Citrus Shrimp Salad
A few weekends ago we ended up in Polignano a Mare, a gorgeous little beach town on the Adriatic coast, a few kilometers south of Bari. I’d heard mention of this little paradise, but we had never been to visit. We arrived just in time for lunch and sought out a restaurant that looked as though it catered to locals and less to tourists, which the town was teaming with. 
I ordered grilled shrimp with citrus, which sent me to heaven and back. It was so delicious, sweet and syrupy that I ended up having to share half of it with my daughter, who went just as crazy for it as I did. I would love to find that recipe, see what their trick was and create my own version of it.
I went to to a pot-luck lunch the other day and decided to see what I could find that may come close, thinking that a shrimpy salad would be nice and those citrus flavors perfect for the warmer days that have finally begun.
Citrus Shrimp Salad
- 1 lb (500 gr) shrimp
- 1/2 lb (200 gr) mache, or any tender salad green
- 1 small purple onion
- 1 small leek (I used a shallot)
- 1 orange
- 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 6 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Wash and peel the shrimp, the Italian recipe only calls for washing them, but one thing I don’t enjoy is peeling my shrimp while eating them, unless sitting in a bathing suit with a newspaper tablecloth and peeling them with my hands.
Clean the orange and remove the zest with a potato peeler and then slice the zest into slivers. Juice the orange and the lemon and filter, set aside.
Clean the leek and slice the white part of it very thinly. Heat 2 tsp of the oil in a sautepan over medium heat and saute for about 1 minute. Add the shrimp and cook over high heat for about 2 minutes, until they start to become opaque. Wet with the wine and the filtered juice. Add salt to taste and lower the flame. Cover and let cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
Peel the onion and thinly slice it. Most mache can be found clean in bags, it is the only way I have ever found it on both sides of the Atlantic, but do clean it if you can find it fresh. Place these two ingredients together in a bowl with the orange zest and dress it with the 4 remaining teaspoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Transfer the salad into individual bowls.
Distribute the shrimp between the bowls with the salad, adding a twist of pepper when serving.
One Year Ago: Strawberry, Mulberry and Cherry Tatin & Linguine alla Beccafico e Albicocche
Two Years Ago: Farfalle with Yellow Zucchini and Tuna & Fried Flounder with Zucchini Straws over Grits
Three Years Ago: Summer Squash and Potato Torte
Four Years Ago: Okra Sautéed with Tomatoes and Garlic alla Napoletana, Carbonara with a Twist & Peach and Blueberry Cobbler
Italicious 
I’ve always heard it called songino or valeriana, but not gallinella, interesting. Small plant with so many names!!
Looks very nice. We have what you’re calling mache here on the market in Rome and they call it gallinella, among other things, but in the UK and NZ it’s called lamb’s lettuce (Valerianella locusta).
It is a tender salad green, I was only able to find it at Trader Joe’s when we were in the States, I think that any tender salad green would work well as a substitute.
will definitely try this, but what is “mache” please? must be another name for this in usa… will make this on sat. glad for a new shrimp recipe. kathy (anna’s mom)