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This salad is good as a sandwich filling, using excellent quality bread, or alone as a salad. The inspiration for this recipe came from Pazo Restaurant in Baltimore. My mother ordered a “shrimp BLT,” which seemed to me an interesting gourmet twist on an old classic. I don’t really know exactly what ingredients were in it, other than shrimp and bacon, but I think I tasted tarragon. The other ingredients came from my own intuition about what would taste good together. I left out the tomatoes, as they are not in season and therefore not that tasty right now. If I make this again in the summer, I will definitely add some chopped tomatoes to the mix. I think this recipe would also be delicious with lobster or crab substituting for the shrimp. I used wild USA shrimp, as I think that wild shrimp is better for health and a green planet than farmed shrimp. If you live in a country other than USA, I suggest you use the wild shellfish that comes from water closest to where you live to eat most sustainably. The same goes for the bacon. Buy local! Find a source for local meat. Purchase the brand that comes from your state, or as close to where you live as possible. Buy from a local farm if you can. Thinking about the environmental toll that transporting food over great distances imposes on our planet will help you make more sustainable choices in the ingredients you purchase.
Serves 4
2 lbs shrimp, diced
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup yogurt
1 TBS chopped fresh tarragon
½ cup chopped mâche (also known as lamb’s lettuce)
2 romaine lettuce leaves, chopped
½ yellow pepper, diced fine
6 slices Applewood smoked bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
½ tsp roasted garlic sea salt (use plain sea salt if this special kind is not available)
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 perfectly ripe avocado, diced fine
juice from ½ lemon
Put all ingredients, except the avocado and lemon juice, in bowl and stir together. Add avocado and lemon juice; stir just until combined.
This salad tastes best if you let it sit (refrigerated, of course) for a few hours, so the flavors have a chance to blend together.