Salad and I have a rocky relationship.
I’m sure you assumed as much, but these days we’ve been disagreeing more than usual.
I don’t think anything can be done to save the relationship either.
But when I make salads like these, they offer a bit of therapy.
It may be a favorite out of all the salads I’ve made.
It’s no secret that my piles of lettuce aren’t exactly veggie-filled.
In my opinion, that’s what makes them better.
Duh.
And you know I can’t have a salad without cheese and bacon.
As well as the token fruit – which in this case was mango and quite possibly the most delicious mango I’ve ever had.
I think I’ve said that before. But only once. This was only my second “perfect” mango.
I wish you could have seen how I attacked it.
I also threw on one of the heirloom tomatoes I bought on Saturday.
It was beautiful and juicy and seedy and vegetabley. If you catch my drift.
Eh, so I may have picked around the one vegetable on the plate. Sue me.
I needed more crunch than just the bacon alone, so I added some toasted tortilla strips. Coupled with the avocado, it was creamy and crispy. And shrimpy.
Grilled Shrimp Salad
serves 1
2 cups lettuce of choice
4 ounces raw peeled and deveined shrimp (or cooked)
1 small tomato, chopped
1/4 avocado, chopped
1/4 mango, chopped
2 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
1 ounce feta cheese
1/2 corn tortilla, cut into strips and toasted
Cut tortillas into strips and set oven to broil. Lay strips on a baking sheet and set under broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown. Set aside.
Preheat grill. Season shrimp with salt and pepper, or marinade of choice. Grill shrimp until colors changes to light orange, about 1-2 minutes per side.
Combine all ingredients together and top with dressing of choice.
Why must salads always taste better when someone else makes them?
I need my own personal salad chef. And if they want to make me dessert too, I won’t complain.
I’m Jessica and this is where I share my stuff. You will find a balance of healthy recipes, comfort food and indulgent desserts.
YUM! Your photos are amazing! I’m allergic to shrimp, so I plan to make this with chicken. Thanks, Jessica! :-)
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I actually have all those ingredients in my house right now except the feta cheese. Looks like I might be having this as a meal today. :) Thanks!
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So colorful! The mango makes it extra pretty too.
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Boo, this is all a tease to me – I can’t eat shrimp – I’m allergic! But I’m glad you are getting some veggies in. ;)
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i like the idea of mango on the salad! nice combination of colors, too:-)
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This looks like a fabulous sweet n’ savory combination! Love it.
xo
Kris
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I rarely make salads for that exact reason. They never taste good when I do it. Even if its all the same stuff. I love getting them out though. Or at salad bars.
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Salads are the best when they are loaded with other good stuff! This one looks so good! I love making salads, but I have definitely gotten into a groove with them. From the looks of it…you aren’t doing so badly yourself! Have a great day Jessica!
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Looks delicious, love summer salads! Quick and light, thanks for sharing! Have a great day! :)
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ohh yumyumyum!! shrimp salads are one my my favorite things ever…I love that most restaurants have them too :) with the mango and avocado, this looks like the perfect thing for summer’s last hurrah!!
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grilled shrimp are so great, they do make an excellent salad topper!
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Salads ALWAYS taste better when someone else makes them, which is why I never do! I like vegetables, but entree salads don’t pack enough of that comfort-food-punch that I adore so much!
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This looks awesome! I love your loaded salads – so much yumminess in there! And mango and shrimp is one of my favorite combos – well, that and shrimp and bacon. And to put the two together… swooning!
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What an awesome salad! Great idea to put crispy tortillas on top!
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Your tomato looks so deep and vibrant!! Was it an heirloom?
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Jessica — August 26th, 2010 @ 5:47 am
Yes! I am loving the colors of them. That alone makes me want to eat them!
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What a good looking salad. Can salads be good looking? ha! I love that you added mango! Yum!
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Grilled shrimp, when well seasoned and fresh, can be the best thing in the world. Seafood is the sole reason I don’t go vegetarian. Oh, and bacon too. :D
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Looks delicious! So colorful and summery!
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I have to say that that is one beautiful salad (and I’m not even a huge salad fan)!
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mmm anything with shrimp, mango, and bacon sounds amazing to me! I might try this with chicken as well, thanks for another great recipe :)
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What a colorful salad!
