Shrimp Salad

Today’s guest post comes to us from Shea at Dixie Chik Cooks, if you need some southern home cooking she will provide you with just that.  Today, I saw her Grilled French Fries and I knew those would be on my menu plan very soon!  Enjoy this recipe and check out all of her recipes on Dixie Chik Cooks.

For the past few weeks I’ve been working at my husband’s shop a LOT lately (he owns a computer business)….because as some of you know, I’m a registered nurse without a job.  See, down here in Dixie (ha! I said Dixie) they just really are not hiring new nurses.  They want experienced ones.  How am I supposed to get experience if I can’t get a job??  Don’t they know I’m itching to give an injection?

Well, it’s a known fact; an office environment breeds a need for  junk.  So lately I’ve had my share of Arby’s, Cheez-It’s and Milo’s (this is an Alabama chain and it would be worth your while to drive whatever distance for this burger).

Yesterday I was in need of a nice, light – but filling – dinner.  I wanted a salad.  A big, bad salad.

Shrimp Salad With Grilled Vegetables and Ginger-Pineapple Dressing

Shrimp

2 lb very large shrimp, deveined and peeled (I used 2 lbs because my family loves shrimp but you could get away with one)

1/2 cup olive oil

3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp dried oregano

2 tbsp unsalted butter

Veggies

1 large Vidalia or sweet onion, cut into quarters

4 Roma tomatoes, washed and sliced in half

Olive oil

Sea salt

Coarse pepper

Salad

1 bag salad mix (I went with spring mix)

4 oz bleu cheese, crumbled

Salad Dressing

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup sesame oil

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp jarred ginger

1 tbsp garlic powder

Juice of 1/2 lime

1 tbsp olive oil

Marinade for shrimp: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, Worcestershire, and oregano.  Add the shrimp, stir to combine and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Heat the grill to medium heat; scrub the grates clean.  Coat with olive oil.

Drizzle the onions and tomatoes with olive oil and generously salt and pepper them.  When the grill is hot, add the veggies.  You need to turn these about every 4 minutes so they don’t burn – but you do want the grill marks.  Grill them for about 15 minutes total, but remove them sooner if you think they are starting to burn.

Once the veggies are done, bring a large saute pan with the butter over medium heat.  Add the shrimp, and cook – flipping constantly – for several minutes until pink and done.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients.  Put the salad mix in a large bowl and using salad tongs combine it with the dressing and 3oz of blue cheese.

Layer the shrimp on the salad, then the veggies, and top with the remaining bleu cheese.

Bleu cheese is pure magic.

Kisses

~Dixie Chik~

Hi, I’m Shea from Dixie Chik Cooks.  I cook….a lot.  I started my own food blog last year to document my recipes and share with others.  What started out as a hobby has become somewhat of a passion for me.  I love cooking for my family, developing new recipes, and getting inspiration from my fellow food bloggers!