GUACAMOLE SHRIMP SALAD

According to my weather app on my cell phone, it feels like 100 degrees here in my neck of the woods and I have to agree with it.  It is really hot and steamy outside.  Miserably hot out there.  

Nothing turns my stomach more than the sticky heat of summer.  One still has to eat though.  Fruit and various salads are a staple for me during this time of the summer.  Lots of cucumber or lemon water to quench my thirst too. 

That is why when Mari and Tammy were talking about this salad I had to try it.  With that said it is adapted from A Spicy Perspective.  It is called Garlic Lime roasted shrimp but I changed it to make the salad part more like guacamole, well except for the addition of cucumbers and of course the shrimp.

I love guacamole.  I love it on sandwiches, wraps, salads and well just about anything.  

Well with that heat index outside in this part of the South we need some that is cool and refreshing for our meals.  

I decided to make the salad part first so I gathered what I thought would be my ingredients.  Of course, me being me I had to change it when I saw it looks so bland and needed some more flavor.

I chopped my English cucumber.

Chopped the avocado...

Minced the garlic cloves...

Squeeze the lime ...

Chopped fresh cilantro from my herb garden ...

Add this all to a bowl ...

Mix it up ...

OK, well it is rather green and needed something more for flavor at this point so this is when I added tomatoes.

Jalapenos ...

and some spring onions ...

Combined it all again and it tasted much better and nicer eye appeal.

Next came the shrimp.   I peeled and deveined them and of course, kept the shells to make stock later.

I sprayed a tin foil lined a baking sheet with olive oil and put the shrimp on it and added EVOO, garlic salt, and fresh ground pepper. 

Mixed that all up and placed them individually on the sheet so they would cook better.

Cook at 450 for 3 to 5 minutes.  You need to keep a good eye on them because you do NOT want overcooked shrimp.  

Allow your shrimp to cool before mixing together.  I put mine in a bowl in the fridge and in 30 minutes I placed them on top of the salad mixture and popped it all in the refrigerator.   I let it sit for 3 hours before trying it and it was really really delicious.  I had it right after coming from outside working on re-watering the quail and rabbits.  

GUACAMOLE SHRIMP SALAD

Ingredients 

• 1 English cucumber chopped
• 2 avocados chopped
• Small handful of cilantro chopped
• 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil divided
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 lime juiced
• 2 scallions or spring onions chopped
• 4 slices of a jalapeno chopped
• 10 grape tomatoes sliced
• 1 lb of extra large shrimp shelled and deveined 
• garlic salt to taste
• fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions

• Chop cucumber, avocados, cilantro, scallions, and jalapenos.  Mince the garlic cloves.  Slice the tomatoes.  Add to large bowl.
• Combine EVOO, lime juice, and garlic with the veggie mix.  
• Preheat oven to 450.
• Clean and devein shrimp.
• Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with olive oil.
• Add your shrimp to the baking sheet and season with garlic salt and fresh ground pepper.  Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until done but not overcooked.
• Allow shrimp to cool before adding to salad mixture.
• Place in fridge for at least 3 hours before serving.  

I really did not like the taste at the beginning that is why I made the changes and added tomato, onion, and jalapeno.  Those additions helped kill some of the overbearing lime flavor.  Plus when I added the 4 slices of jalapeno they were really hot.  That is when I decided to add the tomatoes.  

I love when a recipe comes together.  I always look through my fridge, freezers, and cabinets before I go shopping.  I was lucky because I found some shrimp in the freezer.  That was another big draw in making this dish.  However, I will say next time I would not buy raw shrimp.  I could not tell by me cooking it that the shrimp really had a ton of flavor.  Next time if cooked shrimp is similar in cost I will buy that.  I figure I can season it up as much as I want and it will hold the flavor but the main reason is due to the heat.  I do not want to have to use my oven if I do not have to.  It already is hot enough so why waste power by cooking your shrimp and then having to cool the house even more.  

I also want to add, do you know love a recipe?  I mean, here I was given a recipe and started to make it as said, but tasted and realized it needed more flavor.  After all, what is cooking but individualizing it to your taste or your families?

ENJOY!!

UPDATE:  I made this again yesterday and I used 4 pickling cucumbers, 2 tomatoes on the vine and pre-cooked shrimp.  It was just as good if not better then when I made it last week.  The cucumbers came from my friend Anna's garden.  So, if you have the chance to make this with garden cucumbers and not store bought please do.  It is delicious.