Grilled Shrimp Salad w/ Bacon Vinaigrette

By moninikole

Like Applebee's

Ingredients

• BACON VINAIGRETTE
• 1 ⁄2cup light olive oil
• 1 ⁄4cup finely minced cooked bacon (3 or
• 4 slices)
• 1 ⁄4cup red wine vinegar
• 1 ⁄2t cornstarch
• 1 1⁄2t Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
• 1 ⁄4t salt
• 1 ⁄4t course ground black pepper
• 1 ⁄4t hickory flavored liquid smoke
• SHRIMP SEASONING
• 1 t coarse ground black pepper
• 1 ⁄2t salt
• 1 ⁄2t garlic powder
• 1 ⁄4t onion powder
• 1 ⁄4t paprika
• 1 ⁄4t ground (rubbed) sage
• 1 ⁄4t granulated sugar
• 20-24 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 T butter, melted
• 1 ⁄4cup sliced almonds
• 16 cups fresh spinach
• 1 ⁄2cup diced tomato (1 large tomato)
• 1 ⁄2cup sliced red onion
• 1 ⁄4cup sliced roasted red bell pepper

Preparation

Step 1

1. BACON VINAIGRETTE
Combine bacon with 1⁄4 cup of oil
(that's half of the oil) in a small
saucepan. Place the pan over medium
heat and when it begins to bubble,
set your timer for 1 minute. After
a minute, remove the pan from the
heat and let it cool for 3 to 4
minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in the vinegar and whisk the mixture into the
oil and bacon, along with the sugar, mustard, salt, pepper, and liquid
smoke.
Drizzle the remaining 1⁄4 cup of oil
into the saucepan while whisking.
Cover and chill dressing ( it will
thicken as it chills).

2. SHRIMP
Preheat barbecue grill to high.
Combine shrimp seasoning
ingredients in a small bowl. Mix
this blend with your fingers to
break up any clumps of sage.

Pierce 6 shrimp on each skewer.
Brush the shrimp with melted butter
and sprinkle a little of the
seasoning blend on both sides.
Grill skewered shrimp for a couple
minutes on each side, or until
they are done.

3. Toast the slice almonds in a medium
saucepan over medium heat until
golden brown. Toss the almonds
often so that they don't burn.

4. Build each dinner salad by tossing
8 cups of spinach with 1⁄4 cup diced
tomato, 1⁄4 cup red onion, 2 T
roasted red bell pepper, 2 T toasted
almonds, and 3–4 T vinaigrette.
Toss gently so that you don't
bruise the spinach. Arrange the
tossed salad on a serving plate, then
remove the grilled shrimp from the
skewers and place 10–12 shrimp on top

TIDBITS: Roast a red bell pepper by
placing it directly on the stove over a high flame. Rotate the pepper as it
chars until all of the skin is blackened and then plunge the pepper into an
ice water bath or seal it in a plastic zip-top bag. After a few minutes, you
can easily remove all of the blackened skin, and then slice the pepper. You
can also roast the pepper in preheated 425 degrees F oven. When the skin
blister, use the bag or ice water bath to remove the skin. Alternatively,
you can buy bottled roasted peppers, but I think fresh is a much better way
to go.

Because this is a rather cooking intensive recipe with the need to focus on
each step to avoid burning and mass
destruction, et cetera, I did pre-recipe work like toasting the almonds
ahead, mixing up the shrimp seasoning, skewering the shrimp on skewers, and
so on. That way, you can proceed with this recipe just like the cookesses do
on TV with their little already done prep bowls magically filled with the
right stuff