Oven baked polenta probably brings to mind hearty winter meals, with rich braised meats and red wine. This creamy goat cheese polenta with smoked trout, however, is rustic and hearty while also feeling springy and fresh. The slight tang of goat cheese paired with vibrant fresh lemon and dill is reminiscent of pasta alla primavera. Smoked fish, such as smoked trout or smoked salmon, adds a savoriness that rounds everything out into a deeply satisfying dish. And, by nesting eggs directly into the polenta to bake, you get a complete one-pan meal with minimal prep. Give it a try for your next brunch or a cozy spring dinner!
This post may contain affiliate links. There is no cost to you, but if you buy something from these links I may earn a small commission, which helps keep my stove hot and small pantry stocked–thank you!
This polenta recipe is (heavily) adapted from a batch of recipes that I tested for a cookbook back in May or June of 2021. It was overall a delicious concept: creamy polenta made creamier with creamy goat cheese, and studded with savory smoked trout. However I love the flavor of polenta itself, and I felt that there was so much cheese it drowned out the corn. Which, as a certified cheese-obsessive, says a lot! But with a little bit of tweaking I've adapted the recipe to both simplify the instructions and to suit my personal taste. The end result is creamy, savory, and cheesy, but not too heavy.
Despite my critique of this particular inspiration recipe, I do recommend the book as a whole. It's The Miller's Daughter by Emma Zimmerman. Browsing through the recipes is a delicious experience, and sure to leave you inspired. I've linked to it on Bookshop.org below (a portion of sales goes to local bookstores!), but you can also find it on Amazon.
Core Ingredients
The ingredients in this creamy polenta recipe are rustic and quite simple. To me, that simplicity has its own type of quiet elegance, making this dish both brunch-ready and ideal comfort food.
Coarse Polenta
Good quality polenta will taste like corn. The main factor that sets good polenta apart from "bad" polenta is age. Like any grain, once it is milled from corn into polenta it starts losing flavor. The coarse polenta you can buy in any grocery store is just fine to use, but if you're in the mood to treat yourself you should seek out brands that mill their corn in smaller batches.
Smaller batches mean more frequent milling, which means you'll be buying fresher product than what's been languishing on grocery store shelves. I recommend either Hayden Flour Mills or Maine Grains (non-affiliate links).
Goat Cheese
Fresh goat's milk cheese can be super soft and creamy, or it can be drier and crumbly. Both work well here. It will melt into the polenta for extra silkiness. Goat cheese has a bit of a tang to it, which makes it perfect for balancing the rich smokiness of the fish. Think smoked fish and cream cheese, but a bit brighter.
Smoked Trout or Smoked Salmon
I love this creamy goat cheese polenta studded with flakes of firm-savory smoked trout. It's meaty and aromatic, the bacon of the lake. Smoked trout is often more affordable than other options, but most any smoked fish will do. Hot smoked salmon in particular is excellent in this recipe.
Both canned and vacuum-sealed smoked fish are good options. If you do use trout, don't forget to check carefully for tiny pin bones. If you don't want to fuss with the bones, I suggest using smoked salmon or other large fish, which generally have all bones removed before packaging.
Lemon Juice and Fresh Herbs
The bright, zippy flavors of fresh lemon and fresh herbs are absolutely critical for this baked polenta. As mentioned above, the inspiration recipe was really too heavy. A good recipe encourages bite after bite. It shouldn't cause palate fatigue halfway through. The lemon balances the richness of the cheese and smoked fish. It not only wakes everything up, it makes everything taste less muddy and more like themselves.
The fresh herbs add a wonderful, complementary contrast. Dill and smoked fish are a classic pairing. Its bright and distinct character is what makes this hearty, rustic dish downright springy!
Basic Method
Baking Polenta
When you think of creamy polenta, you probably think of an eternity spent glued to the stove, stirring constantly over medium heat. It doesn't have to be that way! Baking polenta in the oven makes it much less likely to scorch, so you can be busy elsewhere. A stir or two while it cooks is all you need.
Baking Eggs
When the polenta is cooked, make small wells with the back of a spoon and crack an egg into each well. I suggest decreasing the temperature of your oven to bake the eggs. You technically don't have to, but a slightly lower temperature will help you achieve fully set whites while your yolks stay runny, or at least oozy.
Expert Tips and Tricks for Goat Cheese Polenta with Smoked Trout
Ingredient Swaps
- Smoked Trout vs Smoked Salmon: Any hot smoked fish that flakes will work here. Trout and salmon are my favorite, but smoked tuna, mackerel, etc are also good choices. I don't recommend cold smoked salmon (aka lox) here for textural reasons. I find it turns pasty.
- Goat Cheese: You can use other creamy fresh cheeses. Cream cheese is a particularly easy swap, but you might also try a whipped feta or an herbed spreading cheese like boursin or alouette.
- Fresh Dill and Scallion: If you're not a fan of dill, try parsley or tarragon. Any soft herb will work. Scallion can easily be subbed with chives, which is especially useful if you have a handful that you need to use up before they go bad. A clove of minced fresh garlic would also make a good sub, albeit a less verdant one.
