Caesar Salad with Citrus Grilled Shrimp
- Serves: 4 – 6
- Preparation Time: 15 minutes
- Total Cooking time: none
There are very few salads that rise to the level of classics, with lofty names like Waldorf and Louis taking their places in the pantheon of recipes, but the king of salads, (no pun intended) would have to be Caesar. For such a world famous and gourmet salad, one could easily think that it is an extremely complicated recipe with exotic ingredients. In fact, quite the opposite is the case, the ingredients that make up a good Caesar salad are quite basic, lemons, eggs, Parmesan cheese, anchovies and good olive oil but the combination and ratio of these seemingly common and mundane ingredients perform the culinary equivalent of the alchemy, that of turning lead to gold. This particular recipe showcases the true versatility of Caesar salad, with the sweetness of the skewers of citrus marinated shrimp, pineapple chunks, and ruby red grapefruit complimenting the pleasant acidity and lush greens of the salad. Perfect either as a first course or as a main entrée, try this at your next dinner party, or make a humble family dinner something they will be talking about for weeks!
| Amount | Measure | Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1/2 | lb | medium shrimp (31-40 count or larger) peeled and de-veined but tails left on |
| 1 | large | pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1-½” chunks |
| 3 | cups | ruby red grapefruit segments, peeled and seeded. (Del Monte makes a jarred variety that works well for this) |
| 1/2 | cup | orange juice |
| 1/2 | cup | pineapple juice |
| 1/4 | cup | lemon juice |
| 1 | tbs | garlic powder |
| 1/2 | tsp | black pepper |
| 1/4 | tsp | salt |
| 12 | bamboo skewers | soaked in water at least 1 hour |
Ingredients for Caesar Salad
| Amount | Measure | Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | large heads | Romaine Lettuce, ends removed and torn into bite sized pieces |
| 3/4 | cup | lemon juice |
| 3 | egg yolks | |
| 2 | cups | olive oil |
| 2 | fillets | oil packed anchovies (about 1 tsp) crushed |
| 2 | cups | olive oil |
| 2 | tbs | fresh garlic, crushed (about 2 large cloves) |
| 1 | tbsp | grated Parmesan cheese |
| 1/2 | cup | fresh Parmesan cheese finely shredded or sliced paper thin |
| 1/4 | tsp | black pepper |
| 3 | cups | garlic toasted croutons (either packaged variety or make your own by tossing cubed sweet French bread with olive oil and garlic salt then toasting in a 400 degree oven 5-7 minutes or until toasted) |
To prepare:
In a large non metal bowl, combine the orange juice, pineapple juice, lemon juice and garlic powder, salt and black pepper mixing well, add in the shrimp and mix to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours (this step may be done the day before). Heat a barbecue grill until the grate is shimmering hot, (alternately preheat a broiler and adjust to within 6″ of heat) arrange the marinated shrimp, pineapple chunks, and grapefruit segments on the skewers and grill 7-10 minutes or until shrimp are opaque and pink . Set aside on a warm plate and cover. Place the romaine lettuce in a very large wooden bowl. Pour the lemon juice, egg yolks, garlic, crushed anchovy fillets and the grated Parmesan cheese into a large stainless steel bowl and whisk together well. Add in the olive oil a little at a time whisking constantly to emulsify. When oil is added, season to taste with salt and pepper. Immediately pour over the romaine lettuce adding the shredded cheese and croutons tossing to coat evenly. To serve place in chilled shallow bowls or salad plates placing 2-3 skewers of shrimp and fruit crisscrossed across the top of the salad. Serve immediately and enjoy.
