Shrimp, Mango, and Avocado Salad

It's only March, and I'm already looking for no-bake recipes, so I don't have to use the oven or the stove top. What is going on with this weather? Whatever it is, I'll take it.

Nick gets credit for finding this recipe. It is one of his "go-to" meals for a quick yet delicious weeknight dinner. There's really nothing special about the contents of the salad - shrimp, mangoes and avocado over a bed of lettuce. What makes it fantastic is the sweet and spicy vinaigrette dressing. The base is Vietnamese sweet chili sauce, and then you add in unseasoned rice vinegar, fresh or ground ginger, and salt and pepper to taste. You can find the chili sauce and the vinegar in the ethnic foods aisle of most grocery stores. While the vinaigrette tastes sweet initially, the heat can sneak up on you. A bit of sweet mango and creamy avocado will help cool you down, though!

I didn't have fresh ginger on hand, so I used about one teaspoon of ground ginger. Fresh is always better, but the ground will do in a pinch.

Once you make the vinaigrette, just pour a few tablespoons over the thawed shrimp and toss to coat.

Chop up your mango. I used the Champagne mangoes at Whole Foods. They are small, wonderfully sweet and usually don't need much time to ripen.

 

Trying to get the hang of my avocado slicer. It sort of worked.

Now, all you need to do is toss the shrimp, mango, avocado and lettuce into a bowl and pour on the rest of the vinaigrette.

 Take a bite, and you'll be transported to that little cafe at your favorite tropical spring break getaway.



Shrimp, Mango, and Avocado Salad
From The Bon Appetit Test Kitchen
Serves 2 (main course servings) or 4 (first-course servings)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Vietnamese sweet chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced and peeled fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 12 peeled cooked large shrimp (about eight ounces) - I used frozen shrimp
• 1 large head of butter lettuce or 1 package of "salad in a bag" of your preference
• 1 mango, peeled and pitted, cut into 1/3-inch thick slices
• 1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, cut into slices

Preparation

Whisk sweet chili sauce, rice vinegar and ginger in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper. Place shrimp in a medium bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette; toss to coat.

You can either put all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and mix in the vinaigrette or place the ingredients on each plate and then serve the vinaigrette on the side.