Fried polenta is a traditional side dish popular in Northern Italy that is made with leftover polenta. Buttery, crispy outside and creamy inside, this pan-fried polenta is an easy, gluten-free, delicious side dish to serve with saucy dishes like ragu, meat, or vegetable stew. Traditionally, these polenta fires are served with cheese and mushrooms but can also be a great appetizer with a dipping sauce.
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Polenta is boiled cornmeal, like warm porridge, that Italians like to eat with plenty of melted cheese or serve as a side dish to stews.
Because of its consistency and mild taste, polenta combines well with sauces and melted cheese as it absorbs the flavor and juices.
Traditional polenta takes a long time to make as it requires stirring for about 1 hour, so polenta is often made in large quantities.
When polenta cools down, it solidifies and is not as easy to warm up.
So fried polenta is usually done with leftover polenta.
It can be cut into different forms, such as round, square, or rectangular, and it will keep its shape.
Cutting polenta into smaller shapes makes it easier to warm up.
While it stays warm and creamy in the center, it forms a nice crispy crust on the outside.
Polenta slices can be either fried or baked.
In this recipe, we pan fry them in butter.
For more recipes with polenta, you can check chocolate wild boar, sweet polenta cakes.
Types of polenta
There are 3 different types of polenta in Italy:
- Polenta Taragna - made with corn and buckwheat, usually served with cheese and butter
- Polenta Bramata - made with coarse grain, usually served with meat
- White Polenta - made with white corn, is usually served with fish
You can use either type of polenta, depending on what you want to serve it with.
Note: here I served it with grilled scamorza cheese, so I used the Polenta Taragna
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Other ingredients
The other ingredients for this recipe are:
- Butter and olive oil for frying: I like to mix olive oil and butter as the butter gives the polenta a nice flavor
- Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top while still warm
See the recipe card for quantities.
I serve the fried polenta with grilled Scamorza cheese, stir-fried porcini, and white button mushrooms.
If it is not porcini season now, you can use dry porcini and you can find instructions in this article: How to use dried porcini mushrooms
How to serve it
For Italians, polenta fries are usually made with leftover polenta and served as a side dish to accompany the main dish, usually stew or meat sauce like lamb ragu.
Also, fried polenta is often served as a quick meal with melted cheese and sauteed mushrooms.
It is normally served for dinner on a cold winter day or after an exhausting day of skiing in the Alps.
If you want to serve it with something fancy, serve it with wild bore with chocolate sauce, daube Provencal, or duck in orange sauce.
Italians would not have it at breakfast, as traditional Italian breakfast is mainly sweet.
However, it is an excellent vegetarian breakfast.
Substitutions
Polenta is vegan and gluten-free, so it is suitable for many diets.
You can substitute polenta with semolina (NOT semolina flour).
While polenta is made from yellow corn, semolina is made with durum wheat.
Polenta has a crumblier and coarser grind, while semolina is finer, smoother, and easier to digest.
A great remedy for an upset stomach.
Some Italians don't like semolina as they associate it with being sick.
You can check the recipe: Semolina gnocchi
Variations
You can also make this recipe using:
- Pre-cooked polenta, or instant polenta, is cornmeal that has been partially cooked and dried. This process allows for quick preparation at home, reducing cooking time significantly. To prepare, you add the pre-cooked polenta to boiling water or broth and stir until it reaches the desired consistency, which usually takes a few minutes. It's a convenient option for making polenta dishes without the longer cooking time required for traditional polenta.
- Tubed Polenta—You can buy ready-cooked polenta shaped into tubes. You only need to cut it into slices and fry them. It's a great shortcut, but of course, the flavor of homemade polenta is much better.
- Deep fry - instead of frying the polenta in a pan, you can use a deep fryer or an air fryer
- Baked polenta—For a healthier option, you can bake the polenta. Place the polenta cakes into a baking dish in a single layer and top them with butter and Parmesan cheese so they form a nice crunchy crust.
Time saving tips
Traditionally polenta was cooked on a cauldron "Paiolo" over the fire and stirred constantly for an hour with a wooden spoon called "cannella".
As you need to stir polenta for a long time, I have Oxo wooden spoons which have comfortable handles.
The Paiolo is usually a copper cauldron as it is a great heat conductor.
It cooks the polenta thoroughly without altering its flavor and prevents the polenta from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
If you do not want to stir for an hour you can buy an electric copper cauldron.
Once cooked, the polenta is placed over a wooden cutting board and served with the meal.
Recipes using polenta
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📋 Italian Crispy Pan Fried Polenta
Equipment
Ingredients
Make the polenta
- 2 cup Polenta Taragna
- 4 cup water
- ½ tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- freshly grated Parmesan to sprinkle on top
Instructions
Make the polenta
- Combine water and salt in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or cauldron (at least 4-quart capacity). Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Using a heavy-bottomed pot helps prevent scorching.4 cup water, ½ tablespoon salt
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Slowly pour the Polenta Taragna into the boiling water in a thin, steady stream while constantly whisking with a sturdy wooden spoon or a heat-resistant silicone spatula. Whisking continuously during this step is crucial to prevent lumps from forming.2 cup Polenta Taragna
- Continue to cook the polenta over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and vigorously, for 50-60 minutes. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pot frequently to prevent sticking. The polenta is done when it pulls away cleanly from the sides of the pot and is very thick (it will stay attached when you lift the spoon). You may need to reduce the heat slightly if the polenta begins to sputter aggressively.
- Lightly grease a large baking sheet (approximately 13x18 inches) or a large wooden cutting board with olive oil. Alternatively, line the baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly grease the parchment paper. This will prevent the polenta from sticking.
