Schie and polenta in Venice is called “Poenta e schie” and it is a traditional dish from Veneto. Schie are small gray shrimp caught in the Venetian lagoon. They are small and not very meaty, but very tasty. It used to be considered a poor dish, but now it is rediscovered and served in Venetian restaurants. When Schie are cooked, they change color from gray to a very intense pink. They are served boiled for a couple of minutes and then seasoned with oil, garlic, and parsley, or fried whole without removing the shell. You eat everything; they are very tender and tasty, and I will leave you both versions.
They are usually served as an appetizer, in both versions, either boiled or fried. Sometimes they are also added to fried calamari and sardines to give more color and crispiness, and maybe even with FRIED MOECHE. I recommend also checking out all the Venetian cuisine recipes, the TYPICAL RECIPES OF THE VENICE CARNIVAL, THE 10 BEST DISHES TO EAT IN VENETO, WHAT TO EAT AT THE REDEEMER. Now let’s see how to make schie with polenta and if you try them, let me know. Barbara
I also recommend trying:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Boiling, Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 3.5 oz schie (or small shrimp)
- to taste salt
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste parsley
- to taste garlic
- 3.5 oz schie
- to taste all-purpose flour
- to taste peanut oil (for frying)
- 1 cup cup instant polenta cornmeal
- 4.2 cups water
- 2 teaspoons salt
How to prepare Schie and polenta
Let’s start preparing Schie and polenta. Whether you fry them or boil them, wash the schie under running water and then dry them with paper towels.
If you make fried schie, pass them in flour and then remove the excess, perhaps using a sieve.
Heat the peanut oil and then add the floured schie, a few at a time, fry them, and then when they are golden, take them out with a skimmer and let them dry on absorbent paper to remove the excess oil. When you’ve cooked them all, salt them.
If you make boiled schie, after washing them, put them in a pot with cold salted water and bring to a boil. When a white foam forms on the surface, remove the pot from the heat, drain, and place the schie in a bowl. Season with extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, finely chopped parsley, and garlic, mix everything well, and let it marinate for a few minutes.
Prepare the polenta following the instructions on the package, an important thing is that the polenta should be soft, so add more water than indicated on the package.
Serve the polenta on a plate and place the boiled or fried schie on top and serve everything hot
How to store polenta with schie
You can store it in the refrigerator for 2 days. Boiled schie keep for 2 days in the refrigerator, while fried ones will not be as crispy as when freshly made.
