Recipe: GRILLED SHRIMP AND CHOPPED VEGETABLE SALAD
Ingredients
- 8 bamboo skewers (see sidebar on facing page)
- 1 pound medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 4 teaspoons plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 to 7 ears corn, shucked
- 8 scallions
- Coarse-grained salt and cracked black pepper
- 2 red bell peppers
- 8 to 12 cups loosely packed salad greens
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Preparation
You know how I’m always telling you to throw extra veggies on the grill to get a jump start on tomorrow’s dinner? This is one of those recipes. If you’ve got the BBQ fired up, it’s always safe to throw on a few extra red peppers.
Choose the sweetest corn you can get your hands on. By all means choose a variety of lovely, flavorful, sweet and peppery salad greens. Iceberg just won’t do. If you’re not sure what constitutes sweet and peppery, ask the nearest produce person. Bring home different lettuce varieties and try them out.
PREHEAT grill. Skewer shrimp by holding 2 skewers side by side and slightly apart and threading each shrimp onto both skewers, which will make them easier to work with on the grill. Rub shrimp with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and set aside in refrigerator.
PLACE corn cobs and scallions in a plastic bag (I use the one I bought them in). Pour 2 teaspoons olive oil into bag and season with salt and pepper. Seal bag. Shake and turn bag to distribute oil and seasonings evenly.
WHEN grill is ready, place red peppers over hottest flames and cook, turning, until charred on all sides. Place in plastic bag. When cool enough to handle, peel, stem, and seed peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces, and place in a very large salad bowl.
WHILE peppers are roasting, grill corn, scallions, and shrimp. When corn is cooked and cool enough to handle, cut kernels from cobs directly into bowl with red peppers. Thinly slice scallions (white and green parts) and add to bowl with vegetables. Remove shrimp from skewers and add to bowl. Add greens to bowl. Pour lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil over salad. Toss until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately.
SHORTCUT CHEF
Whisk the vinaigrette together ahead of time, shuck the corn at the store, skewer the shrimp the night before, and/or clean the lettuces and the scallions, too. Do the following only if it’s the difference between your trying this recipe or not: use frozen corn, prewashed packaged lettuces, and/or jarred roasted, peeled peppers. Freshest is always best, but you knew that.
Tips
If the queen’s coming for dinner: Choose delicate salad greens, such as fancy mixed greens or arugula. Toss lettuces separately, divide among serving plates, and serve chopped salad in center of greens.
Roast the peppers first, throw them right into the plastic bag they came in, close the bag, and let them steam so they’re ready to peel when you’re through grilling. Grilled, peeled, stems removed, cored, and seeded, they keep well in the refrigerator or freezer, covered tightly.
Soak bamboo skewers in water the night before or at least 1 hour ahead so they won’t burn (at least that’s the theory). I’ve found that they don’t burn as quickly and it does make a difference, but if you forget, proceed anyway. You won’t lose any shrimp on the barbie.
If you’ve got a great sense of adventure and a little extra time on your hands, add other vegetables to your heart’s desire. All of the summer squashes, any sweet onion, or any meaty mushroom (white button, brown, portobello, shiitake, or porcini) would be a delicious addition to this salad.
Serving Size
Makes 4 servings.