Fast & Easy Dinner: Seared Shrimp With Cucumber Salad

August 7, 2008

Just because it's a weeknight doesn't mean you can't experiment with new flavors and ingredients. If you've never had hearts of palm, consider making this recipe tonight. With a smooth, firm texture and artichoke-like flavor, hearts of palm look like white asparagus but with no tips. While it's difficult to find hearts of palm fresh, the canned variation is readily available and simple to use.

In this delicious dish, the palm hearts are mixed with cooling cucumber. The salad is a base for spicy seared shrimp. To look at the recipe, read more.

From Everyday Food magazine

Seared Shrimp with Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

1/2 cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and thinly sliced
1/2 small red onion, minced
1 jalapeno chile pepper, ribs and seeds removed, minced
1 can (15 ounces) hearts of palm, drained and thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails removed)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
4 teaspoons olive oil

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, toss together cucumber, onion, jalapeno, hearts of palm, orange juice, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
Dust shrimp with cumin, coriander, and oregano; season with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over high heat.
Add half the shrimp; cook until browned on both sides and opaque in the center, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate; repeat with remaining 2 teaspoons oil and shrimp.
To serve, spoon shrimp over cucumber salad.

Serves 4.