Applebee's Grilled Shrimp 'N Spinach Salad

By MJH

Ingredients

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

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from thecrispycarrot.com

Preparation

Step 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).

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.

Toast the slice almonds in a medium saucepan over medium heat until golden brown.

Toss the almonds often so that they don't burn.

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.

Pre-recipe work like toasting the almonds ahead, mixing up the shrimp seasoning, skewering the shrimp on skewers, can help prevent this.