YIELDS:
6 servings
PREP TIME:
COOK TIME:
TOTAL TIME:
ingredients
1 Lb. Shrimp, large and peeled, deveined and tail removed
1 Tbsp. Caribbean Jerk or Cajun seasoning
1 Tsp. Olive oil
Cooking spray
4 Ears fresh corn, shucked
12 Oz. Cherry tomatoes on the vine, halved
8 Oz. Mozzarella pearls
8 Green onions, thinly sliced
1 Bunch fresh basil leaves, torn
DRESSING
3 Tbsp. Champagne or white wine vinegar
1 1/2 Tsp. Kosher salt
20 Grinds freshly black pepper
1/4 Cup Olive oil
DIRECTIONS
1) Add the vinegar, salt and black pepper into a small jar with a lid and shake vigorously to mix. Put to the side.
2) Cut the corn kernels off the ear of corn with a sharp knife in a bowl. (This yields about 2 1/2 – 3 cups.).
3) Add in the tomatoes, mozzarella pearls and scallions. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to coat. Cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
4) Toss the shrimp with the teaspoon of olive oil and the jerk or cajun seasoning in a bowl. Spray a non-stick grill pan with cooking spray and add the shrimp. Cook over a medium high heat for about 2 minutes then flip. Cook for another 1 – 2 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through.
5) Top the corn and tomato salad with the shrimp and all but a a few whole basil leaves and mix in. Garnish the salad with the whole basil leaves. Enjoy!
NOTES: I originally saw a recipe on EatingWell for a corn and tomato salad and used that as my inspiration for this salad. My addition of spicy shrimp, turned this into a full and delicious meal.
A couple of tips to make this a smooth operation.
. To steady the ears of corn when cutting the kernals off, put a small clean dish towel in the bowl and place the ear of corn on it. When finished cutting all the kernals, remove the towel. This will keep the ear from slipping. I also use a deep bowl with high sides to keep the corn from flying around.
. Fresh summer corn is the way to go with this salad. You aren’t cooking the corn, so fresh is best and nothing beats it. So for me, I keep this recipe for summertime entertaining. It holds up well and travels well too.
. You can serve the shrimp warm, at room temperature or cold. I’ve made this on a Sunday and have had it for several lunches during the week.
. If you can’t find Mozzarella pearls (they are really tiny and usually come all together is a wrapped ball in your cheese department), use cherry mozzarella balls and cut them into four or buy a regular sized ball of mozzarella and dice it up. All work just fine.
. Buy the freshest cherry or grape tomatoes you can fine. I use cherry tomatoes on the vine that are just fabulous.
. For the dressing, I used champagne vinegar but the original recipe used white wine vinegar so use what you have on hand.
. The last note is regarding the shrimp. I used a Caribbean jerk spice on my shrimp, but a cajun spice also works for a little heat. Not a fan of those spices? Just salt and pepper them for a milder flavor. This is completely up to you. I grilled them on an indoor grill pan that is perfect for cooking these shrimp. If grilled outdoors, I’d skewer them first to keep them from falling through the grates.
If you like this recipe, be sure to check out some of my other healthy, fruit and vegetable forward salads including my Mexican Salad, All Green Fruit & Veggie Salad and my Greek Lettuce Cups.
