Posted on August 6th, 2008 by Carolyn
It was fun the other day when I got an email from my friend, Stacey. She’s a very busy mom with two young children, and doesn’t have a whole lot of time to catch up on email or read my blog, but when she did, she thought I might like to try this recipe. Great for a hot summer evening, she said. It came from a friend of hers, but originally appeared in the magazine, Real Simple, in July 2006. You need to plan ahead for this recipe (at least for me, I don’t always have on hand shrimp or avocadoes, or watermelon for that matter).
In the event you live in an area that hasn’t recognized the newest food craze - pairing watermelon with all kinds of savory foods - here’s your chance to try watermelon with shrimp. And maybe it’s the watermelon and onion combination that should be recognized too.
The salad is a cinch to put together once you gather all the ingredients. I bought raw shrimp because the already cooked ones didn’t look that great. Besides, the experts tell us that the raw ones, cooked fresh, have a lot more flavor. These came from Thailand, farm raised. I happened to have had some watermelon, even some limes, but I bought fresh cilantro, avocadoes and a red jalapeno. The dressing is merely lime juice, honey (I used agave nectar since it’s a lower glycemic carb), and oil. How much more simple could that be? Once everything is tossed, the recipe says to let it sit for about 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld a bit. It was VERY difficult to let the plates sit for 10 minutes while it “melded.” I added some fresh corn (raw, scraped right off the cob) just “because.” It wasn’t in the original recipe, but I thought it would be a nice addition to the salad. My DH took one bite of this salad and went into summer nirvana. He absolutely loved it, and so did I. He said he couldn’t believe how good the watermelon went with the raw red onions - that was a surprise little combo in the mouth. This may become a regular on our summer salad menu. Thanks, Stacey.
And, in case any of you - whether you’re a personal friend or not - have a recipe you’d like to tell me about, that you wouldn’t mind if I shared on my blog - I’d love to hear about it. Email me at ctndt AT cox DOT net. I love hearing from my readers - no, I’m not too busy to read email.
Summer Shrimp Salad
Recipe: Real Simple, July 2006, through my friend Stacey B.
Servings: 6
1 pound shrimp — thawed, or fresh, cooked, peeled
1 medium red onion — thinly sliced
4 cups watermelon — roughly chopped
2 jalapeños — seeded and finely chopped
2 avocados — roughly chopped Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon honey [I used agave nectar]
3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves — roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups corn — fresh cut from the cob [my addition]
1. In a large bowl, combine the shrimp, onion, watermelon, jalapeños, and avocado.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, honey, oil, salt, and pepper. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad; toss. Sprinkle with the cilantro. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
Per Serving: 330 Calories; 19g Fat (50.3% calories from fat); 19g Protein; 24g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 115mg Cholesterol; 363mg Sodium.
