Best Salad Ever - Now with Shrimp!: Shrimp Club Salad

Remember a while back (you'll need to go a ways, considering the speed at which I post things...) when I made the best salad ever? Okay, well, if you a) can't remember, or b) don't feel like clicking the link I provided to you TAKE you to the "best salad ever", this was the BLT Salad. It was everything in a BLT, but in salad form. Creamy garlic dressing coating cool crisp romaine leaves, juicy sweet and tart cherry tomatoes, with crunchy salty bacon sprinkled throughout? That jogging your memory? What if I told you to add sweet, succulent shrimp to the mix? How would you feel about that? Well, I, for one, love the little buggers. Shrimp is on the top of my "favorite proteins" list. It's versatile, tender, and delicious. Ever since I was little, I loved shrimp in all its forms. Remember those shrimp burgers I posted about? Yum! Shrimp is delicious on its own, or dipped in tangy spicy cocktail sauce, mixed with vegetables in a stir-fry over rice, roasted, BBQ'ed, boiled in Cajun spice, I really could go on (much like my good friend, Bubba Blue). So, when I saw Martha Stewart's Everyday Food June issue boasting an entire section dedicated to shrimp, I snatched it from its check-out rack and threw it on the conveyor belt.

Martha's Shrimp Club Salad did not disappoint. Now I must state that this isn't just the BLT Salad with cooked shrimp thrown in, although it certainly contained all the same ingredients, but it was definitely different. A big difference is the dressing. It's creamier than the BLT Salad dressing and it doesn't contain any garlic. The thing about this salad is that the flavors in the bowl complement the shrimp. The big garlicky dressing from the BLT Salad would overpower the delicate pink pieces of meat (now, next to just the lettuce, tomato, and bacon: the garlicky deliciousness of that dressing adds to the flavor powerhouse; nothing is drowned out). Instead, the dressing for our Shrimp Club Salad is a simple mixture of mayo, chives and lemon juice. That's it and it's perfect. The dressing coats everything with this velvety and tangy goodness that brings out the sweetness of the shrimp, the saltiness of the bacon, the tang of the tomatoes. This is a great summer salad and perfect for those nights when it's just too damn hot to cook and too damn hot to go out. Okay, so you'll have to endure a little heat from cooking the shrimp and the bacon, but the final product will cool things down immediately. Serve with a crisp and fruity Savignon Blanc or perhaps a frosty Pilsner (or iced tea, if wine and beer aren't your thing) and you won't even notice the 100-degree weather outside!
Shrimp Club Salad
Serves 6

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/2 pound Large or Jumbo Shrimp, peeled, deveined (tails left on)
1/2 loaf Rustic Bread (I opted for Sourdough), crusts removed, cut into 3/4" cubes
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Fresh Chives, chopped
3 to 4 teaspoons Lemon Juice
4 slices Cooked Bacon (about 4 ounces), crumbled
1 Romaine Lettuce Heart (I just used have a regular head of Romaine), chopped
1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes, quartered or halved (depending on the size)

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. In a medium pot of boiling salted water, cook shrimp until opaque throughout, about 3-5 minutes. Drain, then transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate, cover and chill until ready to serve.
3. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss bread wtih olive oil. Bake until golden, about 8 minutes, tossing halfway through.
4. Stir together mayonnaise, chives, and lemon juice to taste; season with salt and pepper.
5. Toss together shrimp, croutons, bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes and serve with dressing.
Credit: Everyday Food,, June 2012, p. 86.