A Cold Shrimp Salad on a 100 Degree Day

Can it possibly be any more uncomfortable outside? Now they have a severe thunderstorm warning for us until 8PM with hail predicted. I just hope our power stays on. We never did get our new generator filled and tested out.

The only good thing about being a captive in your home is you get to take care of all those tasks you don't want to do if it's 80 and beautiful outside.

Living by one of the largest lakes in NJ, the soil is extremely rocky so no one has pools around here. Matter of fact, in the summer, we are the only ones within 4 blocks that eat outside every night. Every one stays locked in their house, even on a very nice day.

When summer comes I crave a traditional shrimp cocktail. There is something about those icy, cold, large, crunchy shrimp and the spicy cocktail sauce that beckons me in the hot weather. Last year I made Thomas Keller's Seafood Mustard Sauce out of his Bouchon cookbook and was pretty disappointed. I assumed it would taste like the mustard sauce you get with Joe's Stone Crabs. Now that's a sauce would be good with cold shrimp also.

I imagine you could either halve the shrimp and add crab or substitute all crab for the shrimp, but I think the shrimp is essential. You want that snap that a cold shrimp gives when you bite into it.

Thinking back, I don't think I have never prepared a cold shrimp salad let alone ate one (even at a buffet) because I am not a big fan of mayonnaise on shrimp. Just too much for delicate shrimp. I liked the fact that they lightened up the mayonnaise in this recipe with buttermilk.

This month's Cooking Light magazine is filled with many tempting recipes and you will find many on this month's menu. Tonight being no exception with a cold pasta shrimp salad with peas, radishes and a buttermilk herb dressing.

Orecchiette with Peas, Shrimp, and Buttermilk-Herb Dressing
4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)
Adapted from cookinglight.com

* 8 ounces uncooked orecchiette pasta
* 1 cup shelled green peas (about 1 pound unshelled green peas) or frozen green peas
* 1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and sliced horizontally
* 1 cup thinly sliced radishes, halved if large
* 1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
* 1/4 cup fat-free buttermilk
* 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
* 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 6 each yellow and red grape tomatoes or 12 of one color, sliced in half
* 1 tablespoon minced parsley, for garnish

Preparation
* 1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add peas and shrimp during last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain.
* 2. Combine pasta mixture and radishes in a large bowl. Combine mayonnaise and remaining ingredients in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Pour over pasta mixture, tossing to coat. Cover and let stand 20 minutes. Serve at room temperature, or cover and chill until ready to serve.

Nutritional Information
* Amount per serving
* Calories: 340
* Fat: 3.4g
* Saturated fat: 0.4g
* Monounsaturated fat: 0.3g
* Polyunsaturated fat: 1.5g
* Protein: 22.2g
* Carbohydrate: 54.7g
* Fiber: 4.7g
* Cholesterol: 86mg
* Iron: 4.1mg
* Sodium: 585mg
* Calcium: 84mg

I roasted a few beets the other day and I have been adding them to salads all week. I love roasted beets, canned beets, jarred beets and pickled beets.
Tonight I made a sliced beet, blue cheese and sunflower seed salad to eat along with the shrimp salad. The blue cheese goes well with the lightly sweet beets.