Satisfyingly Simple 10-Minute Shrimp Dinner

If I am going to cook, at all, during the dog days of summer, then it has to be something that is easy to prepare. Something that will cook in mere minutes. This meal-in-a-bowl is the perfect example of my ideal summertime dinner.

Although this is, technically speaking, considered to be a salad, it is really so much more than that. First of all, it is likely to become your go-to solution for those hectic weeknights when everyone is running in different directions and you need to get dinner on the table in less than 10 minutes. If you would like a heaping helping of flavor thrown into that speedy meal, then this is definitely the recipe for you!

This salad has both the cool creaminess of avocado and the buttery taste of asparagus acting as back-up players to the headliner of spicy “blackened” (well, almost) shrimp. This is a surprisingly complex flavor profile for such a quick and easy-to-prepare dinner.

Perhaps best of all, this meal can be served either hot or chilled. You could easily cook the shrimp and asparagus the night before, in the relative cool of your evening, keep it refrigerated overnight, and then serve the entire salad chilled for the following evening’s dinner.

USE THE RED NEXT PAGE LINK BELOW FOR THE RECIPE AND INSTRUCTIONS.

Quick Tip:  Peeling and deveining shrimp 101: Unless you want to spend extra money buying shrimp that have already been peeled and deveined for you, peeling shrimp is a good culinary skill to develop. Grab your shrimp with its back facing the palm of your hand. See those feathery things? Those are legs – rip them off with your fingers. You will soon note that there a primal satisfaction to be taken in peeling shrimp! Now taken your thumbnail and work it up under the shell on the shrimp’s belly, where you just removed the legs. The shell is softer there, so this is easy to do. Peel off the shell and set it aside to make into stock (simmer shells in water for 15 minutes, then freeze for future use). Pinch the tail where it meets the shrimp’s body and gently pull it off. The body will easily slip away from the tail.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Karina at Café Delites