Gussy up salad with some steamed shrimp
Summer’s here and the time is right for summer salads gussied up with light proteins. Boiled shrimp is the perfect candidate.
But shrimp often becomes bland and chewy when it’s boiled. In fact, all proteins tend to turn tough when they’re subjected to the violence of boiling water.
And if the boiling water isn’t well salted, the protein in question will end up flavourless and tough.
At first, I tried to avoid these pitfalls by gently simmering the shrimp. This resulted in a modest improvement.
Then — eureka! — I took a cue from my favourite new way to make a hard-boiled egg, which is not to boil it at all, but to steam it. The result was amazing.
Steamed shrimp is much tenderer than boiled shrimp. As for the flavour, I amped it up by making sure the water was heavily salted.
Steaming the shrimp cooks them thoroughly in 2 minutes or so, depending on their size. Then you chill them briefly in ice water to stop the cooking and pat them dry.
The dressing was inspired by various Asian cuisines: reduced fresh orange juice flavoured with ginger, sesame oil and chili paste.
I’ve outfitted the salad with avocado, fresh orange slices and toasted peanuts. But feel free to swap in the vegetables of your choice (shredded carrots, perhaps, or sliced cucumbers) and your favourite nuts. Or leave out the nuts altogether.
Shrimp, Avocado and Orange Salad
Start to finish: 1 hour (45 active) Serves: 4 For the sauce: 1 cup (250 mL) fresh orange juice 2 tbsp (30 mL) rice vinegar (unseasoned)
2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil, preferably grapeseed
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) freshly grated ginger
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) sesame oil
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) Asian chili paste with garlic (or your favourite hot sauce) Kosher salt For the salad: 1 lb/454 g medium shrimp (26-30 count), peeled and deveined
2 small heads butter lettuce, washed and spun dry
1 navel orange, peel and pith removed and cut into sections 1 firm ripe avocado 1 cup (250 mL) fresh mint leaves, torn 1/3 cup (80 mL) toasted peanuts 1/4 cup (60 mL) chopped scallion, white and light green part
In a small saucepan simmer the orange juice until it’s reduced to 1/2 cup (125 mL). Transfer it to a bowl and whisk in the remaining ingredients. Add salt to taste and chill while you cook the shrimp.
Fill a large saucepan with enough well-salted water to come just up to the bottom of a collapsible steamer. Cover and bring to a full boil.
Reduce to a medium boil and carefully add the shrimp to the steamer basket (if your steamer basket isn’t large enough, cook the shrimp in two batches).
Make sure the level of the water is just below the steamer and the water doesn’t touch the shrimp.
Cover the saucepan and steam the shrimp for 2 minutes. Take a shrimp out, cut it in half and if the centre is still translucent, return it to the pan for 30 seconds.
Immediately transfer the shrimp to a bowl of ice and water and let it cool completely. Remove and pat dry.
To assemble the salad: Line four bowls with the lettuce, mound the remaining ingredients in the centre and drizzle the salad generously with the sauce.