Salad Days – Shrimp Rice Salad 4 Ways

Don’t you just love things you can make ahead of time and with only a couple of slight ingredient variations have 4 very different tasty meals?   This is a wonderfully simple salad that you can make in minutes or make ahead and keep for up to 24 hours and serve when you’re ready.  The ingredients for the basic salad are shrimp, rice, celery and onion, mayonnaise and dijon mustard.  The variations are these:

Curry Powder

                                       Sesame Oil                                                                         Tamari Soy Sauce

Tabasco Chipotle Sauce

Basic (and delicious) Shrimp Rice Salad

Variation #1

1 lb. wild caught shrimp*, shelled and deveined
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup chopped celery (including leaves)
1/2 red onion chopped
juice of 1 lemon or lime
1/2 cup mayo (preferably Best Foods/Hellmans)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh or dried dill weed
olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 avocados

Drizzle shrimp with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.  Spread in a single layer on a sheet pan.  Roast for 8-10 minutes in a 400 degree oven.  Cool and then add in rice, celery and onion.  In a bowl combine mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper.  Pour mayo mixture over shrimp and rice and mix well.  If the salad seems too dry, add a bit more mayo and  more lemon juice.  Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate overnight if making ahead.  If you allow salad to sit overnight the rice may absorb the dressing so you may want to add a bit more mayo and lemon juice.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Cut avocados in half, seed and peel.  Place 2 halves on each plate.  Serve salad in avocado halves.

Variation #2 – Curry Powder

Follow the basic recipe but omit mustard and dill and add 1 Tablespoon of curry powder to mayonnaise mixture.  Mix well with shrimp and rice.  Taste and adjust seasoning adding more curry powder if you like a stronger curry taste.

Variation # 3 – Sesame Oil and And Tamari Soy Sauce

Follow the basic recipe but omit mustard and dill and add 1 teaspoon of salt and add 1 Tablespoon sesame oil to shrimp when you roast it.  Also add 1 Tablespoon sesame oil and 2 Tablespoons Tamari soy sauce to mayonnaise mixture.  Mix well with shrimp and rice.  Taste and adjust seasoning

Variation  #4 – Tabasco Chipotle Sauce

Follow the basic recipe but omit mustard and dill and add 1 Tablespoon of chipotle sauce to mayonnaise mixture.  Mix well with shrimp and rice. Taste and add more chipotle sauce as needed.

And there you have it…one basic recipe that you can make and enjoy 4 ways.  More love, more joy, and lots more abundant living 🙂