Description
This Southwestern Grilled Shrimp Cobb Salad is a kicked up spin on an old classic. A few simple ingredient swaps, along with a zesty marinade for the shrimp and a creamy Buttermilk Chipotle Dressing, and this one-platter-is-a-meal comes together quickly. What a great way to celebrate with the bounty of late summer!
Ingredients
Marinade (makes enough for two pounds of shrimp):
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 Tablespoon Sriracha
- 1 teaspoon Chipotle Tabasco
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Buttermilk Chipotle Dressing (makes 2 1/2 cups):
- 1 cup Greek non-fat plain yogurt
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- chipotles in adobo – one big and one small, more or less to taste
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup tightly packed cilantro leaves
Salad fixin’s (mains):
- shrimp, raw, deveined, peeled and tail on
- Little Gems, baby Romaine lettuce, trimmed and halved
- heirloom cherry and grape tomatoes, halved
- eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, and halved
- bacon, crispy and crumbled
- avocado, peeled and chopped
- Southwestern cheese, grated (I found Hatch Chili Gouda)
- corn, shucked, boiled, and cut from the cob
- plums (or other stone fruit), pitted and sliced
Salad fixin’s (garnishes):
- cilantro leaves
- limes, cut in wedges or halved, if small
- edible flowers, like Nasturtium
- fresh sprouts, like radish, watercress and sunflower
- crunchy topper (see note)
Instructions
Prepare the marinade: Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate, up to one hour, while you prepare the other ingredients.
Prepare the Buttermilk Chipotle Dressing: Place all ingredients except the cilantro in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to chop, then process until creamy. Add the cilantro and pulse several times to chop roughly. Transfer to a glass jar with a lid and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
Grill the shrimp: Drain any excess marinade from the shrimp and grill over high heat for 2 – 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and reserve until cooled.
Assemble the salad: Once the shrimp is cool enough to not wilt your salad, compose the salad using all the main ingredients, with an eye toward color and textures. Arrange the garnishes on top. If you are serving later, reserve the bacon and crispy topping until serving time. Cover and refrigerate.
To serve: Add the bacon and crispy topping and serve with the Buttermilk Chipotle Dressing.
Notes
Crunchy toppers: there are a lot of different crunchy toppers available in the crouton section these days. I used the fried jalapeno slices, but you will also find the basic fried onion rings, as well as red peppers, tortillas and more. Chef’s choice.
Marinade is enough for two pounds of shrimp and Buttermilk Chipotle Dressing makes 2 1/2 cups.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Cobb Salad, Shrimp, Chipotle Dressing