Tag Archives: red onions

Seafood, Vegetables & Salads

Crispy, Cool Salad for Warm Evenings

Photo: Shrimp Salad

As we move into the dog days of August, I think about cool and easy to prepare dinners. That often means a salad. In this instance, it’s a lovely combination of shrimp, asparagus, avocado, and cucumber over a nice bowl of mixed salad greens. Requiring only a little cooking for the shrimp and asparagus, this dish comes together in about thirty minutes or less. The lemon vinaigrette can be prepared in advance and refrigerated until ready to serve.

For the salad:
8 oz Shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups Spring Mix Greens
10 spears Asparagus, trimmed and cut into one-inch pieces
1/2 Avocado, cubed
1/4 cup Red Onions, sliced
1 small Cucumber, peeled and sliced
Salt and Pepper, to taste

For the lemon vinaigrette
1/3 cup Olive Oil
1 large Lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons Lemon Juice
1/2 teaspoon Sugar-free Honey
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1-2 cloves minced Garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste

Make the vinaigrette first. In a small bowl, add all the ingredients and whisk together. Taste to see if it needs more honey, salt, or pepper. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until ready to use. Whisk again before serving. You can store any excess dressing in the refrigerator for about one week.

Heat a medium-sized pot to boiling and add the shrimp. Cook for about three minutes, then drain and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Heat olive oil in a saute pan and add the asparagus spears. Cook for about three minutes. Drain the shrimp, pat dry with a paper towel, and add to the pan and stir fry them for a couple of minutes to get slightly browned.

Remove the shrimp and asparagus to a pan or bowl to cool. Using two salad bowls, divide the spring greens and arrange half the onions and half the cucumber in each bowl. Divide the shrimp and asparagus between the bowls, then add avocado pieces. Spoon about two tablespoons of the lemon vinaigrette the ingredients in each bowl.

Serves two.

Tip: Buy pre-cleaned and deveined  frozen shrimp to save time, and it make less mess in the kitchen. If you don’t have a fresh lemon, use 6 tablespoons of lemon juice. 

Image: Nutrition Information: Shrimp Salad

Main Dish, Seafood

Quick to Fix Garlic Cajun-Style Cod

Photo: Garlic Cajun Cod Fish

As I move through the heat of August, I am looking for less cooking in the kitchen and more salads. But an easy and quick cook meal I made recently was this spicy and delicious dish of one of the few kinds of fish I enjoy eating.

Cod is a sturdy white fish and takes well to this spicy seasoning. Use any Cajun blend seasoning to rub into the fish before you cook it in a skillet. The Cajun Holy Trinity of cooking includes bell pepper, onion, and celery. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any celery in the house, but feel free to add it to the dish.

Garlic Cajun-Style Cod Fish

2 fillets Cod Fish (about 4 oz. each)
1/2 Bell Pepper, sliced
1/2 Red Onion, sliced
1/4 cup Celery, sliced
4 tablespoons Butter, melted
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Cajun Spice mix

In a skillet, add oil and heat. Add onions, and garlic, and sauté for about 2 minutes, then add bell pepper and celery. Stir fry for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are just tender. Remove to a bowl or a plate.

Season cod with Cajun spices. Reduce heat under the skillet to a medium high, then add the cod. Cook about 4 to 5 minutes on each side until the cod is white all the way through. Add vegetables and stir together for about two minutes to warm them up.

Serves 2.

Nutrition Info