My go-to. My weeknight staple. My healthy, fresh and seasonal shrimp salad. “Cooking” doesn’t get much easier than this. With the zest from lemon and the bite from garlic, this salad is packed with flavor. Texturally, it is even more exciting. Tender shrimp play nicely with smooth Hass avocados, crisp romaine and crunchy corn. Every ingredient is fresh and every ingredient demands serious attention in this guy-approved creation. It screams healthy...it screams yummy….it screams summer. But don’t take my word for it…make this colorful and oh so delightful dish tonight…for summer is almost over my friends.
Warm Shrimp and Avocado Salad
Ingredients:
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and de-veined
3 Romaine hearts, chopped
4 ears of yellow corn
1 small container cherry tomatoes
2 Hass avocados (please do not make a huge mistake by using Florida avocados!)
1 lemon
2-3 garlic cloves
½ cup green onion
EVOO, as needed
salt and pepper for seasoning
½ cup cilantro (optional)
3 slices cooked bacon, crumbled (for less healthy version)
Homemade or your favorite store-bought low-fat ranch dressing
Directions:
1) Finely chop green onion and cut cherry tomatoes in halves and add to a large bowl.
2) Slice corn from cob and over medium heat, sauté in 2 tablespoons EVOO until tender (approximately 10 minutes). Add cooked corn to the tomato and onion mixture.
3) Season both sides of the shrimp with salt and pepper and the zest of one lemon (if you don’t have a microplane, you can use a fine grater).
4) In a new pan, bring 2 tablespoons EVOO to medium heat. Sauté the shrimp along with 1-2 minced cloves minced garlic until the shrimp has turned pink. Remove from heat.
5) Add shrimp and the juices/oil from the pan to vegetable mixture (I chop my shrimp into bite-sized pieces for better distribution). If you are a bacon fan (and who isn’t?), add crumbled bacon to the bowl.
6) With a small strainer, squeeze the juice from the lemon into the bowl. Also, add remaining clove of garlic (minced) and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
7) Thoroughly mix all ingredients.
8) Cut into your Hass avocados (for proper avocado technique, click here). Cut into small pieces and sprinkle with salt. Carefully fold avocado into mixture.
9) Portion out chopped romaine onto plates. Generously spoon warm shrimp and veggie mixture on top of each.
10) Drizzle ranch on top of your salads. Top with 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro.
Makes 4 big salads.
