Well it’s Memorial Day weekend, which means friends, pool parties and BBQs, right? Wrong! Happy quarantined Memorial Day, friends. Don’t leave your house, but do celebrate.
True to form, I will be celebrating in my kitchen with this spicy little number. The idea for the dish was sparked by this fajita recipe, and it is a doozy.
Because the recipe is a little involved, it’s perfect to prepare over a long weekend. I like to marinate the shrimp and make the salsa verde a day before to give the flavors a chance to develop.
Take your time, enjoy and reap the serious rewards.
Fajita Salad with Spicy Salsa Verde and Chipotle Lime Marinated Shrimp
Spicy and flavor-packed chipotle lime salad
Servings: 8
Calories: 550kcal
Equipment
- Food processor or immersion blender
Ingredients
Salsa Verde Ingredients
- 1 lb. tomatillos, husked and rinsed
- 3 jalapeños, (seeded, if you would like a milder salsa)
- ¼ cup yellow onion, soaked for 5 minutes in cold water, drained and rinsed
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and halved
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 tsp or more salt to taste
Marinated Shrimp Ingredients
- 1 lime, juiced and zested
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 3 tbsp adobo sauce from canned chipotles in adobo
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 5 large garlic cloves, minced
- 8 servings large raw shrimp (around 32 oz), shelled and deveined
Salad Base Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced across the grain
- 2 red bell peppers, seeded and sliced ¼-inch thick
- 2 jalapeños, (seeded, if you would like a milder salad)
- 2 large squash, halved lengthwise and sliced widthwise, abot ¼" thick
- 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 6 servings butter lettuce mix
Instructions
Salsa Verde Instructions*
- Heat broiler, positioning the rack at the top level under the heat. Cover a baking sheet with foil and place tomatillos on top, stem side down. Broil 3 to 5 minutes, until charred on one side. Turn tomatillos over and broil 3 to 5 minutes longer, until charred. Transfer tomatillos to a food processor, funneling in any juice that may have accumulated on the foil.
- Add jalapeños, onions, garlic, cilantro and ¼ cup water to food processor and blend to a coarse purée. Taste and adjust salt. Refrigerate.
Marinated Shrimp Instructions*
- In a small bowl, combine lime zest and juice, salt, cumin, adobo sauce, 1 tbsp olive oil and 3 garlic. Reserve 2 tablespoons marinade. This will be used to deglaze your pan when you cook the veggies for the salad base.
- Place shrimp in a large ziplock bag. Pour in marinade and seal the bag. Move shrimp around to coat well, place bag in a bowl and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes. Flip bag over periodically to redistribute marinade.
Salad Base Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add onions and cook, stirring often, until they soften and start to turn translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add the bell peppers and jalapeños and cook, stirring often, until peppers begin to soften, 3-4 additional minutes.
- Stir in squash and corn, and turn heat to medium. Add 2 remaining garlic cloves and salt to taste. Cook, stirring periodically, until the squash is tender and peppers are softened and beginning to caramelize, 8-10 minutes.
- Pour in reserved 2 tablespoons marinade and scrape bottom of pan with wooden spoon to deglaze the pan. Stir in the cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat but keep warm.
- Separate the shrimp from the marinade and set maranade aside.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet. Once very hot, add shrimp and let sear. Do not stir the shirmp or they won't sear; when the shrimp begins to turn pink, after about 1 minute, add the reserved marinade. Stir to combine and cook until shrimp is finished, about 3-4 minutes. Using tongs, transfer shrimp from pan to plate. Reserve shrimp marinade again.
- To build the salad bowl, use lettuce as a base. Layer with a serving of each: vegetables, shrimp, shrimp marinade, salsa verde. Sprinkle with more cilantro if desired and serve immediately.
Notes
*I make the salsa verde and the chipotle-lime marinaded shrimp a day before to give the flavors a chance to develop. If you’re in a time crunch, give them each at least 30 minutes to marinate.
Mention @the.neon.kitchen or tag #theneonkitchen!
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