Cajun Shrimp Salad with Homemade Cilantro Lime Dressing

This salad is a lightened up version of the amazing Cajun Shrimp and Vegetables Pasta recipe. I was inspired to make this salad when I had leftover Cajun Seafood seasoning from the Healthy Solutions Spice Blends Recipe Challenge.

I used regular large shrimp for the pasta recipe, so they would blend in and be part of the dish. But for this salad, I wanted the shrimp to be the main attraction, so I used the biggest jumbo shrimp I could find. I LOVE biting into a large piece of shrimp, and then having more to go back for, instead of being able to finish a shrimp in one bite. You see how each shrimp is the same size as the avocado? Yum! But you can use whatever size shrimp you want for this salad. It’s all delicious.

Cajun Shrimp Salad

Makes: 2 large salads. Total time: 15 minutes.

• 4 cups spinach
• 10-15 grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1/2 avocado, sliced or cut into chunks
• 3 slices bacon
• 6 jumbo shrimp (or 10 large shrimp), thawed, cleaned, and de-veined
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• 1 teaspoon shaved Parmesan
• 1/4 – 1/2 lime, for juicing
• Optional: 1 tablespoon olive oil (see note below)

Homemade Cilantro Lime Dressing

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro leaves
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For this salad, you have two options for how to cook the shrimp and the bacon. You can (1) Cook the bacon first and then cook the Cajun-seasoned shrimp in the bacon grease. Or (2), you can cook the seasoned shrimp first, and then fry the bacon in the Cajun seasoning that remains in the skillet. If you choose to do this, you’ll need to add a tablespoon of olive oil to cook the shrimp. As you can see, there are no bad options here. Either way is a winner. This is like a choose your own adventure recipe.
1. Option 1: Add the diced bacon pieces to a hot skillet, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the bacon is cooked and crispy. Drain the bacon fat into a heatproof bowl (reserve for other recipes!). Remove the crispy bacon bits into a place with a paper towel to absorb the extra fat.
Toss the shrimp with the Cajun seasoning in a small bowl, and add to the heated skillet which still has a bit of bacon grease remaining. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until the shrimp is fulled cooked. Squeeze some lime juice over it. Set shrimp aside.
Option 2: Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. Toss the shrimp with the Cajun seasoning in a small bowl. Add the shrimp to the hot skillet, and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until the shrimp is fulled cooked. Squeeze some lime juice over it. Set shrimp aside.
Add the sliced bacon to the hot skillet, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the bacon is cooked and crispy. Drain the bacon fat into a heatproof bowl (reserve for other recipes!). Remove the crispy bacon bits into a place with a paper towel to absorb the extra fat.
2. Assemble the salad. Place the sliced tomatoes and avocado on top of the spinach. Sprinkle with crispy bacon. Top with cooked Cajun shrimp. Shave some Parmesan over it. Drizzle with cilantro lime dressing (see below).

Cilantro Lime Dressing

In a small bowl, combine the very finely chopped cilantro, juice of 1 whole lime, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Grate 1 garlic clove into the dressing, and add 1/4 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Mix well, squeezing the cilantro into the dressing to release its flavor.  If you prefer, you can blend the whole thing in a magic bullet to grind up the cilantro. Drizzle over salad.



taken by : http://www.babaganosh.org/cajun-shrimp-salad-with-homemade-cilantro-lime-dressing/