Shrimp and kale salad
I have never been a fan of diets. Come on, diet actually contains the word die. I live to eat and that’s why this salad is my favorite go-to meal. It is super easy and the definition of a happy meal. It contains healthy lean protein, fibrous kale, crunchy cucumbers, sweet tomatoes and a tangy flavorful dressing! No matter how long the day, I still get to eat right and feel like I’m seriously adulting. PS: This dressing can also be used as a marinade!
Shrimp and kale salad
Prep time: 15 minutes | Total time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
1 pound medium shrimp*, 21-25 count, cleaned and deveined
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 medium limes, 1 finely zested and juiced, 1 quartered for serving
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 bunch kale, hard stems removed, cut into 1-inch pieces, about 8 cups
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1 medium Kirby cucumber, diced, about 1 1/2 cups
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Flakey sea salt such as Maldon
Special equipment:
Dutch oven
Salad spinner
Instructions:
In a medium bowl, add the shrimp, paprika, 3/4 teaspoon salt and few grinds of freshly ground black pepper. Toss until well combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk together the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and sesame oil in a small bowl. Set aside.
Rinse kale under cold water and spin dry in a salad spinner or shake off excess water in a colander. Add to a large wide bowl. Top with tomato halves and diced cucumbers.
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large skillet to medium high heat. Add garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and dried oregano, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Once garlic is golden brown, about 2 minutes, add the shrimp into the pot. Spread it out in an even layer and allow it to cook until edges are nicely golden and it turns pink, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, turn each shrimp and cook until it is fully cooked through, about 2 minutes more. Turn off heat.
Using a large spoon, scoop the cooked shrimp onto the bed of kale mixture. Pour all the juices from the pot directly onto the salad.
Drizzle the fish sauce dressing over the salad and toss until well combined.
Sprinkle with flakey sea salt and serve with lime wedges on the side.
Cook’s Note
*If you are using frozen shrimp, place in a colander and rinse under cold water for 2 minutes. Then soak in cold water for 5 minutes until thawed. Shake off excess water and pat dry before seasoning.
**This recipe is a great make-ahead. The sturdy kale will not wilt while absorbing all the flavors from the dressing.
Buying guide for shrimp
Source: Serious Eats
Shrimp are highly perishable, so it's important to know how to pick out the freshest shrimp available, not just for taste and texture but also for safety. First off, you don't want any shrimp that smell like ammonia—this is a telltale sign of spoilage, and it's worth asking your fishmonger if you can take a sniff before buying. You'll also want to avoid shrimp that are limp, slimy, or falling apart, all of which are signs of decay.
A more advanced sign if you're buying head-on fresh shrimp: look for black spots on the head first, then the body. The black spots are called melanosis; it's the result of the same oxidation process that turns your apples and avocados brown. In other words, they don't definitively mean that your shrimp is bad, but they do indicate that the shrimp could be fresher.
A shrimp's size is measured by the number of individual shrimp it takes to make up a pound. A label of 16/20 means that there are between 16 and 20 of these shrimp in a pound. Sometimes you'll see a letter U as well, like U10, which means fewer than 10 of those shrimp make up a pound.