Southern Tropical Shrimp Salad......

Salad is one of my favorite foods, but the same old chef salad can get old after awhile. So I like to see what I can come up with and I've made this a time or two before but as you already know (if you've read my previous blog) I don't write down how I made what I make. I file it somewhere in this big ole dinosaur brain of mine....Ha! No really though most of my recipes are rattling around in between my ears, and when I need to reproduce them, I walk into the kitchen and they just flow out. 9 and half times out of 10 they are exactly like there were the first time I made them…..but now I'm starting to keep pens and paper closer to the kitchen so as I make things I can run and chicken scratch the way I did it down. Then its the wife's job to interrupt what's I scribbled and type it out (a deal we made since she is the main one that was pushing me to blog about the food I make)....she’s also started writing them down and I yell out what I’m doing in the kitchen.

I was born in Florida and the wife in Maryland so seafood is in our blood, we pretty much agree when it comes to this topic. So you can bet there is always some kind of seafood on hand, mainly shrimp and fish is always around, but as of now we have like 3 types of fish, scallops, shrimp, crawfish, and I'm sure I'm missing something...be prepared to see a lot of seafood recipes here. So back to this salad, like I said I've made it before and it was a hit. So I was in the mood once again so here is the recipe for my version of a Southern tropical shrimp salad.

It's a quick and easy dinner and if your schedule is anything close to mine then having quick and easy dinner recipes on hand is a life saver.

Southern Tropical Shrimp Salad

6 oz shrimp, tails removed

Lay shrimp on a plate and add 1/4 - 1/3 c pineapple juice, sprinkle shrimp with old bay, cilantro, parsley, basil, fresh ground pepper, and minced onion.

In a skillet on med heat with evoo sauté garlic, 1 ring diced red onion (reserve ¼), 4-5 pineapple chunks diced, and 2 small bay leaves. Sauté until onions are soft. Dump in shrimp with juice and spices. Cook until pineapple juice is gone.

Sauce:

¾ tbsp mayo

1 tbsp horseradish

Dash hot sauce

1 tbsp Dijon

2 drops liquid smoke

Splash Worcestershire

1 ts molasses

1 ½ tbsp ranch

½ tbsp parsley

½ tbsp cilantro

3 dashes of chili powder

2 dashes of dill weed

½ tbsp basil

25 grinds of fresh ground pepper

1 dash of cumin

1/8 ts fresh garlic

¼ ts smoked paprika

Salad Mix:

2-6 oz leafy spinach

2oz tri-colored cole slaw mix

Divide salad mix into two bowls. Top salad mix with a serving of your favorite croutons, left over onions (divide among servings), 1 oz aged white sharp cheddar (per serving), 30g sauce each, and divide shrimp evenly, split onions and pineapples between both dishes. Top with a couple grinds of fresh black pepper and cilantro.

Makes 2 servings

P.s. Goes great with a nice crusty bread.

Eat & Enjoy!!