A Salad For The Season
With warm weather on the horizon, I found myself this past week suddenly craving salad. I’m not talking about a few leafy greens at the beginning of a dinner to fill out my daily vegetable requirement, I was thinking of my salad as my meal, a healthful plate packed with colors and with textures hearty enough to stand on its own.
Somewhere in the late nineties the Chicken Caesar Salad became the go-to answer for this sort of craving (I dare you to find a hotel room service menu in the United States that does not have that option to this day). Personally, my feelings on chicken to top off an entrée salad are about as tired as the limp slices of grilled chicken breasts themselves.
If not chicken, the next natural source of protein for a filling salad almost always goes the way of the sea. Tuna rules in the fish category whether canned or pan seared. Seafood ranges from crab in a classic Louie to lobster served New England style and shrimp given every preparation from Chinese to Mexican.
After taking a walk through the seafood market I settled on a handful of plump, wild Georgia shrimp. Since I wanted this salad to be fast there would be no time for the poaching and cooling required of most chilled shrimp salads. My shrimp would be served piping hot on a bed of cool greens with a zippy vinaigrette.
I was thinking Southeast Asian with this salad so to start I fried up some shallots in my wok in a couple of inches of vegetable, this would later serve as a crispy garlicky topping for my salad. To add more texture I tossed the shrimp in Wondra flour (rice flour or potato starch are good substitutes to make this gluten-free) before frying, giving the shrimp an extra crispy exterior. A healthy dose of salt and pepper later and I had the base for a salt-and-pepper shrimp seafood salad.
For the cool elements of the salad I would need greens. Arugula looked the best during my walk through of the market though watercress would have been another fine option. With summer fruits still months away, I picked up a late season pink grapefruit imagining the acidity of the citrus would be a good balance with the fried shrimp. Some toasted cashews from my pantry would add another crunchy element to contrast with the other salad parts.
Finally I needed a Vietnamese inspired dressing. Lime juice, fish sauce, rice vinegar, a bit of sugar, plenty of salt and pepper, and neutral vegetable oil rounded out the dressing. The vinaigrette coated the greens, chunks of pink grapefruit studded the central mound of lettuce alongside the hot and salty shrimp. Shallots and cashews finished off the plate.
The result was quicker than most room service and far more satisfying than rubbery cold chicken on limp romaine. Healthy and seasonal, this Salt and Pepper Shrimp Salad made a case that entrée salads need not be boring to be easy.
Made with shallot, shrimp, Wondra flour, salt and pepper, grapefruit, cashews or sesame seeds, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, rice vinegar
Serves/Makes: 2
- vegetable oil
- 1 large shallot
- 10 large shrimp, raw
- 2 tablespoons Wondra flour
- salt and pepper
- 1 medium grapefruit
- 2 tablespoons toasted cashews or sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 4 cups arugula
Heat three inches of oil in a large wok over medium high heat. Peel shallot and thinly slice. Place rounds of shallot into the hot oil and let crisp, agitating occasionally with a slotted spoons. After shallots have browned, remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Meanwhile, peel shrimp and remove the vein if not already peeled.
In a medium bowl toss shrimp with Wondra flour and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Working in two batches so as not to overcrowd the shrimp, fry shrimp for 3-4 minutes turning once until pink and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and let drain. Repeat with second batch.
While shrimp is frying, use a sharp paring knife to remove the pith and peel from the grapefruit. Cut grapefruit into bite size wedges. If using cashews, roughly chop and set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, rice vinegar and vegetable oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss arugula with 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette. Reserve the remainder of the vinaigrette to use as a dipping sauce for the shrimp if desired.
Assemble the salad by piling arugula in the middle of two plates. Arrange shrimp and grapefruit on top. Scatter fried shallots and cashews or sesame seeds over the top and serve.
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