Name: Polenta with Smoked Fish and Crème Fraîche
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: 8 to 12 ounces boned, skinned smoked trout fillet, broken into 2-inch pieces, or 8 to 12 ounces smoked salmon, cut into strips about 2 inches long and ½ inch wide; Salt and freshly ground pepper; 2 cups blanched French green beans or asparagus pieces, or 2 cups sauteed leeks; 4 cups cold water; 1 cup coarse cornmeal for >polenta; 2 ears fresh corn, kernels removed or 1½ cups frozen corn kernels; ¼ cup minced fresh chives; ½ cup (or as needed) crème fraîche (see note)

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Back to Square One

By Joyce Goldstein

Published 1992

About

This is a perfect appetizer to begin a fancy dinner, and it makes a surprisingly interesting brunch or breakfast item. The polenta can be prepared ahead and refrigerated, then cut and grilled, broiled, sautéed, or simply heated in the oven. Although polenta is a northern Italian staple, it is also served in Romania and some of the Balkan nations where it is known as mamaliga. Adding fresh corn when it is in season gives a sweetness to the dish that plays nicely off the smokiness of the fish