Gulf Shrimp and Summer Corn Stir-fry Salad
Spicy shrimp and avocado on a sweet bed of stir-fried corn and red bell pepper. So delicious on a warm summer day! This is fabulous as a salad but also tastes great with your favorite grain. I was thinking this might go really nice with some faro.
We love shrimp at our house and we love Southern food even though we live up North. This shrimp is seasoned with "Slap Ya Mama's" white pepper blend. Before I discovered "Slap Ya Mama's" seasoning I was using "Old Bay", it's tried and true. To get that Southern flavor into this dish either one will do just fine.
Once you've gathered and prepped your ingredients, this stir-fry is super fast.
I like to use peanut oil to stir-fry because it can withstand the higher temperatures needed to fry food quickly. I also like to cut the garlic into planks for this. Look closely at the picture of the table of ingredients and you can see what I mean by "planks". Large pieces of garlic will stir-fry more like roasted garlic and have less bite to them than minced garlic. Did you know that the smaller you cut the garlic, the spicier it will taste? Larger means sweeter in this case.
It's nice to get a little char on the corn and onions while stir-frying before adding the radishes and chives.
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I scrape the stir-fry into a large bowl, then stir in 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and some salt and pepper to dress the stir-fry for the salad. You can adjust the oil and vinegar to suit your own taste as well.
It doesn't need much because of all of the wonderful flavors going on in the stir-fry itself. The sweetness of the corn blends with the spicy Serrano and then it's filled out by the garlic and onion. Yum! Once you add the shrimp, avocado and cheese you could almost skip the dressing part of this recipe.
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To finish the shrimp, I wipe out the stir-fry skillet with a paper towel and return it to a medium high heat. I add 2 more teaspoons of peanut oil and the shrimp after the pan is good and hot. I want to be sure to sear the shrimp quickly on each side.
I sprinkle the shrimp with the Cajun seasoning and stir-fry them for a few minutes on each side until they are opaque and shaped like the letter "C". Try not to cook them until they are the shape of the letter "O" because O stands for overdone.
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To put this all together, line 2 bowls with a mix of hearty greens then top with half of the corn and pepper stir-fry and half of the shrimp. Top the salads evenly with crumbled cheese and chopped avocado, or pass them at the table.
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Cheers!
~Melisa
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Gulf Shrimp and Summer Corn Stir-fry Salad
Ingredients
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4 teaspoons peanut oil, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 can sweet corn (14 oz) or two fresh ears cut from the cobs
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or more
salt & pepper
2 teaspoons Slap Ya Mama Pepper Seasoning or Old Bay Seasoning
3/4 cup crumbled Cheese such as feta, Queso Blanco or Cojita
1 Serrano pepper
1 red bell pepper
3-5 cloves planked garlic
1/4 cup radish slices
1/4 chopped chives
1 medium avocado, diced
1 pound Raw Large Gulf Shrimp, peeled and deveined
Mixed hearty salad greens
Method
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Preheat a skillet to medium high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of peanut oil and the planked garlic. Stir-fry for 30 seconds then add the Serrano pepper and the corn. Stir -fry 2 minutes then add the red bell pepper and the sweet onion. Stir-fry 3-5 minutes then add the radishes and chives. Stir-fry 1 minute more then remove from heat.
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Scrape the stir-fry into a large bowl, then stir in 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. You can adjust the oil and vinegar to suit your own taste as well.
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Wipe out the stir-fry skillet with a paper towel and return it to a medium high heat. When the pan is good and hot, add 2 teaspoons peanut oil and the shrimp . Sprinkle the shrimp with Slap Ya Mama or Old Bay Seasoning and stir-fry until just opaque and shaped like the letter "C".
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Line 2 bowls with a mix of hearty greens then top with half of the veggie stir-fry and half of the shrimp.
Top the salads evenly with crumbled cheese and chopped avocado. Serve immediately.
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