Green Goddess Shrimp Salad

A salad for summer

Do you want more easy weeknight dinners along with inspiration for dinner parties? My cookbook Nights and Weekends is now available for pre-order!

Upstate New York has seen some form of precipitation every weekend since November 18th. If that sounds excessive to you, it is. The doldrums of winter gave way to the dreariest spring on record and I’ve been feeling like I’m barely treading water. Too soon for a rain joke?

There’s still a handful of flats of annuals waiting to be tucked in—I’ve had to replant my cucumbers three times so far—we’ve got our last batch of 300 chickens on pasture for the season, and we’ve been left to do the afternoon horse chores while looking for a new employee. Note to self: be more discerning when hiring a 14 year old. The book I’m ghostwriting is due in a few weeks and I (along with two friends) are doing the flowers for one of my best friend’s wedding this week (this I’m very excited about). Oh, and my book Nights and Weekends comes out in just under two months and I seem to have blacked out from my first time around that the promotion of a book is like having another job. Any semblance of balance has gone out the window and I’m counting down the days to a long weekend in Maine.

If you’re feeling similarly to me, you too are probably trying to do the least when it comes to being in the kitchen right now.

When it’s too hot—and I’m too exhausted—I turn to one of my favorite categories of dishes: a dressed up salad. The effort required is low, but the reward is high. Here, little gems are layered with poached shrimp, fresh peas (although frozen works too if you want to cut down on time), canned beans, and sliced avocado. Pools of green goddess dressing are dolloped throughout to ensure every bite gets hit with that tangy, creamy, herbaceousness. If you’re really aiming to get dinner on the table faster, the dressing can be made up to three days in advance and kept in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. The same goes for the poached shrimp, although I’d wait on cooking the peas. Scroll down for the recipe—and consider becoming a subscriber to support my work (and sanity).

• I did a really fun podcast with

  Nicki Sizemore
  which just came out. You can watch/listen to the episode here.

• I chatted with

  Kate Snyder
  for Loeffler Randall all about cooking, hosting, and Nights and Weekends. My exceptionally talented friend Georgia Hilmer the photos—you’d never know it was 43 degrees and raining when the shoot happened.

• Incase you missed it, last week

  Rebecca Firkser
  shared a recipe from her upcoming book Galette! just in time for cherry season.

Serves 4

Ingredients

Green Goddess Dressing

• ¾ cup whole milk plain yogurt

• ½ cup roughly chopped basil leaves

• ¼ cup roughly chopped dill

• ¼ cup roughly chopped chives

• ¼ cup mayonnaise

• Zest and juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 anchovy filets, optional

• 1 garlic clove

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salad

• 2 cups fresh peas or frozen (and thawed) peas

• One pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

• 3 little gems, leaves separated

• 2 avocados, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Make the green goddess dressing: Add the yogurt, basil, dill, chives, mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, anchovies (if using), garlic, salt, and pepper to the bowl of a food processor and blend on high until smooth.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the peas and cook for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and add the shrimp and let stand in the water with the peas for 3 minutes. Drain the shrimp and peas through a colander and run under cold water. Shake the colander to remove any excess water.

3. Assemble the little gems on a platter and top with the poached shrimp, cooked peas, and avocado slices. Drizzle with the green goddess dressing and serve immediately.

Green Goddess Shrimp Salad

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