What to Avoid
- Forgetting to stir your polenta: Baking polenta cooks if from all sides, which means less work for you. However, you do need to stir it once or twice so that the grains in the middle of the pan cook at the same rate as those on the bottom and the surface. And, as the polenta thickens, the bottom layer that touches the pan is more likely to start sticking. A few good stirs helps prevent this.
- Under-Hydrating your polenta: It looks like a lot of liquid, I know, but don't use less! Polenta is thirsty! As the grains hydrate and cook the polenta will start to stiffen up, so if you want a creamier polenta it needs plenty of moisture to stay loose.
- Broiling instead of baking your eggs: The original recipe has you broil the eggs, which is a sure-fire way to have hard, leathery tops hiding raw icky whites. I know it's tempting to blast the heat and hurry it up, but in this case you just need to let the eggs bake gently.
Why this Recipe Works
- Ambient heat: Stove-top polenta has to fight against the direct heat of the burner. It's a constant battle against scorching and sticking. Cooking the polenta in an oven uses ambient heat to cook gently from all sides, dramatically reducing the amount of effort needed.
- Balanced flavors: Cheese is great! Smoked meat and fish are great! But they are heavy, rich flavors. When combined with rustic, hearty polenta it can quickly become heavy. Balancing the rich flavors with freshness (herbs) and acidity (lemon juice) cuts the heaviness significantly.
- Treating the eggs gently: As mentioned above, blasting the eggs under a broiler will leave you with a combo of over-cooked and raw. For an alluringly runny yolk and fully opaque whites, ease up on the heat and let the eggs cook gently.
FAQs
The main difference is the type of corn traditionally used. Polenta is usually made with flint corn, while grits are made from slightly softer dent corn. If you can only find one or the other that's okay. Both will get the job done.
Absolutely. Remember to increase the size of your skillet to accommodate a larger volume of polenta. If you end up needing to use a Dutch oven you may find your cook time to be a bit longer due to different surface area and evaporation rates. To make a huge batch, you'll likely have a hard time nestling enough eggs onto the surface. If that's the case I recommend frying some sunny-side eggs up separately, rather than trying to bake them in.
Yes, but the effect won't be quite the same. You can use olive oil or vegan butter in place of regular salted or unsalted butter. For the goat cheese, I recommend exploring different types of vegan/dairy-free cream cheese or sour cream. You may have access to new types of vegan goat cheese, which could be fun to play with.
You do not! You can either omit it entirely for an herby vegetarian version, or you can sub some crisped bacon. If going vegetarian, you might like a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan cheese for some extra umami, but it's entirely optional.
Looking for more easy one-pan recipes? You might like these!
Huevos Rotos (Spanish Potatoes with “Broken Eggs”)
Turkish-Inspired Chicken and Orzo Tomato “Orzotto” Soup
Pearl Couscous with Butternut Squash and Chickpeas
Steamed Mussels in a Spicy Coconut Curry Broth
Pisto Manchego (Spanish-Style Simmered Vegetables)
Steamed Mussels in a Spicy Coconut Curry Broth
Recipe: Oven-Baked Goat Cheese Polenta with Smoked Trout and Nested Eggs
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup coarse polenta
- 2 cups stock or whole milk
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1½ ounces smoked trout or hot smoked salmon, bones and skin removed and flaked into small pieces
- 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled, plus more for garnish
- ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped, Divided
- 1 medium scallion, finely chopped, About 2 tablespoons
- 2 large eggs
- Lemon wedges, to serve
Preparation
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Arrange your racks so that the upper-most rack is in the middle of the oven. This will make it easier to check and stir the polenta as it bakes.
- Step 1In a medium tall-sided skillet, whisk together the polenta, stock or milk, butter, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. For a standard style skillet with sloped sides, a 10-inch size works best to prevent spills. If you have an 8-inch skillet with taller sides, such as a cast iron pan or sauté pan, that will do nicely as well.
- Step 2Transfer to the oven and bake, stirring once or twice, until the polenta has absorbed all the liquid, 30 to 35 minutes. Taste to make sure the grains of the polenta are completely tender. If the polenta is still a bit toothsome, stir in ¼ to ½ cup water and continue to bake until the liquid is absorbed and the grains are tender.
- Step 3When the polenta is cooked, remove the skillet from the oven and stir in the smoked fish, goat cheese, scallions, and half the dill (the rest will be used as garnish). Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Use the back of a large spoon to create 2 wells in the top of the polenta. Crack one egg into each well. Optional: Sprinkle with extra goat cheese.
- Step 4Decrease the oven temperature to 375℉. Return the skillet to the oven and bake until the egg whites are just set but the yolks are still runny, 8-14 minutes. Squeeze lemon over the top of the polenta and garnish with the remaining dill. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.
This post may contain affiliate links. There is no cost to you, but if you buy something from these links I may earn a small commission, which helps keep my stove hot and small pantry stocked–thank you!
Anonymous says
Looks Delicious!
Julia @ Small Pantry says
Thank you so much!