9 Days & Counting! Italian Shrimp Salad

I grew up eating this salad. Now that I think about it, I think it was nearly the ONLY salad my mother ever served. Maybe it was the era. I'm not sure WHERE my mother got the recipe, maybe a magazine, but we all loved it. Every single family member.

Having grown up in Texas I was exposed to the cuisine of many cultures- but it came mostly later. Strangely, my first awareness of my mother ever trying to cook Mexican was using a powdered mix to make chile con queso. Being an ex-pat Canadian, she promptly served it over toast like a rare bit. My palette at that point had never had hot. I was probably about 10 years old. It was a dismal failure with the family, never to be repeated.

Not so, the Italian Shrimp Salad. Shrimp in our house was a real treat and having a dish where everyone felt like they got a really good dose of shrimp flavor while having a recipe that stretched was pure joy. It was saved for special occasions and celebrations. The photo above is a 16 oz portion and will be served with garlic toast.

Here are all the ingredients laid out-- my mise en place. I started with sushi rice which is a medium grain. I personally like its texture better than long grain white rice. It absorbs the dressing better. There is fresh gulf shrimp, fresh from my garden Italian parsley, Romaine lettuce, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, mustard and a pinch of smoked paprika. We used to make it with cayenne and that is good, too. But I like the touch of the smokey paprika.

All the ingredients are fresh except the mustard. No preservatives, no unknown stabilizers-- just good wholesome, oh so good ingredients.

This will be one of our rotating specialty salads. Enjoy!