Sunday Night Dinner- Spicy Grilled Shrimp Over Fried Polenta Cake with Creamy Cilantro Pesto

Holy cow, just typing that headline turned me on because I remembered how delicious this food was. Hey, it’s Sunday night, it’s summer, why not take a second to throw this together and really treat yourself before another work week? The cool, creaminess of the pesto puts out any fire from the spicy shrimp and the polenta is a low-calorie, gluten free alternative to pasta.

And did I mention it’s freaking delicious?

Look at that delicious, fresh, summery, shrimp just sitting in a spicy, garlicky marinade…

I can smell this photo from here.

The texture of the cilantro pesto depends on the texture YOU want, loves, because texture how you like it is a big deal. Here’s what all that loosely-packed cilantro looks like just ready to be chopped up in the old skool food processor you stole from your mom.

Seriously, this is like summer in a food processor. If you don’t like cilantro, you can substitute parsley, but then we will laugh at you.

And your fresh cilantro pesto in all its creamy deliciousness.

Look at how pretty this is!

I paired with Chateau de Nages Buti Nages Nimes Rosé because it’s a medium-bodied blend of Grenache and Syrah that’s crisp with a rose petal finish that tastes neat with the cilantro pesto. (And because it’s Summer of Rosé. Last summer was Summer of Prosecco.)

And here’s what it all looks like on a plate before you devour it and make it not all pretty anymore.

Seriously, that plating? Who the hell do I think I am?

Ingredients:For Cilantro Pesto: Fresh cilantro (however much fits in your food processor, roughly 2 cups loosely packed) 2 tbsp Neufchatel Cheese (or less-fat cream cheese) Juice from 1 lime Extra Virgin Olive Oil Salt, to taste

For Spicy Grilled Shrimp: 20 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined. (You can leave the tails on if you want. I do.) 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 3 Garlic Cloves, minced Zest from 1 lime Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, to taste Cayenne Pepper, to taste Salt, to taste, (I used Blue Persian Sea Salt)

For Polenta Cake: I went premade because it was just easier and I like the texture. Slice to 1/2″ thick. I used San Gennaro Polenta which is only something like 70 calories for two 1/2″ inch-thick slices. If you really want to get crazy, make your own, but it was also just too damn hot in my kitchen.

Directions: Put shrimp in a gallon Ziploc baggie. Pour over olive oil, minced garlic, lime zest, crushed red pepper, cayenne pepper and salt. Seal bag and smoosh around, (yes, smoosh… that IS an official culinary term, I hear) until shrimp is covered and put in fridge to hang out while you make the pesto.

In food processor combine cilantro, Neufchatel, lime juice and salt. Process until it comes together, then while it’s going slowly drizzle in olive oil until you get desired texture. Set aside in fridge.

In a cast iron skillet, heat a bit of whatever kind of oil you like to use to pan fry depending on your level of health consciousness over medium-high heat. I used olive oil. Fry until golden and crispy on both sides.

Cook shrimp in a grill pan over medium heat or outdoors on a grill until done. I’m not going to get into the specifics of what cooked shrimp looks like. You know that, right? Or can Google perfectly cooked shrimp?

And that’s it! What the what? Totally that’s it. Plate with shrimp on top of two polenta cakes per person, drizzle with pesto and put a little more pesto on the plate in that fancy MasterChef Junior sort of way, and have a frosty beverage!