A bit of an unconventional meatball, but a delicious one nonetheless. Made with a pistachio pesto base and served over some creamy, peppery polenta, this is a great dinner recipe!
Pesto Shrimp Meatballs with Polenta
Ingredients
- 1 cup Basil leaves plus a few for garnish
- 1 cup Parmigiano grated
- 1/2 cup Pistachios raw
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 Lemon zested
- 1 tbsp Olive oil plus more for searing
- 1/2 Yellow onion chopped into quarters
- 2 Large eggs
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 lb Shrimp raw, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 cup Creme fraiche
Polenta
- 2 cups Water
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 cup Polenta
- Black pepper lots
- 2 tbsp Salted butter
Toasted pistachio topping
- 1/4 Pistachios raw, chopped
- 1 tbsp Salted butter
- Red pepper or aleppo flakes to taste
Instructions
- To a food processor, add 1 cup basil leaves, 1 cup parmigiano, 1/2 cup pistachios, 3 cloves garlic, zest of 1 lemon, and 1 tbsp olive oil. Pulse until a crumbly sand-like mixture. Remove roughly half of the mixture and set aside.
- To the food processor with the remaining pesto-mixture, add the chopped yellow onion. Pulse again a few times until the onion is cohesive with the rest of the mixture. Then, add 2 large eggs and 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs and pulse until smooth.
- Add in the raw peeled and deveined shrimp along with a pinch of kosher salt and pulse until fully combined with the rest of the mixture and there are no more large chunks of shrimp remaining. Scrape down the sides and pulse again if needed. Once cohesive, transfer the pesto shrimp mixture to a mixing bowl.
- Optionally rub oil on your hands to avoid sticking, then roll the shrimp paste into roughly 18-20 medium sized meatballs. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large pot with a lid, such as a dutch oven, over medium-high heat. Sear each meatball on the top and bottom until golden brown. Work in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding the pot. Once all are seared, remove and set to the side.
- To the same pot, add the crumbly pesto mixture from step 1 along with 1/2 a cup of creme fraiche. Whisk together over low heat until no clumps remain. Season with salt to taste, then add the shrimp meatballs back to the pesto sauce and cover with a lid. Set over low heat and allow to simmer gently until cooked through.
- In a separate medium-sized pot, bring 2 cups of water and 1 cup of milk to a simmer. Once simmering, whisk in 1 cup of polenta and continue whisking and simmering until tender and creamy, about 10-15 minutes. Add salt and a lot of fresh cracked black pepper to taste and whisk in 2 tbsp salted butter.
- In a small pan, melt 1 tbsp butter and add 1/4 cup chopped pistachios along with a pinch of red pepper flakes or aleppo pepper. Toast until lightly browned and fragrant, then set to the side.
- Serve shrimp meatballs on top of polenta, topping with a bit of extra pesto sauce if possible. Sprinkle a bit of the toasted pistachios on top as garnish, and garnish with any remaining basil leaves.
