.
Hi Sharron,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! xx
I use this spice mix on shrimp at least 2 times a week with rice for meal prep!!! Obsessed
Hi Stephanie,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for trying it out! I hope you had a great holiday weekend!?
This looks so good!! The store unfortunately only had refrigerated pre cooked polenta. Do you think I could still make it work?? Not sure if I could get that creaminess
Hey there,
You could certainly give it a try! Please let me know how the recipe turns out! xTieghan