Shrimp Caesar Salad is nothing like your run of the mill iceberg lettuce and hothouse tomato salad. This make ahead entree salad recipe allows you to focus more on pampering mom and less on the cooking on her special day.
Many parts of the recipe can be prepped in advance. Shake up the dressing in a mason jar up to 3 days in advance. The extra time in the refrigerator allows the flavors of salty Parmesan cheese, sharp mustard, and tangy lemon juice to blend and deepen.
Enlist the help of a grill or grill pan to add a twist to the traditional Caesar salad. The smoky char a grill imparts boosts the flavor of the jumbo fresh shrimp and the bread used to make the croutons. Grill the shrimp a day ahead of time and chill. The bread can also be grilled a day before the celebration. Just be sure to cool it completely before storing it in an air tight container.
Chop the crisp romaine lettuce, bright red cherry tomatoes, and crunchy cucumbers a day in advance and store in resealable bags in the refrigerator. Save the dicing of the avocados to just before serving to prevent them from discoloring.
When it is time to sit down to the Mother's Day meal, a quick toss of all the salad ingredients along with the dressing is all that is needed to serve this extra special entrée salad. Pour mom a glass of a light white wine like a Pinot Grigio or a sparkling Proseco and let her know just how amazing she is.
Recipe
Ingredients
- For the dressing ~
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon spicy mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- For the salad ~
- 4 1- inch thick slices of Italian bread
- 1 pound jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 8 cups of chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1 medium cucumber diced
- 2 avocados diced
- Shredded Parmesan cheese for sprinkling
Instructions
- For the dressing, add the mayonnaise, spicy mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, lemon juice, salt and pepper to a 2-cup jar with a lid. Stir to combine. Add the olive oil and Parmesan cheese and screw the top on the jar. Shake vigorously until the dressing is thoroughly mixed. Set aside.
- For the salad, heat a grill to medium high heat. Brush the bread with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss the shrimp with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the bread about 1 to 2 minutes per side or until nicely charred. Grill the shrimp about 2 minutes per side or until just cooked through. Remove the bread and shrimp for the grill and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and avocados. Cut the grilled bread into about 1-inch squares and add to the bowl along with the shrimp.
- Pour about a ½ cup of the dressing over the salad. Toss the salad to coat with the dressing. Taste the salad to see if more dressing is needed. Sprinkle with extra Parmesan cheese and serve.
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