Chiarellos Crispy Seafood Salad With Citrus Vinaigrette Recipes

ANGRY SHRIMP WITH CITRUS/SPINACH SALAD

Steps:

• Mix the flour mixture for shrimp:
• Combine the ingredients and set aside in container. This step can be done the day before dinner.
• Peel and cut the citrus fruit into sections over a plate. Drain the juice from the plate into a bowl. Season liberally with gray salt and black pepper. Whisk in olive oil to form a vinaigrette (it should be in proportion, about 2 parts juice to 1 part olive oil).
• Season citrus sections with salt and pepper. Drizzle a little of the vinaigrette on them to marinate and put them on a platter.
• Have your fishmonger peel the prawns but leave the tails on for handles. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Preheat a saute pan on high. Dredge the shrimp in the flour mixture. This will give them a nice crust and allow them to stay crispy and fresh at room temperature. Add olive oil to the pan and put in 1 layer of shrimp. You want them to caramelize, so don't toss or move them. Add a little more oil if the flour absorbs what's in the pan. After about 3 minutes, turn over the prawns. Let it caramelize, toss and turn out onto a cookie sheet. Add about 1/4 cup more olive oil to the already hot saute pan. Drain pan juices from the cookie sheet into the saute pan. Add sliced garlic and let it get light brown. Add chiles and let them get soft. Add the basil and stand back - there's a lot of water in basil and it will pop. Let it get crispy, less than a minute. While this is happening, arrange prawns over the citrus salad. Add the orange zest to the basil/garlic/chile mixture in the saute pan. Season with salt and pepper, then spoon basil/garlic/chile mixture over the prawns.
• Toss the spinach with the citrus vinaigrette and mound on top of the prawns. Serve.

MIXED GREEN SALAD WITH WHOLE CITRUS VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Juice the lemons, orange, and shallot in a juice extractor. Put the juices in a bowl and whisk in the olive oil in a slow stream to form an emulsion. Season with the salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Whisk again, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. You should have about 2 cups.
• Just before serving, place the greens in a salad bowl, add about 1/2 cup vinaigrette, and toss well. Add more to taste and adjust the seasoning. Finish the salad with a sprinkling of cocoa nibs to taste.
• Variation for Blender: Use 3 lemons, 2 small oranges, 1 shallot, 1 teaspoon gray salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1 1/2 cups pure olive oil. Cut off and discard the stem ends of 2 lemons and 1 orange. Cut into quarters, cut out the core, and remove seed. Place in a blender. Squeeze the juice from the remaining lemon and orange; add to the blender with the shallot, salt, and pepper. Pulse and then blend the fruit until as smooth as possible. With the machine running, add the olive oil in a thin, steady stream. The vinaigrette will be thick like a mayonnaise. If it is too thick, with the machine still on, thin with a little hot water. Taste for seasoning. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. If the vinaigrette separates, return it to the blender and blend until smooth again. Makes about 3 cups.

SHRIMP AND AVOCADO SALAD WITH CITRUS VINAIGRETTE (CAMARONES A LA VINAGRETA)

Steps:

• Cook the shrimp: In a pot, combine 1 quart water with 1 tablespoon salt. Add peppercorns and bay leaves and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Prepare an ice bath: Add enough ice to a large bowl until half full. Sprinkle the ice with 2 tablespoons salt and top with enough cold water to cover. Set aside.
• When the water boils, stir the shrimp into the hot water and turn off the heat. Let cook until just pink and opaque, 1 to 2 minutes depending on size of shrimp. Drain shrimp and transfer to the ice bath. Stir well and set aside until shrimp are completely chilled, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain shrimp again and transfer to paper or kitchen towels to dry.
• Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, stir together tomatoes, red onion, oil, fruit juices, herbs and mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add shrimp, toss to coat and chill for at least 1 hour (or up to 1 day).
• When ready to serve, peel and dice the avocado and fold into the shrimp salad. Serve chilled, in a serving bowl or on individual plates lined with lettuce leaves.

CRISPY SEAFOOD SALAD WITH CITRUS VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a wok or deep-sided skillet on medium-high heat.
• Place buttermilk in medium bowl; add shrimp, and soak for 5 minutes.
• Place flour and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Drain the shrimp in a sieve over another shallow bowl to capture the buttermilk. Dip the shrimp into flour to coat, then dip in buttermilk, and finally dredge in bread crumbs. Fry the shrimp in hot oil in batches until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
• Gently toss the red onion with the orange segments and their juices; add spinach and toss. Drizzle the dressing over the top. Toss to evenly coat the ingredients. Divide salad among 6 large salad pates. Top with shrimp. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.