Watermelon, Feta and Grilled Shrimp Salad

Watermelon Feta and Grilled Shrimp Salad

This salad is by far one of my favorite summer dinnertime passions. I love seafood. It is one food Florida offered plenty of while the valley of California does not. There was a seafood restaurant I frequented that I really liked, the food there was great. While I lived in Texas a friend of mine would drive to the coast about an hour away to bring back fresh shrimp. The night before my departure we enjoyed a shrimp feast of grilled jumbo shrimp and boiled shrimp on ice. These days I like to keep some in the freezer for special occasions.

I used frozen cooked shrimp thawed in cold water. I added the oil, salt and pepper to the drained srimp then let sit for about five minutes. Since it was already cooked I added the shrimp to a hot skillet for 1-2 seconds tossing to heat through. Cooking the shrimp any longer would have resulted in tough dry shrimp.

I also omitted a few ingredients from the dressing. I loved the lime juice and honey by itself. It tasted sweet and tangy without the weight of the oil.

Source: Adapted from Health.com
Serves 4
1 pound shrimp, peeled and devined (21-25 shrimp)
1 tbsp plus 2 tsp olive oil, divided
1/4 tsp Kosher salt, divided
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp honey
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
4 cups mixed salad greens
8 seedless watermelon wedges
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese

Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high.

Toss shrimp with 2 teaspoons olive oil. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Lightly spray grill or grill pan with olive oil spray, and cook shrimp about 2 minutes per side or until just cooked through. Transfer shrimp to a plate to cool.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together lime juice and honey (see variations for alternate dressing).

To serve, place 1 cup greens on each of 4 plates and top with 2 melon wedges, onion slices, feta, about 6 shrimp each and a drizzle of dressing. Serve immediately.

Variation:
The dressing originally included a 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper to taste and 1 tablespoon olive oil.