Delicious Summer Salad

Ok, so the following recipe, may sound strange, but let me tell you, it is amazing. I had my parents over for their 42nd anniversary dinner, and the peanut and I made this Chilled Shrimp Salad for them. My version looks visually different from their version, however, but I would hazard to guess, just as tasty :)

Self.com version

My not so photogenic but equally delicious version.

My mom called it the Watermelon Surprise Salad, because when you caught a taste of it, it was like - SURPRISE!! It doesn't seem like the tastes would compliment one another, but they really do. Plus it's a very healthy salad to boot, with protein-rich antioxidants and niacin! I found this recipe on the SELF website.

So here's what you'll need:

Dressing
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
6 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Salad
Juice and rind from 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp (tail intact)
4 chunks watermelon (1 lb each), cut from the rind, cut into cubes
1 pound heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/3 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup fresh basil, torn


Here's what you do:

For the dressing, combine all ingredients in a blender.

For the salad, fill a 4-quart saucepan with water and bring to a boil; add lemon juice, lemon rind, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns and salt. Add shrimp, cover, remove from heat and let stand until shrimp is cooked, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool 10 minutes, then refrigerate 30 minutes. Line a large platter with watermelon and tomatoes. Top with shrimp, feta and basil. Drizzle with dressing.

431 calories per serving, 9.6 g fat (2.5 g saturated), 3.7 g fiber, 49.4 g carbs, 41 g protein

Hope you'll try it. The peanut is a shrimp loving fool, has loved shrimp since she was about 8 months old. Had a hard time keeping her sneaky little fingers away before gramma & grampa arrived :)

I am one of those people who tries a recipe for the first time, when I have company. Most people would try it out first, but I am that kinda gal, dive in and see how it goes... because it looks good, and/or sounds like it will taste good. And some you win, and some you lose (and there have been many). This one was definitely a winner :)

Are you an adventurist cook? What are some crazy recipes you've tried?