Shrimp fancies up simple bread salad

One of the hallmarks of the Mediterranean diet is eating a variety of fish and other seafood.

But I often hear people say that they don’t eat enough of it because they don’t know how to prepare it.

While shrimp is often thought of as being more of an appetizer, it fits right in as a main dish too. Because shrimp is a lean source of protein, it can fit into your weekly seafood rotation.

Also, shrimp says special whether you’re throwing a casual dinner party on the deck or hosting a sit-down affair.

There are many options for buying shrimp at grocery stores or seafood markets (we won’t get into the farmed versus wild debate here). Having frozen shrimp on hand means you can whip up an appetizer or dinner in little time. It doesn’t take long to defrost. And you can buy shrimp already deveined and partially peeled. The latter option makes it easier to grill shrimp in their shells.

Grilled Shrimp With Vegetable Bread Salad

For the shrimp:

¾ pound fresh or frozen extra large

shrimp

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 to 2 cloves garlic, peeled, finely

minced

Kosher salt and ground black pepper to

taste

1 to 2 tablespoons snipped fresh Italian

parsley

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

4-inch wooden skewers, soaked in water

for 30 minutes

For the bread salad:

¼ whole grain baguette

½ pint grape tomatoes, cut in half

¼ cup halved kalamata olives

¼ red onion, thinly sliced

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped parsley 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons olive oil oil

Thaw shrimp, if frozen. Peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails intact if desired. Rinse shrimp and pat them dry. Thread 3 or 4 shrimp on each skewer, leaving ¼-inch between them. Place shrimp skewers on a sided baking sheet or in a pan.

In a small bowl, stir together the lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, parsley and olive oil. Brush all over the shrimp. Let the shrimp sit about 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, prepare the bread salad. Cut the baguette into ½-inch cubes and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a small amount of olive oil. Place in the oven until lightly browned and toasted, about 15 minutes.

Place the cubes in a bowl, add the tomatoes, olives, red onion and parsley. Drizzle with vinegar and olive oil. Toss to coat. Let sit 15 minutes.

Heat grill to medium. Grill shrimp about 5 to 8 minutes or until shrimp are opaque, turning once. Remove from the grill.

Serve shrimp on platter with the bread salad on the side.

Makes 2 servings.

Detroit Free Press/TNS/REGINA H. BOONE Grilled Shrimp With Vegetable Bread Salad