This Butter Leaf Lettuce with Shrimp and a Fresh Herb Dressing salad made with soft butter leaf has a wonderful combination of tastes and textures.
Butter Leaf Lettuce with Shrimp and a Fresh Herb Dressing
My husband loves baby shrimp, sometimes called salad shrimp. Those tiny little shrimpy shrimp you find at the fish counter. And we love to use them in this easy delicious salad.
Use the frozen or small shrimps (sometimes called "salad shrimp" you find at the meat counter, not canned shrimp as they are too mushy..
Use Fresh Salad Shrimp, not canned
Canned salad shrimp do not maintain their texture and integrity like those behind the fish counter, or in the refrigerated section of your supermarket. And the texture is an important element to this salad. The soft texture of the butter leaf lettuce, the salty soft shrimp, all surrounded by a delicious fresh herb dressing.
It is a perfect "before" dinner salad.
Easy enough for any time, impressive enough for company.
What to do with the leftover shrimp?
As I said, my husband loves baby shrimp so when I send him to the store to get some for this salad, he ALWAYS comes home with more than I need. But that becomes "no problem". First of all, the shrimps freeze beautifully, just put them into a Tupperware container and into the freezer. They thaw quickly when you are ready to make Sole with a Light Creamy Shrimp Sauce or my Spicy Snapper with Shrimp Creole Sauce. Either is a perfect use for that leftover shrimp.
Butter Leaf Lettuce with Shrimp and a Fresh Herb Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 bag butter leaf lettuce or other "soft" lettuce - I wash mine even when it's bagged, better safe than sorry I say
- ½ of an English cucumber peeled with the flesh diced into a ¼ inch dice, seeds tossed into the compost
- 1 avocado cut into quarters, peeled then each quarter sliced into bite-sized pieces
- ¼ to ⅓ pound small cooked shrimp usually called cocktail or salad shrimp ~ found at your fish stand
- For the Dressing
- 2 tablespoon white balsamic or champagne vinegar so very mild, if you can't find or don't have these, I would substitute fresh lemon juice, add a pinch of sugar to round it out
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
- ½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- salt and pepper to your taste
- ¼ to ⅓ cup good quality extra virgin olive oil when you are adding the olive oil, taste after ¼ cup if it seems too acidic then add some more until you like the balance of vinegar to oil
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the vinegar with the mustard. Whisk well, then add the herbs along with some salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the oil, checking about ¼ cup in for acidity, and whisk until well emulsified. Once the dressing is made, pour most of it into another bowl, leaving just a coating in the large bowl.
- To the large bowl, add the lettuce, cucumber, and green onions. Toss well, adding a bit more dressing, if necessary (you want the lettuce JUST coated with dressing).
- Place the "salad" onto plates, then top with the 3 avocado slices (nicely fanned if you please); then spoon the shrimps over the top. Spoon or drizzle with the remaining dressing and serve.
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