This recipe for Shrimp Salad in Orange Peel is sure to impress your guests. It looks amazing and tastes even better!
I love the prawn/orange/fresh basil combination in a salad. The citrus flavors combined with fresh herbs work so great with the shrimp! Like this Sweet and Savory Stuffed Chicken Quarters and the Slow Cooker Sweet Duck Legs, it's a perfect combination of sweet and savory.
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The ingredients:
- Prawns: I like to purchase two varieties for this recipe: the large prawns to use in the salad, and jumbo ones for the skewers. This is optional. Large ones work great for both, the salad and the skewers.
- Orange: see below for instructions on how to remove the orange from the peel
- Mixed Lettuce: The mixed greens, or Spring Mix, work as a "shield" between the orange peel and the salad. Because we slice off ends of the orange and then place them inside the orange peel (see instructions below), some of the juices from the salad tends to run off through the peel and onto the serving platter. The lettuce covers the orange peel and protects the juices from running onto the platter. Besides, lettuce is great in the salad!
- Red onion: adds a little spice and color to the salad
- Fresh Basil leaves: adds more freshness and a subtle minty flavor
- Basil seasoning: this is optional - I like to add a little dried basil when cooking the shrimp. You an also use dry parsley flakes.
- Olive oil and Lime: for a light salad dressing
Preparation:
- Cook the Prawns: Heat one tablespoon of vegetable oil or olive oil in a large pan, over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and add the shrimp and the dried basil seasoning. Saute for 2-3 minutes, until the shrimp have turned opaque white and pink. They are not ready if they are still gray. Keep a close eye on them. Overcooking them will cause them to taste rubbery, so once you see that they are no longer gray, turn off the heat, and place them aside to cool down.
Note: if you are cooking smaller shrimp for the salad and larger ones for the skewers, make sure to cook them separately because the smaller ones will take less time to cook (about 1 minute) and you don't want to overcook them when the larger shrimp are still cooking. - Prepare the orange peel cups: slice the orange in half, crosswise. Using a small but sharp knife, cut a small slice from the outside end of each orange half. Gently carve out the orange from the top and bottom of the orange half, until the flesh is completely separated. Place the slice you cut out from the outside end of the orange half inside the empty peel.
- Make the salad: Dice the flesh of the orange that you carved out of the orange half and place in a mixing bowl. Drain any excess orange juice (don't waste it, drink it!). Add the diced red onion, fresh basil leaves and the cooled (at room temperature) shrimp. Squeeze 1/2 lime and pour in 2 tablespoons of olive oil (add more olive oil to taste). Toss well to combine all salad ingredients.
- Place the lettuce on the bottom of each orange peel cup. Using a tablespoon scoop the salad on top of the lettuce, onto each orange peel cup.
Presentation:
You will need one half of an orange (no need to carve out the flesh) and 5 bamboo knot picks.
Place one-half of the orange skin side up on a plate. Thread two to three shrimp (depending on the size of the shrimp) onto each pick and poke inside the skin of the orange.
Once the orange peel cups are filled with the shrimp salad, place the cups around the orange with the skewers, for presentation.
And, one last thing: Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions:
It's best to make the salad the same day you are serving it. A few hours before is even better. But, if you would like to make it a day ahead, prepare all the ingredients, including cooking the shrimp and carving out the orange from its peel, but keep the orange separate from the rest of the salad ingredients, to avoid having a soggy salad. When ready to serve, add the diced oranges into the salad, but make sure to drain any excess juice. Add the dressing last. So, if you're going to make it ahead, precook and precut, but keep ingredients separate from each other and combine a few hours before serving.
Can I use frozen already-cooked shrimp in the salad?
You can purchase the packaged cooked shrimp and add it to the salad, for sure. I find, though, that the taste is a little different. The cooked shrimp taste meatier, fancier, richer (for lack of a better description :))
What size shrimp is best for the salad?
There are precooked packaged shrimp specifically for shrimp salads that you can buy at the store, but I find those are too little.
I like to use large shrimp. Sometimes I will add jumbo shrimp for the skewers and only use the large shrimp for the salad.
Can I use regular lettuce as a substitute for mixed greens?
Absolutely. You can use any lettuce you like. I just like the different colors in the mixed greens. Butter lettuce works great because it can also serve as a wrap, spoon the salad into the butter lettuce and wrap the salad inside.
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Recipe
Orange Shrimp Bowls
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb 680 gm. large shrimp (about 50 shrimp), raw, peeled and deveined
- 2 teaspoons dried basil seasoning
- 4 naval oranges
- 4 cups mixed lettuce
- 1/4 cup red onion sliced - add more to taste
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves chopped - adjust to taste
- 1/2 lime
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Cook the Shrimp: Heat one tablespoon of vegetable oil or olive oil in a large pan, over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and add the shrimp and the dried basil seasoning. Saute for 2-3 minutes, until the shrimp have turned opaque white and pink. They are not ready if they are still gray. Keep a close eye on them. Overcooking shrimp will cause them to taste rubbery, so once you see that they are no longer gray, turn off the heat, and place them aside to cool down.
- Prepare the orange peel cups: While the shrimp are cooling down, slice the orange in half, crosswise. Using a small but sharp knife, cut a small slice from the outside end of each orange half. Gently carve out the orange from the top and bottom of the orange half, until the flesh is completely separated. Place the slice you cut out from the outside end of the orange half inside the empty peel.
- Dice the flesh of the orange that you carved out of the orange half and place in a mixing bowl. Drain any excess orange juice (don't waste it, drink it!). Add the diced red onion, fresh basil leaves and the cooled (at room temperature) shrimp. Squeeze 1/2 lime and pour in 2 tablespoons of olive oil (add more olive oil to taste). Toss well to combine all salad ingredients.
- Place the lettuce on the bottom of each orange peel cup. Using a tablespoon scoop the salad on top of the lettuce, onto each orange peel cup.
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