Summer Salad with Grilled Shrimp

If you’re looking for a recipe that’s easy enough for a weeknight but impressive enough to serve to guests, this summer salad has you covered. It’s loaded with bright flavors of tart raspberries, creamy avocados, salty cheese, and lemony grilled shrimp that are especially welcome after this year’s long, cold winter. The shrimp are ridiculously easy to make, thanks to Marzetti® Simply Dressed® Lemon Vinaigrette. The dressing is delightfully tart and has the perfect texture to work as a marinade. It only takes about a half hour for the shrimp to become infused with bright lemony flavor. I added some za’atar – one of my favorite seasoning blends – for a little bit of Middle Eastern flair. I love the idea of serving this salad as the centerpiece of a backyard barbecue – maybe for Memorial Day or the Fourth of July. Either grill the shrimp beforehand and serve them chilled, or keep them in the marinade and grill them just before you’re ready to eat. For an impressive presentation, use large shrimp (the ones pictured here are U15 count, meaning there are about 15 of them in a pound). Smaller shrimp are also perfectly acceptable; you’ll just have to adjust the grilling time so they don’t overcook.

Summer Salad with Grilled Shrimp

Yield: 4-6

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 pound medium to large shrimp, cleaned
• 1 1/2 cups Marzetti Simply Dressed Lemon Vinaigrette (divided)
• 1 tablespoon za'atar seasoning
• 1 head romaine, chopped
• 2 avocados, diced
• 1 pint raspberries
• 2 ounces ricotta salata, crumbled

Instructions

1. Add the shrimp and 1 cup of dressing to a large dish. Add the za'atar and stir well so the shrimp are evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes. Meanwhile, soak some wooden skewers in water.
2. Heat grill to 500ºF. Thread the shrimp onto the skewers. And grill until done - the amount of time needed will depend on the size of your shrimp. Mine were large and took 7-8 minutes per side.
3. Toss the chopped romaine, avocado, raspberries and ricotta salata with the remaining dressing. Top the salad with grilled shrimp.