Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Shrimp salad with avocado and radish sprouts

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I came across something beautiful in the grocery store that I had never seen before – radish sprouts.   Easily overlooked amidst the bigger and bolder green vegetables, these lovely delicate young shoots from the daikon radish remind me of the shamrock clover.   Growing happily together in high concentrations (each determined to be the tallest) a fresh bunch will surely cheer your soul! 

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If you love spicy radishes, you’ll love radish sprouts.  Their bright green heart-shaped leaves look innocent enough, but they pack a fair amount of spice – enough to clear the sinuses!   They house a significant amount of Vitamins C, B6 and A due to the fact that they are germinating seeds.   Potassium is abundant, and in 5 - 6 days of rapid-fire growth the sprouts can reach 8 inches.    Since a sprout is the beginning of a larger vegetable, higher levels of enzymes and photochemical compounds are present within their small bodies.   The are therefore considered by many to be a ‘miracle food’.  

Sprouts can be grown year round with little attention.  Too delicate to be cooked, they are a brilliant addition to salads and sandwiches, wraps and spring rolls.  

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The tender roots barely take hold of the moist medium underneath, as lanky stems support leaf tops. 082 v1

Shrimp, avocado and radish sprout salad

Serves 4 as a first course

12 Jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 cup boiled, diced potato

½ red pepper, diced

1 avocado, peeled, seeded and diced

½ cup radish sprouts

marinade and dressing (below)

a few long chive leaves or 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped

Marinade (and dressing)

1½ tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

1½ tablespoons red wine vinegar

¼ cup tightly packed radish sprouts

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon sugar

salt, to taste

For the marinade and dressing:

Place all ingredients in a small food processor and blend until sprouts are finely chopped and the mixture comes together.  Place shrimp in a medium bowl.  Add 3 tablespoons of the sprout mixture to the shrimp.  Marinate shrimp for about 20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.  Set aside the left over mixture to be used as a dressing.

Marinate the shrimp first

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Grill or broil shrimp until cooked tender, about 3 minutes on each side.  Discard shrimp marinade. 

You can either layer the salad in martini glasses, or in individual bowls.  Layer as follows.

Bottom to top: diced potatoes, diced red pepper, a little dressing, shrimp, fresh sprouts, avocado, more dressing.  Stick the chive leaves in for a dramatic presentation or chop them up and sprinkle on top of the salad.

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Prijatno!

5 comments:

  1. Ellerinize sağlık. Çok güzel ve leziz olmuş. Çok iştah açıcı görünüyor.

    Saygılar.

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  2. Ja bih ovu poslednju sliku nominovala na sajtovima za top bloggere! Kakva kreacija! Izdanci su tako medeni, pa ja bi ih vezala ljubičastom mašnicom i poklonila mami kao cveće! Ovde se izdanci skoro ne koriste i kakva šteta. Fantastična kombinacija, ne znam da li mi se salata sa smokvama ili ova više sviđa! Odlično!

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  3. Your photos are stunning, Dragana. I've never seen these delicate little shoots in the market, but maybe I just looked right past them. I can't wait to try this gorgeous salad.

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  4. Oh these pics are simply gorgeous! I would love to grab a shrimp right out of the screen!
    Yummmmmmmmmmm..........

    ReplyDelete

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