Shrimp and White Bean Salad with Harissa Dressing

Photo Courtesy of Dave McCoy

I am going to keep this short and sweet tonight. I was on the search for a light meal that required little preparation time when I came across this recipe for Shrimp and White Bean Salad with Harissa Dressing. At first glance, the recipe appears to be best suited for a summer meal but upon further thought, I realized that it is perfect for winter. The beans provide bulk to help the salad stick to your ribs and the Harissa provides heat. These are both elements that I look for in a winter meal. For those of you that are not familiar with Harissa, it is a North African chile and spice paste. I frequently witness the use of Harissa on cooking shows and I have always wanted to try it. This made my decision to move forward with the following recipe quite easy.

Ingredients:

3 cups arugula

2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 celery stalk, sliced thinly diagonally

1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

1 lb large peeled cooked shrimp (26 to 30 per lb)

3 to 4 Tbsp Harissa

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Place arugula, beans, celery, parsley and shrimp in large bowl. Mix remaining ingredients in small bowl and serve on side to add to salad. Serves 4 to 6.

As you can see, my goal to find a recipe with little prep time was achieved. The salad took about 15 minutes to prepare and every step was enjoyable. I loved the flavor of Harissa and the heat it brought to the salad. The McCoys were over for dinner tonight and they both really liked it as well. We all used the Harissa mixture not only as a dressing for the salad, but as a dip for our Ciabatta bread. I have never tasted a similar chile paste but I can give you an idea of the flavor by providing the ingredients. The Harissa that I purchased is handmade in Tunisia by a company called Les Moulins Mahjoub and is made of sundried piments, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, sundried tomatoes, salt, coriander and caraway seeds. It is organic and a bit pricey but worth every penny. I highly recommend running out to buy a jar for your pantry because I can envision using the paste for pastas, sandwiches and rice dishes.

As a side note, parsley and arugula go beautifully together. It is a combination that I never would have dreamed up but I will definitely use these two ingredient together in the future.

Recipe Source:

Sunset Magazine, December 2011

Page 104