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maybe you and salads just need a “break.” maybe you could see some bacon while you try to figure things out.
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This salad looks fab. Way better than the one I packed for my lunch.
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Hi Jessica,
Your’s is a wonderful salad and yes, they always taste better when someone else makes them! Go figure?
I love salads as a side dish and as a main course unfortunately, my family isn’t very fond of them. My husband’s picky food habits have rubbed off on the children however, I still try to serve a sald every week!
What happened to the notion of eating whatever mom served you at the dinner table and not complaining??
You have a lovely blog!
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Jessica — August 26th, 2010 @ 6:59 am
Thank you!
And seriously – my mom only made ONE dinner! If we didn’t eat it, we either not ate or could make something ourselves.
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Your pictures look so pretty! I think you are catching on to this dSLR thing pretty quick!
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Jessica — August 26th, 2010 @ 7:48 am
Ahhh thank you so much! :)
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i have had the worst craving for shrimp lately…fuel to the fire my dear! fuel to the fire…
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I have some shrimp, and a salad sounds delicious — the mango and avocado sounds so good mixed in with this! Thanks!
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I love shrimp salads! They are my staple salad in the summer. Sometimes to add crunch I crumble chips on top. Oddly delicious and very not-salady.
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Jessica — August 26th, 2010 @ 8:03 am
That sounds dreamy.
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That salad sounds fabulous! I love doing something similar with butter lettuce, grilled shrimp, mango, avocado, cilantro, and rice noodles. It’s like a brown down Summer Roll.
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Agreed – meat and cheese…&bacon&nuts&creamydressing…are a MUST on salads.
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The ever elusive perfect mango. Swoon.
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holy crap that looks good. I love avocado, bacon and tortilla strips in salad. With salads, I always say the crunchier the better!
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Do you cringe when you get to the green stuff? ;)
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you are SO right… salads especially taste better when someone else makes them…
I will come make you wonderful salads You Will Love, and you can make that peanut butter banana bread. and pizza dip.
okay? okay. deal.
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Wow.. that is one of the prettiest salads I think I have ever seen!!! YUMMY!
ps. thanks for the add on twitter!!
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That salad is so colorful! I love it!!
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Yum, shrimp! This salad looks fab!
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You should have called it shrimp salad with bacon, but I guess if it’s coming from you I might as well assume there is bacon in it.
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omg this looks sooo good, and i am soooo highly (deathly!) allergic to shrimp. came out of no where when i was 23 after a lifetime of eating them. sigh. I was a vegetarian w/ the occasional fish…and yeah, not anymore!
Got your email, totally loved it and will reply but am slammed for time and need to get outta the house :)
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Fruit on a salad is a sure way to get me to at least attempt to like a pile of veggies. Mango on a salad is new for me though, I think I’ve got to give it a try!
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Whoa, this looks…what’s the word I want to use today? Umm…SCRUMPTIOUS! So good. Love the combo!
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shrimp has got to be one of my favorite protein sources. YUM!
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I juice up my salads, too. No shame in that.
What kind of dressing did you use? I always struggle to find new dressings for salads that I put fruit in.
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I want a personal salad chef too! :D
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That salad looks delish as I’m craving a really good bowl of greens right about now, but that’s not my reason for posting. I thought I’d share a recipe I found that involves two of your favorite ingredients: chocolate and bacon! Dark chocolate bacon cupcakes!!
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Dark-Chocolate-Bacon-Cupcakes/Detail.aspx
=)
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Mangoes are so frustrating because so few are actually perfect, and once you have a perfect one all the un-perfects don’t taste as good.
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Okay, this salad looks so inviting. I love all the colors, flavors and textures you’ve got going on. I’m not sure if I’ve had the perfect mango yet.
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This looks delicious! I never make a salad without cheese – why bother? I forgot to add cheese to the salad I brought for lunch today and I’m still heartbroken about it. I mean, there’s ricotta in the dressing, but that’s not the same.
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I can be your personal salad chef, but if I make them they may have too many veggies in them. Don’t worry I won’t deny you your bacon though! :)
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I LOVE all of the different colors, textures, and flavors. This is MY kind of salad!
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