- Using a lightly oiled spatula or the back of a spoon, spread the poured polenta into an even layer, about ½ inch thick.
- Allow the polenta to cool completely and become firm. This will take at least 1 hour at room temperature, or you can speed up the process by refrigerating it (covered) for 30-45 minutes. The polenta must be completely firm before cutting and frying.
Frying the polenta
- Once the polenta is completely firm, use a sharp knife (a slightly damp knife can help prevent sticking) to cut it into rectangular sticks, approximately 3 inches long by 1.5 inches wide (or your desired size). (3'X1.5' - 8cm X 4cm)
- Combine olive oil and butter in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet (cast iron is ideal) and heat over medium heat. The oil and butter combination provides flavor and a higher smoke point.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter
- Carefully place the polenta sticks in the hot skillet, ensuring not to overcrowd the pan. Work in batches if necessary. Fry for 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy on the first side.
- Carefully flip the polenta sticks using a spatula. Fry for another 4-5 minutes, or until the second side is also golden brown and crispy. Adjust the heat as needed to prevent burning.
- Remove the fried polenta sticks from the skillet and place them on a serving plate, preferably lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
- Immediately sprinkle the hot, fried polenta with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve.freshly grated Parmesan
Video
Notes
- As a shortcut, you can either buy instant polenta which needs only 15 minutes to make, or the already made tube polenta
- If you want to make it perfectly flat cover it with parchment paper and roll it with a rolling pin.
- I like to fry the polenta with a mix of olive oil and butter as they give more flavor. If you prefer you can use only one or the other or use vegetable oil for a milder flavor.
Storage
You can store fried polenta in the fridge for up to 3 days and seal it into an airtight container as it tends to dry out. You can heat it in the oven before serving it to make it crispy again. Polenta is not suitable for the freezer as it retains too much water.Nutrition
Historic background
Polenta is a traditional Italian dish made from ground cornmeal. It's cooked by boiling in water or broth to a porridge-like consistency.
A similar dish was made initially in Mesopotamia with millet and rye, in Greece with barley flour, while the Romans used spelt.
After Columbus brought back corn from the Americas, polenta was made with corn flour.
As it was a very profitable cultivation, the use of corn quickly spread into Europe, Africa, and Asia.
The polenta was traditionally a lower-class meal, often being combined with simple ingredients.
For example:
- Polenta taragna made with corn and buckwheat and served with cheese
- Polenta osei served with birds
- Polenta alla contadina served with pork cracklings
- Polenta pasticciata served with a mix of different types of meat stew
Polenta is very common in northern Italy: Piemonte, Lombardia, Veneto.
For more information about historic background on Italian food you can read the articles: History of Italian food by Region, Italian food history and cultural influences, Italian street food recipes.
More easy side dish for juicy mains
When you're preparing a juicy main course, having the right side dishes can elevate your meal to a new level.
Here are some easy-to-make options that pair beautifully with any succulent main.
Gnocchi alla Romana is a traditional Italian dish made from semolina flour, milk, butter, Parmesan cheese, and eggs, baked to a creamy, cheesy delight with a crispy top.
Microwaving potatoes until tender and then baking them ensures fluffy insides with a crispy exterior, perfect for a quick and easy side.
Rice pilaf, sautéed with onions and simmered in broth, is a versatile and elegant side dish that pairs well with any main.
Italian roasted potatoes, tossed with olive oil, garlic, rosemary, and sea salt, are roasted until golden and crispy, making a flavorful accompaniment.
Yorkshire pudding, made from a simple batter of flour, eggs, and milk, bakes into light, airy puffs that are perfect for soaking up gravy.
FAQ
Make sure that you use a pan with high heat thermal conductivity such as copper or cast iron. DO NOT use steel pots.
Anything juicy: sauces, melted cheese, meat, and vegetable stews.
Instant polenta is not as good as the regular polenta but I know that stirring for 1 hour can be exhausting. So, it is up to you, knowing you miss out on flavor. Alternatively, you can buy an electric cauldron.
William Stewart
I thought semolina was made from durum wheat, not from white corn. Is there such a product called semolina?
Laura
Yes, sorry. The name got lost in translation. It is durum wheat, although it should not be confused with Semolina flour which is fine semolina. What in Italy is called Semolino is coarse semolina
Carla
I tried to pan fry my cut up polenta with a mix of butter and olive oil and it did not brown but got mushy and stuck to the pan. I made sure the pan was sizzling. My polenta was in the refrigerator for two days so it was firm. What am I doing wrong? I LONG for fried polenta and I keep trying but with no success.
Laura
Hi Carla, for what you say it could be that you do not use the right polenta mix. Why don't you try with a tube polenta and see if that works. The affiliate link here below:
https://amzn.to/47E3eiI
JoannaNYC
Semolina has nothing to do with polenta or grits. Polenta is corn meal and grits are hominy corn that was treated with alkali, while semolina is flour ground from hard durum wheat. Oddly enough most hard wheat for semolina is imported from Montana to Italy and then shipped back as 00 flour or pasta.
Carla, you need to reduce the liquid from 4:1 to 3:1 ratio for it to hold up better when frying.
Laura
Thank you for your comment. Yes, Semolina has nothing to do with polenta, I am not sure where you read that. However in Italy we have some recipes where polenta tubes or semolina tubes can be use interchangeably when baked in the oven like the gnocchi alla Romana. I am talking about Semolina, NOT semolina flour. They are two different things.
Semolina:
https://www.dececco.com/gb_en/product/semolino/
Semolina flour:
https://www.dececco.com/gb_en/product/farina-di-grano-duro/