Shrimp Salad

Fresh summer cooking from JeanMarie Brownson, Culinary Director/Co-Owner Frontera Foods, and Good Eating Columnist for the Chicago Tribune.

Shrimp Salad with ginger-lime dressing
Makes 4 main-dish servings

Ginger lime dressing:
Finely grated rind of 1 lime
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
3 tablespoons safflower oil
2 tablespoons tamari or light soy sauce
1 ½ teaspoons honey
1 ½ teaspoons pureed or finely grated fresh ginger
1 ½ teaspoons pureed fresh lemon grass or use more ginger puree

Salad:
1 pound medium-sized peeled and deveined raw shrimp
2 or 3 small heads Little Gem, baby romaine or butter lettuce
½ small head Savoy cabbage, very thinly sliced or shredded
¼ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
½ cup drained bamboo shoots
½ seedless cucumber, quartered lengthwise, thinly sliced
¼ of a medium-size red onion, very thinly sliced, soaked in ice water
1 large ripe mango, peeled, cubed, about 1 cup
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
¼ cup dry roasted, lightly salted peanuts, roughly chopped
About ¼ cup roasted coconut chips

1 For dressing, mix lime rind, lime juice, oil, tamari, honey, ginger and lemon grass purees in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well. Taste and season with salt if needed. (Dressing can be made up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated. Use at room temperature).

2 Pat shrimp dry. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lightly film with vegetable oil then add the shrimp in a single layer. Cook until golden, about 1 minute. Flip and cook second side until golden, about 1 minute more. Transfer to a bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of the dressing.

3 Rinse lettuce leaves; pat or spin dry. Stack the leaves on top of each other and then use a very sharp knife to slice into ½-inch wide pieces. Put into a large bowl. Add the shredded cabbage, cilantro and basil; mix to combine.


4 Shortly before serving add bamboo shoots, cucumber and onion to lettuce mix. Toss lightly to combine. Add mango and bean sprouts along with about ½ of the dressing and toss lightly to coat. Add more dressing if desired and toss again.

5 Use tongs to place salad on serving plates; top with shrimp. Sprinkle each serving with peanuts and coconut chips.