Cucumber Shrimp Salad
Recipe Redux – July, 2015: Fresh from the Garden
One of the best things about summer is shopping the farmer’s markets. It is such a treat to have so much local produce readily available. It’s especially nice when you live in a city like New York, where housing usually doesn’t leave much room for plant growing. Here, living spaces larger than a closet are considered expansive! Alas, I do not live in such luxury… :/
Every Tuesday there is a lovely little farmer’s market that springs up right by NewYork-Presbyterian’s Columbia University Medical Center. During my lunch break I always make a quick stop over and pick up some freshly harvested goodies. (Someday I will have a little room to grow my own again – thank goodness for Farmer’s Markets until then!)
As fruits and vegetables age, they can lose some of their nutritients. So buying and preparing locally grown foods helps you get the most nutrition bang out of each delicious, healthy bite.
This week there was an amazing deal on cucumbers – 3 for $1.00! (Who says healthy eating is too expensive?!?!) I also grabbed a fragrant bunch of dill, parsley and purple spring onions. I was on my way to making one delicious cucumber salad.
The shrimp I used were not not natives to NYC . They came from Ecuador. Says they were “sustainably” raised on the bag, but – who knows?!? Nonetheless, they co-mingled with the veggies quite deliciously in the mixing bowl.
With all the light pastel colors, this salad is very pleasing visually. I also like how the way the cucumbers are sliced mimics the curves of the shrimp. The light, lemony sauce makes for delightful dining on a hot summer day.
Cucumber Shrimp Salad Recipe
INGREDIENTS
2 large cucumbers, peeled
1 pound Shrimp, peeled, deveined, boiled, chilled
1/2 cup Red onion, peeled, minced
1/4 cup Dill, fresh, chopped
1/4 cup Parsley, fresh, chopped
1/4 cup Lemon juice, fresh squeezed
1 teaspoon Honey
1/8 teaspoon Sea salt
1/4 cup Olive oil, extra virgin
2 cups Watercress leaves
PREPARATION
Slice the cucumbers lengthwise so you have two long halves. With a spoon, carefully scrape out all the seeds from the center of the cucumbers. Slice the cucumbers into 1/4″ slices and toss into a mixing bowl with the shrimp, onion, dill and parsley.
In a small bowl, add the lemon juice, honey and sea salt. Whisk the dressing as you slowly pour in the olive oil.
Pour dressing over salad. Toss to mix everything well.
Serve salad over the fresh watercress.
Serve chilled.
Makes 6 substantial salad servings, or 12 mini salad appetizers