I’m a big fan of the 4th of July.  It’s a holiday with few expectations: good food, great company, and of course, fireworks.  The 4th of July might very well be the only day when I prefer to eat a polish dog over a filet mignon, and a handful of potato chips over a homemade gratin. 

To recover from a not-so-healthy weekend of eating, I was determined to find the perfect 4th of July “detox” recipe.  Last night, I wanted to cook a dinner that was light, citrusy, but still filling.  I had just picked up a bag of avocados from Trader Joe’s a few days ago.  I also had a large grapefruit lying around, and recalled seeing a salad recipe that included both of these ingredients.  I hit up the Google recipe gods, and found that searching for “avocado and grapefruit” was the first step to a very delicious dinner salad.

The recipe below is a quick and simple  Shrimp & Avocado Citrus Salad that you can serve either as a starter or a full dinner salad.  I opted to poach my shrimp versus sauteeing it, just to try something different.  The poaching liquid is boiled with lemon, pepper, and bay leaf; the combination gives the shrimp a fragrantful and soft flavor.  Also, sectioning the grapefruit can seem like a tedious task at first, but the key is to make sure you cut all the way around the inside of the membrane before trying to pop out the section.  Don’t worry if they aren’t in picture perfect whole sections - just try to salvage as many large pieces as you can. 

And I can’t forget to mention that this salad is simply wonderful to present.  The light green avocado slices beautifully complement the bright pink grapefruit sections.  With a great combination of texture, color, and flavor, this salad was my perfect recovery from a weekend of hot dogs and star-spangled cupcakes.

Shrimp Salad with Avocado & Grapefruit

Serves 4

1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lemon, juiced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 avocados, cut into 1/4-inch slices (lengthwise)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lime, juiced
1 shallot, thinly sliced 
1 large grapefruit
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 head of Boston lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
 

Poaching the Shrimp
1. Pour 3 cups water into a medium saucepan. Add juice of 1 lemon, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Bring water to a boil, and let boil for 3 minutes.

2. Remove saucepan from heat, then add the shrimp. Cover and let stand for 6-8 minutes, or until shrimp are opaque.

3. Transfer the shrimp to a colander, and drain the liquid. Discard the lemon, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Quickly bring the shirimp into a large bowl of ice water for 3 minutes (this stops the cooking). Drain and refrigerate until needed.

Preparing the Vinaigrette
1. In a large bowl, combine olive oil, lime juice, shallot, cilantro, salt, and pepper.

2. Section the grapefruit by cutting it in half (crosswise), and use a sharp paring knife to cut around the interior of the membranes. After you cut around each section, use the knife to pop out the section of the grapefruit. Add grapefruit sections to the large bowl, as well as any juice from the membranes prior to discarding them.

3. Carefully fold in the avocado slices, until well-coated with the vinaigrette.

Putting it Together
(You can serve this on individual plates or one large platter)

1. Arrange the lettuce leaves on the plate. Add the grapefruit and avocado sections from the vinagrette to the lettuce (use a slotted spoon if that helps)

2. Add the poached shrimp to the vinaigrette and toss to coat. Arrange the shrimp on the salad, and drizzle the vinaigrette on top.