Grilled Shrimp with Tomato Salad

By Paul Briand

When it comes to looking for good recipes to try and write about, my wife Jane is a valued co-conspirator.

In part, she knows I’m always on the hunt for something new. But largely, I think, she knows how she benefits with another delish dish on the table.

This recipe comes from the Relish magazine her newspaper, the Eagle-Tribue in Massachusetts, puts into Tuesday’s edition once a month. You can find the recipe online at Relish.com here.

This recipe oozes summer. Grilling shrimp. A light, tasty vinaigrette. And tomatoes galore.

One note: I couldn’t find yellow pear tomatoes at my supermarket. So I substituted a yellow bell pepper. It offered the same color effect to the salad, and had the added bonus of adding texture and a crunch to the salad that it wouldn’t have had otherwise.

Ingredients

For the vinaigrette:

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons orange juice, freshly squeezed

1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

2 garlic cloves, pressed

2 teaspoons chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon honey

For the shrimp:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

12 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact

White pepper

For the tomato salad:

2 beefsteak tomatoes

4 Roma tomatoes

12 red grape tomatoes, cut into halves

12 yellow pear tomatoes, cut into halves

Freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons basil, cut into thin ribbons

Directions

1. To prepare the vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk well;

2. To prepare the shrimp, combine olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes and shrimp in a large bowl;

3. Let stand 15 to 30 minutes. Add white pepper;

4. Heat grill to medium-high. Thread shrimp on skewers;

5. Place shrimp on grill rack and cook on grill 2 to 3 minutes, until just pink. (Or grill jumbo shrimp directly on the grill.);

6. To prepare salad, toss grape and pear tomatoes into vinaigrette. Sprinkle with pepper. Slice beefsteak tomatoes and Roma tomatoes into 1/8-inch-thick slices and place on serving plates. Spoon grape and pear tomatoes and vinaigrette on top and garnish with basil. Serve with shrimp.

Click here for recipe card.