Bay Shrimp Salad

It’s “Fresh Oregon Shrimp Season”, which started in April and continues through to October.

These baby shrimp are tender and sweet with a light saltines.  They taste so fresh and clean that I find myself picking and eating them right out of the container when I bring them home, which means I need to order at least a quarter pound extra so I will have enough to share.

In my opinion, shrimp season is no different than the start to any other season.  It begins with the anticipation and transforms into excitement with each new experience.  Yeah, I know it’s only shrimp and bay shrimp to boot (not even prawns), but I must admit that I look forward to shrimp season every year, and as I stated earlier, the start of the season is always the best, at least for me.

I have been eating my way through the season with delectable shrimp experiences like pesto shrimp scrambles, as well as the infamous shrimp cocktail, did anyone say ceviche?

Today I felt like a simple shrimp salad that could be served on top of a bed of greens, stuffed into an avocado, spread on toast or as I did… eat it no frills style, straight out of the mixing bowl, which makes me think about what am I going to do with the bed of greens, avocado and toast points?

This basic recipe has a light and well balanced flavor that is versatile and can be used to make any combination of seafood salad.  By simply adding cucumber or green beans or shredded cabbage for a shrimp slaw or even a seafood pasta salad.  It’s also a nice match with grilled or poached salmon.

BAY SHRIMP SALAD

1          pound  bay shrimp

½         cup      celery, minced

1          tsp.      onion, minced or 1 stalk of green onion, minced

DRESSING

½         cup      mayonnaise

½         tsp.      Dijon mustard

1          tsp.      white wine vinegar

½         tsp.      fresh lemon juice

¼          tsp.      dried dill

¼          tsp.      black pepper

¼          tsp.      kosher salt

Whisk dressing ingredients together to blend.  Add celery and shrimp.