Garlic-Butter Shrimp with Bitter Greens & Creamy Polenta

Big beautiful shrimp curl up quickly in a hot pan with lots of garlic, butter, and herbs. Leaving the shells on enriches the flavor, but the “easy” peels pop off without a fight. 

What You Get

Polenta 

Milk 

Escarole or rapini

Lemon 

Garlic 

Easy-peel shrimp (see note below) 

Herb butter 

What You’ll Need

Salt

Olive oil  

Chile flakes (optional)

Makes 3 servings

20 minutes active 

20 minutes total 

Step 1

In a small pot, bring 3 cups water and a pinch of salt to a simmer. In a bowl, combine 1 cup polenta, 1 cup milk, and a pinch of salt and let soak. When the water is simmering, whisk in the polenta, along with the soaking liquid. Turn down the heat to low, cover, and simmer until tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in 1 tablespoon olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt. 

Step 2

Meanwhile, chop the escarole. Cut the lemon into wedges for serving. Finely chop 2 cloves of garlic. Drain the shrimp and pat dry with paper towels. 

Step 3

In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the escarole, season with ½ teaspoon salt, and sauté until wilted, 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm. 

Step 4

Wipe out the pan, return it to the heat, and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the shrimp, season with salt, and sear until bright pink and tightly furled, flipping once, 3 minutes per side. Turn down the heat to low, add 2 tablespoons of the herb butter and the chopped garlic, and toss to melt and coat, 1 minute. 

Step 5 

Spoon the hot polenta into bowls and top with the wilted escarole and garlic-butter shrimp. Set out a bowl for discarding the shells and plenty of napkins. Sprinkle with chile flakes, if you want some heat. Serve warm, with the lemon wedges for squeezing. 

Contains: milk, crustacean shellfish. 

Note: The shrimp arrives frozen for freshness. Store it in the refrigerator to defrost before cooking. If you need to defrost it same day, place it in a bowl of cold water for about 5 minutes, then drain and pat dry.