Memorial Day is coming up as we all know. One of my favorite pastimes is taking some time off to go into the woods, enjoy nature and bring delicious food to eat alongside my family. My wife stumbled upon this great shrimp salad recipe sometime ago, and guess what? She’s going to make it for our family this upcoming Monday! With all the crazy work that has been going on, my stomach and I could not be happier. Try this recipe out for your family this Memorial day (or anytime) and enjoy some time off. I know I will!
–Jeff
Shrimp Salad (serves 2, double the recipe for more guests):
- 2 hearts of Romaine lettuce (sold prepackaged in the produce section), sliced
in half lengthwise - 1 medium to large-sized, ripe Haas avocado, sliced in half lengthwise and
seed removed - 15 25-count shrimp (tails and shells left on)
- 12 cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
- Feta cheese crumbles
- Extra virgin olive oil
For the Dressing:
- Zest from 1 orange and the juice of 1/2 the orange
- 1.5 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Poaching Liquid for the Shrimp:
- 3 to 4 cups water
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 onion sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 20 black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- Kosher salt
- 1 large bowl of ice water
Poach the shrimp on the evening before the day you want to eat the dish. Begin by adding all of the ingredients for the poaching liquid (except the salt) into a saucepan. Heat on a high flame until the liquid begins to boil. Reduce to a very low simmer and cover. Allow the mixture to simmer lightly for 5 to 10 minutes. Add a generous amount of salt to the water and mix well.
Add the shrimp to the liquid. The simmer should go away, so turn up the heat slightly, but do not allow the water to boil. Allow the shrimp to poach for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they are opaque. Peel one of the shrimp and cut in half to check for doneness. If the shrimp is cooked through, transfer all of them to a bowl of ice water and allow to fully cool, which should take about 2 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the ice water and pat them dry using paper towels. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
You can make the dressing on the morning of. In a bowl, add the orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, mustard, honey, and smoked paprika. Season liberally with salt and pepper and whisk well.
Slowly add the olive oil to the mixture, whisking continuously until it emulsifies. Set aside.
When guests arrive, its time to put the finishing touches on the salad. Start by removing the shrimp from the fridge and, using your fingers, remove the shells. The tails can either be left on or removed. Set aside.
Preheat either a grill pan, or an outdoor grill.
Brush the cut sides of the romaine hearts and avocado with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place the avocado halves, cut side down, on the grill and cook for 1 to 1.5 minutes. Give them a quarter turn and cook for an additional minute, or until grill marks are achieved. Remove and set aside.
Place the romaine hearts on the grill and cook for 30 to 45 seconds. Rotate a quarter turn and cook for another 30 to 45 seconds, or until they are uniformly charred. Remove and set aside.
To plate your salads, place two halves of the grilled romaine onto two separate plates. Top each salad with equal amounts of shrimp. Toss the sliced tomatoes in a tablespoon or so of the dressing, and place on top of the shrimp. Using a spoon, scoop out bite-sized pieces of the grilled avocado and arrange equal portions onto each plate. Drizzle each salad with the desired amount of dressing and top with crumbled feta cheese. Serve with slices of warm baguette.
Beverage Pairing: Spa Water
You can always serve a chilled white wine with this salad, but a light and healthy spa water is an amazing complimentary choice. It’s the most refreshing and tasty water you’ll ever drink.
Spa Water (makes 1 gallon):
- 1 lemon, sliced crosswise very thinly
- 1/2 English or hothouse cucumber, sliced crosswise thinly
- 1 gallon purified water
Place the lemon and cucumber slices in a gallon-sized pitcher and add water. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.