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Saturday, June 15, 2013

Fresh Shrimp and Corn Chowder Salad with Bacon



Corn chowder salad? That sounded a little goofy to me but I gave it a try anyway and I'll tell you, I was blown away. This is summer exemplified, like a delicious bowl of sunshine and rainbows. The textures and flavors are simply fantastic. The colors are indescribable; this is one of those times when I really wish my photography was much better so you could really see how beautifully this turned out. Try it so you can see for yourself, seriously.

The only changes I made to the original recipe was to make the original quantity of dressing but use only half. It turned out a little runny and I wasn't making soup. I have a hang-up about saucy food anyway, so take that into consideration if you love dressing. It is tasty.

Fresh Shrimp and Corn Chowder Salad with Bacon
adapted from Cooking Club of America
click to print

2 medium ears of corn, shucked
12 oz. red potatoes, unpeeled, chopped (1/2 inch)
1 lb. shelled, deveined uncooked shrimp (31 to 35 count)
1 c cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
1/3 c chopped red onion
1/3 c chopped fresh basil
1/4 lb bacon slices, cooked, coarsely crumbled, divided

DRESSING
1/4 c mayonnaise
3 tbsp canola oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp grated lemon peel
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Cook corn in large pot boiling water 3 minutes.


Add potatoes. Continue cooking 5 minutes or until corn and potatoes are almost tender.


Add shrimp; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and potatoes and corn are tender.

My shrimps turned pink immediately!

Drain; cool under cold running water. Drain well; pat dry.

I didn't run water over my shrimp, potatoes and corn. Instead, I drained them and then spread them out on a clean kitchen towel. The heat dissipated and the water evaporated, eliminating my need to pat anything.

Meanwhile, whisk dressing ingredients in small bowl.


With a sharp knife, cut corn off cob into large bowl; add potatoes and shrimp.


Add tomatoes, onion, basil and half of the bacon. Gently stir in half the dressing; sprinkle with remaining bacon. Serve with additional dressing on the side, if desired.




This is just fantastic! The dish is beautiful with vibrant colors, the flavors just scream summertime freshness and the varying textures are impeccable. Having used only about two-thirds of the runny dressing, it is just a very light coating however it does the job of adding in a lemony-zing. Did using homemade mayo boost this dish into the winner's circle? I don't know that it contributed that much of a positive but certainly it didn't hurt.

The only thing that seemed unnoticeable was the crushed red pepper and maybe it was just sitting at the bottom of the dressing bowl. Or my peppers are duds.

After resting in the fridge about 6 hours, this salad is even better than it was freshly made. It's potato-y like a potato salad but the light dressing is amazing. And shrimp in there? Hard not to sit down with the entire bowl and get busy with a spoon. Next time I might double the batch because it would be fantastic for lunches. And dinner. And hell, even breakfast.

Cost:
  • ears of corn: $0.78
  • red potatoes: $0.52
  • shrimp (31 to 35 count): $5
  • cherry tomatoes: $1.29
  • red onion: $0.25
  • basil: $1.44
  • bacon: $3.36
  • mayonnaise: $0.50
  • canola oil: $0.33
  • lemon: $0.35
Total: $13.82 or about $2.76 for each of five 1.5-cup servings

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