Italian Shrimp & Fennel Salad
Submitted by ladybuck
Italian shrimp and fennel salad sears sweet shrimp with charred fennel, red bell pepper, capers, and lemon. A bright Mediterranean salad served warm or chilled.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
30 minREADY
45 minThis is the kind of light Italian salad that works equally well as an antipasto, lunch, or chilled summer main. Thinly sliced fennel and red bell pepper get a hard sear on high heat with red pepper flakes until the edges char and the fennel’s anise sweetness deepens.
Then the shrimp hit the same hot pan for just two or three minutes, with garlic and lemon juice added at the very end so they perfume the seafood without burning. Capers and scallions stirred in at the finish bring brine and a fresh allium snap to balance the rich shrimp.
Chef Tips
- Slice the fennel bulb thinly across the grain so it picks up char in the pan rather than steaming. Save the fronds to scatter over the finished salad for color and aroma.
- Don’t overcook the shrimp. They go from juicy to rubbery in about 30 seconds at high heat. Pull them off the heat the moment they curl into a loose C and turn pink.
- Add the lemon juice and garlic in the last 10 seconds of cooking. Adding them early lets the lemon evaporate and the garlic burn bitter.
- Adjust the salt and lemon at serving time, especially if it’s been chilled. Cold mutes flavors and the salad almost always needs a bright top-up before plating.
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
Heat 1 Tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over high heat.
Add bell pepper, fennel, half of the crushed pepper flakes and salt to taste.
Cook, stirring often, until vegetables begin to brown at the edges, 6 or 7 minutes.
Transfer to a mixing bowl and add half of the lemon juice.
Add 1 Tablespoon oil to pan.
When hot, add shrimp, remaining pepper flakes and salt to taste.
Cook stirring, until shrimp are pin, 2 to 3 minutes, adding remaining lemon juice and garli just before it is taken off the heat.
Add to vegetables Add remaining ingredients, including the remaining ½ Tablespoon oil, and mix well.
The salad can be served when it cools to room temperaturor chilled overnight.
Adjust the seasoning at serving time.
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