This recipe is an homage to the lady who hired me to take over at the executive dining room once she retired from after 15 years. This salad was always welcomed when we served it at luncheons, especially after Christmas and New Year’s endulging! I particularly like to serve biscuits with this salad. (See suggestions following the recipe).
Makes 4 – 6 Servings
For the Salad:
1 to 1 ½ lbs. cooked shrimp
2 medium sized pineapples (the “Gold” ones are the sweetest)
2 heads butter lettuce; red butter lettuce would be very colourful
Make The Dressing:
1 cup canola oil or other light tasting oil
6 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste
1 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. sugar
¾ tsp. grated fresh ginger, or more to taste
¾ cup mayonnaise (Hellman’s light is fine)
1 ½ Tbsp. ketchup (4 ½ teaspoons)
¼ tsp. Dijon mustard
1/8 to ¼ tsp. Tabasco
1/8 tsp. freshly ground white pepper
Garnish: 2 lemons cut into 8 wedges each,
cilantro, flat-leaf parsley, green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
Combine the oil, lemon juice, paprika, sugar and ginger in a jar, shake well. Place the shrimp into a large bowl. Pour half the dressing over, marinate in the fridge for an hour to blend the flavours. In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the remaining dressing, mayonnaise, ketchup, Dijon mustard, Tabasco and white pepper; put aside in the fridge until ready to assemble the salads.
Remove the skin from the pineapples; quarter and remove the cores. Cut the pineapple into bite sized cubes. Tear the lettuce into pieces and arrange on individual dinner plates. Arrange the pineapple cubes in a mound on top of the lettuce; drain the shrimp and place on top of the pineapple cubes. Either drizzle with the dressing or pass dressing separately. Garnish with cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, green onions and lemon wedges.
I particularly like this salad with Anne’s bran biscuits but my homemade Buttermilk Biscuits are equally good.
