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Summer Salad as a Winter Dinner
As I type this, it’s December, and it’s going to be Christmas in a week. Everyone in the blogging world is busy creating posts about holiday shopping, how to make the best Christmas ham, what side dishes go best with that ham, what kind of pie to make, etc.
Not that I’m against any of that – my last post was about making traditional eggnog! But in the middle of all the holiday madness, I created a total summer recipe the other day for Coconut Shrimp Salad, and I wanted to share it with you!
I could wait and save it to post next spring, sure. I could get it written and ready to go and just schedule a publish date. But that’s not really how I roll. When I get it ready, I publish it. Guys, this salad literally tastes like Florida.
Our Annual Visit to the Beach
So, my husband and I go to Holden Beach, North Carolina every fall for a visit. We used to live there, and we enjoy going back to visit friends and relax on the beach for a week. The other thing we do is tote a full 50-pound cooler full of fresh North Carolina shrimp back to Minnesota with us. Thanks to Fish Peddler Seafood and American Airlines for making it happen this year!
Bringing Fresh Shrimp Home to Minnesota
If you are curious, we use an Igloo Marine-Grade Cooler with a snap on the front. We prepare the shrimp (and other various fresh seafood we buy and catch while we are there) by freezing it in freezer bags during our stay. In the morning right before we check out of our Hobbs Realty vacation rental, we load all of the frozen items into the cooler and head to the airport. You can’t use regular or dry ice, but as long as the food is all frozen, it will stay that way during the trip.
Most airlines have us sign a waiver saying if they lose it or it spoils, they aren’t responsible. Once the airport staff has seen what’s in the cooler and gives us the green light, we tape it shut with packing tape. We have always done this in October, and when we arrive in Minnesota everything is still frozen solid and ready for our chest freezer. I’m not sure if I would try it in the summer if you have a long flight schedule. But knock on wood, we haven’t had an issue and we’ve done this three times.
Coconut Shrimp Cravings
Anyway, for the last few weeks, we had been talking about wanting to make some coconut shrimp. Coconut Shrimp with Mango Coconut Rice and Black Beans. Yes, give me all of it! Finish that meal with a slice of Key Lime Pie and that totally completes me. Ha!
Seriously though … I had some shrimp defrosted and ready, and I just wasn’t up to the work. I’ve been really busy working on things for my other company, Digital Darcy. At the end of the workday, I honestly just haven’t felt like cooking. So weird, right?
Coconut Shrimp Salad was Born
So, I looked at my shrimp, and the salad greens we had in the refrigerator, and I decided we would have a salad. I sliced some sweet bell pepper and yellow onion and sauteed it in the pan, and tossed the shrimp in at the end with some seasonings.
Meanwhile, I prepared a slightly adjusted version of this Coconut Lime Dressing from Epicurious. I also rinsed and drained a can of black beans, grabbed some sliced mango from the freezer that I had snagged this summer at Aldi, and shredded some Monterey jack cheese.
Sidenote: I used the rest of the can of coconut milk to make a batch of Baked Banana Oatmeal!
This summer-tasting salad is delicious, and it was actually a really awesome break from some of the “comfort food” we have been eating lately.
If you liked this post, you should also check out my recipe for Shrimp Burgers!
The Recipe: Shrimp Salad
Coconut Shrimp Salad
Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Sharp Knife
- Shrimp Deveiner (optional)
- 12-inch cast-iron skillet (or skillet of your choice)
- Collander
- Cheese grater
Ingredients
Coconut Lime Dressing
- 8 Tbsp unsweetened coconut milk
- 3 Tbsp lime juice * I used bottled key lime.
- 5 tsp fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp finely grated shallot * I used 1 tsp of Penzeys dried shallots
- 1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
The Salad
- 1 pound raw shrimp, shells & tails removed
- 1 sweet bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 sweet yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp all-purpose seasoning of your choice * I used Bangkok Blend from Penzeys.
- 1/2 tsp sea salt * if your all-purpose seasoning is salt-free.
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 mango sliced
- salad/greens of choice * I used a mix of romaine, baby spinach & baby mixed greens.
- 8 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded
Instructions
Coconut Lime Dressing
- Mix ingredients together and set aside. The dressing can be made up to a day ahead of time. (Tip: I made overnight baked banana oatmeal with the rest of the can of coconut milk!)
Shrimp Salad
- Slice the pepper and onion. Put the olive oil in your skillet and preheat slightly, then add pepper and onion slices. Cook on medium heat, stirring every few minutes until they start to get tender (probably about 10 minutes total.)
- Meanwhile, peel your shrimp and remove the tails. My husband prefers to use a shrimp deveiner tool, I find it messy and useless. Do what makes you happy.
- Also meanwhile, open your can of black beans and drain and rinse them (to remove all the extra sodium that you don't need.) At this point, you can also slice your mango into bite-size pieces, wash and chop your salad greens, and grate your cheese.
- When the peppers and onions are tender, toss your shrimp into the pan and season with the garlic powder, sea salt, and other seasonings of your choice. Shrimp cook really fast, so stay here with them and stir them so they cook evenly. They will only take 2-3 minutes before they are done - they will turn pink as they cook. (If you buy pre-cooked shrimp, I would still toss them in for just a minute so they can meld flavors with the peppers, onions, and seasoning.)
- To assemble the salad, top the greens with the pepper/onion/shrimp mixture, then add your black beans, mango, coconut lime dressing, and shredded cheese.
Notes
