Marinated Shrimp Salad with Avocado—summer food at its finest

This was as refreshing a summer salad as you could want—and talk about colorful! Red from the bell pepper and onion, green from the avocado plus salad greens, mint, and cilantro, and then orange sections—beautiful in appearance and delightfully healthy.

From my garden were the red onion and mint, although we expect the red bell pepper before the summer’s over. Shrimp and avocado have got to be one of the best combinations around.

To amp up the color one more notch I enjoyed serving this on my grandmother’s Fiesta dishes—not today’s new Fiesta so popular with brides but the authentic issue, which as a child I dined on at her table. Platters full of fried chicken were heaped on those plates once upon a time; today’s fare is a little more health-conscious, but the memories remain. What will our grandkids remember being served at our house?

Marinated Shrimp Salad with Avocado looks a lot more complicated than it is. All these steps are a breeze. As with the typical salad prep, the only time-consuming part is the chopping and slicing. It’s a goodie!

Marinated Shrimp Salad with Avocado

1 pound Perfect Poached Shrimp (see below)

4 oranges, sectioned

1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 small red onion, sliced

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Citrus Vinaigrette (see below)

2 cups chopped romaine lettuce (I subbed spinach)

2 medium avocados, cubed

Citrus Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon country-style Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Perfect Poached Shrimp:

4 quarts water

juice from 1 lemon

lemon halves

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons salt (or salt substitute)

2 pounds unpeeled, large raw shrimp (this recipe calls for 1 pound; you have 1 pound remaining for another recipe)

To prepare shrimp, fill a large bowl halfway with ice and water. Pour 4 quarts water into a Dutch oven; squeeze juice from the lemon into the Dutch oven. Stir in lemon halves, peppercorns, bay leaves, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; add 2 pounds (26/30 count) large raw shrimp. Cover and let stand 5 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink. Stir shrimp into ice water; let stand 10 minutes. Peel and devein shrimp.

For salad combine first six ingredients in a large bowl; whisk together ingredients for Citrus Vinaigrette and pour over shrimp mixture. Gently toss to combine. Cover and chill 4 to 24 hours. Place lettuce on a platter. Spoon shrimp mixture over lettuce. Reserve vinaigrette. Drizzle with reserved vinaigrette. Top with avocado. Makes 6 servings. (Source: Southern Living May 2012)