Polenta frita or crunchy fried polenta crisps: a surprising finger food appetizer or a creative alternative for fries… You decide how you want to serve them!
Polenta frita! Do you like polenta?
You are most certainly familiar with polenta, right?
Italian cornmeal you have to boil in hot water. It kind of looks like grits, but it’s not as coarse as grits. I once made shrimp and grits, but with polenta because I can’t find grits here.
One day I served polenta for dinner and my husband’s adult children first thought it was potato mash. Until they tasted it.
Serve these deliciously crunchy fried polenta crisps as an appetizer when you are throwing your next dinner party and you will surprise everyone when you tell them what it actually is! They don’t only look good (look at that lovely golden color) but they taste great as well!
What a lovely crunch these crisps have!
Fried Polenta Crisps Appetizer
So what do these polenta crisps taste like?
The hubs immediately said: cornflakes!
Sprinkle the sliced polenta with whatever spices you want to add some extra flavor: smoked paprika, coarse salt, dried thyme, curry powder or garam masala.
Or leave them the way they are and serve the crisps with a bowl of freshly homemade basil pesto or another creamy dipping sauce!
Make sure to slice the cooled polenta as thin as possible. The thin ones will crisp up nicely and stay crisp. However the thicker slices will become soggy again after baking them.
These crisps not only serve as an appetizer. I once made them as an alternative side dish for fries, for a steak dinner.
You should try them, you’ll be truly surprised…
Do you need a dinner idea with creamy polenta?
Then also check out my buttery polenta with mushroom ragu!
Enjoy!
The Recipe
- 3 oz polenta cornmeal (70 g)
- 1 ¼ vegetable stock (300 ml)
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- garlic powder
- pepper
- salt
- Pour the stock in a saucepan and place it over high heat until boiling. Then add the polenta cornmeal.
- Season with pepper and salt to taste. Stir for 2 minutes until the polenta starts to thicken. Then turn the heat very low and cover the pan. Cook the polenta for 25 minutes. Stir regularly, make sure it doesn't burn.
- Stir in the butterl. Season with extra pepper.
- Take the pan off the heat and pour the cooked polenta in a glass or ceramic dish. Mine was round but you can choose whatever shape you want. Cover the surface of the polenta with some plastic wrap or it will dry out.
- Let the polenta cool in the fridge for at least 5 hours until set. Then remove the polenta from its ramekin and slice it into chunks.
Then slice them as thin as possible. This is a bit tricky. Make the slices evenly thin, thicker slices will have to grill longer. Thin crisps will stay crisp for much longer. Then place the slivers of polenta onto an oven rack covered with baking paper. Do this in batches if necessary. Sprinkle the polenta with pepper, salt, paprika… or any type of seasoning you prefer.
- Grill the polenta crisps for 13 to 15 minutes until very crisp. Don’t let them burn. Then peel the crisps off the baking paper and place them on a plate. Serve within 24 hours.
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