I don’t know why, but all I’m eating these days is salad. Is it the onset of spring? The ease of preparation? Is there something in the greenery my body is craving? I honesty can’t explain it, especially because I make a salad at the salad bar for lunch every single day at work. But the salads I make at home are infinitely better.
This week’s inspiration was deliciously ripe mangoes at my local overpriced gourmet grocery. Those sneaky bastards strategically placed a little plate with cubes of yellow mango right in my line of sight, and when I took the bait and tried a bite, I was done for. For serious, these mangoes were perfect. So, of course I had to buy one. The baby mâche looked nice this week, as did those cute little Kirby cucumbers. And the radicchio. (Note to self: I really need to stop shopping hungry.)
Fast forward to dinnertime. I decided that it might be nice to prepare a salad with an Asian twist. But this salad was harder to perfect than I originally anticipated. It took two tries to get it right.
Take one: I prepared my greens (mâche, radicchio and pea shoots), diced my mango, and sliced up some other veggies (this time, cucumber, radish and sugar snap peas), then boiled some frozen edamame and shrimp for protein. I made a very simple dressing with seasoned rice vinegar, sesame oil, sriracha and a bit of soy sauce. Toss and serve. And to be frank? While filling and perfectly acceptable, this salad was totally meh. It didn’t have much punch or character and maybe was a little too sweet. The salad needed more contrast, more sharp flavors to counteract the sweetness of the mango and the mâche.
Take two: This time, I marinated the shrimp in a mixture of soy sauce, sriracha and seasoned rice vinegar, with just a bit of garlic powder for about 15 minutes and then sauteed them in a hot non-stick pan until just browned on both sides, about 5-7 minutes. I also revised the dressing, using only a tiny bit of sesame oil for flavor and substituting toasted walnut oil. I also added a healthy spoonful of whole grain mustard. The other ingredients were the same.
And my, what a difference. The shrimp took center stage in this version of the salad. They were salty, spicy and crisp on the outside, providing necessary balance for the soft, sweet mango. Adding the mustard to the dressing gave it some bite, which played against the mild greens and the sweetness of the mango, cucumbers and sugar snap peas. The salad went from bland to flavorful and invigorating with only a couple of changes. I think it would be even better with some more bitter greens to the added to mix, like escarole or frisee. Yum!
Clacked by Molly B.
on May 12, 2009 @ 10:00 EST5EDT
