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Sunday, January 3, 2010

C.T.A. Salad with Shrimp and Lemon Vinaigrette


After a long day at work and some heavy food items for lunch, my hubby requested something light and refreshing for dinner, because he wanted something more substantial than just lettuce and tomatoes, i decided to make one of my favorite dishes.

My C.T.A. Salad with Shrimp and a Lemon Vinaigrette. It's light, refreshing, healthy and balanced. Just in case you want to make it, here  is what you need:


For the Salad:
1/4 of a small onion, finely sliced
1 small cucumber, peeled and cubed
3 medium roma or regular tomatoes cubed
1 avocado, cubed
1/2 to 3/4 lbs of cooked shrimp (small or medium)

For the dressing:
4 Tbs Olive Oil
2 Tbs Vinegar (I use Apple Cider, but you can use any kind)
1 Tbs Lemon Juice
2 1/2 Tbs Mayonaise
1 Clove Garlic, finely chopped or pressed through a garlic press
Seasoning Salt and Pepper to taste

When cooking, I like to prep all my ingredients before I start mixing them together. I start with the dressing, by adding all the oil, vinegar, lemon juice and mayo to my Zyliss shaker , it has a insert that helps break down the mayo and makes the dressing really creamy, add the seasoning salt, pepper and maybe some paprika. Peel  a clove of garlic (or more if you love garlic) finely chop or press through a garlic press (I just got myself the Zyliss Susi 2 and its the best thing ever, you don't even have to peel your garlic), add to the other ingredients and give it a good shake. Taste and add salt/pepper to taste.

       

Once the dressing is ready, rinse and drain your cooked shrimp, put them in a bowl and pour the dressing over them. Cover and chill in the fridge.

After you have your shrimp nicely marinating in the fridge, get going on the other salad ingredients. Peel the cucumber, cut down the middle lengthwise and then again cut the halves down the middle, then cut in bite size cubes. Proceed the same way with your tomatoes, holdback on the peeling though. Lastly slice your onion (you can use any kind of onions, if you want some more color use purple).

In the meantime your shrimp have had a nice bath in the dressing and you can now mix in the cucumber, tomato and onions. Lastly pick a nice ripe avocado, take out the pit, remove the skin and cut avocado in bite size pieces, gently fold into the salad.

Arrange on a nice platter and serve with a nice crusty bread! Works great with a crisp cold beer or a nice Chardonnay!

Enjoy! And let me know how you liked it!

PS: Just in case you don't like onions, you can leave them out completely and if you like your dressing creamier, don't hesitate and add some mayo.

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