Shrimp over creamed corn, and rather a lot of feta

Name: Shrimp over creamed corn, and rather a lot of feta
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 ½ lb extra-large shrimp, peeled (12 to 16 a pound); ¾ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste; 3 cloves garlic, finely grated; 5 tbsp unsalted butter (divided); ¼ cup heavy cream; 4 cups corn kernels (from 6 or 7 ears); ½ cup feta, crumbled, plus more to serve; black pepper; 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 2 small red onions, diced; 1 large poblano, diced (or a green bell pepper); 2 large ripe tomatoes, diced; 2 tsp fresh lemon juice; Worcestershire sauce (a large dash); hot sauce, preferably Tabasco (a dash); cilantro and basil leaves, to serve

Corn simmered soft in cream and butter, then blitzed until chunky and used the way you would use grits.

At a Glance

Time

40 min

Serves

Story

The feta goes into the corn, not only on top of it. Feta is kept in brine, so it brings salt and a sour edge into the purée, and that is what stops four cups of sweet corn tasting like pudding. Stir it in and taste before you reach for the salt.

Ingredients

1 ½ lb extra-large shrimppeeled (12 to 16 a pound)
¾ tsp kosher saltplus more to taste
3 cloves garlicfinely grated
5 tbsp unsalted butterdivided
¼ cup heavy cream
4 cups corn kernelsfrom 6 or 7 ears
½ cup fetacrumbled, plus more to serve
black pepper
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 small red onionsdiced
1 large poblanodiced (or a green bell pepper)
2 large ripe tomatoesdiced
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Worcestershire saucea large dash
hot saucepreferably Tabasco (a dash)
cilantro and basil leavesto serve

Method

Shrimp and grits is the shape of it, only there is not a grit in sight. A rough purée of summer corn does the job underneath, and nobody from Charleston need ever find out.

Summer corn is the point. Out of season, frozen kernels will get you there.

In a large bowl, toss the shrimp with the salt and garlic and put them in the fridge while you get on with everything else, up to 2 hours.
Melt 1 tbsp butter into the cream in a saucepan set on medium heat. Add the corn, cover, turn the heat down to medium-low and cook, stirring once or twice, until the corn is very soft, 10 to 15 minutes. If the pan dries out before the corn is tender, add a few teaspoons of water.
Blend the corn with an immersion blender, or in a regular blender, to a chunky purée. Stir in the feta, plenty of black pepper and salt to taste. Cover and keep warm.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the onion and poblano and cook until soft and pale gold, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, a big pinch of salt and a splash of water if the pan looks dry, and cook until the tomatoes collapse into a sauce, about 8 minutes.
Add the shrimp, lemon juice, Worcestershire and hot sauce and cook until the shrimp are pink and just cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes. Swirl in the remaining 4 tbsp butter and taste for salt.
Spoon the corn onto plates, pile the shrimp and their sauce on top and finish with more feta and a scatter of cilantro and basil.