SUMMER SEAFOOD & FRUIT SALAD RECIPE

If you read my blog on the regular basis and follow my instagram, I am pretty sure by now, you all know what a huge foodie I am. LA has more than a few great restaurants and Emil and I definitely take full advantage of this, sometimes maybe a little too much :) But the truth is, as much as I love going out to eat, I enjoy staying in and cooking something fun just as well. Since my schedule gets pretty crazy, I love it when I can carve out some time just to have a quiet evening all to myself, catch up on my reading, watch something mindlessly fluffy on TV, have a glass of wine and do a little cooking. I call these evenings my "mini celebrations", sort of like a gift to myself I suppose:)

This particular seafood salad, which happens to be one of my favorites, is absolutely delicious and super easy to make. I like to pair it with Sofia Monterey County Riesling because it really brings out the flavor of this wine, especially the delicate notes of pears, apricots, white peaches, green apples and pineapple. So, I hope you enjoy this recipe and please let me know if you have any questions!

INGREDIENTS: 

4 cups of baby arugula leaves

1 pineapple

2 mangoes

1/2 Lb of fresh strawberries

1 red bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

1 fresh lime

1/2 Lb large shrimps 

2 table spoons of snipped fresh mint leaves + 3 or 4 leaves for garnish

4 table spoons of extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup of pecan halves

3 tablespoons of sesame seeds

coarse salt & black pepper to taste

PREPARATION:

Start by dicing pineapple, 1 mango and bell peppers into bite-size pieces and chopping strawberries in halves. Once you are done, combine diced pineapples, mango, bell peppers, strawberries, pecan halves and baby arugula leaves in a large bowl. Salt to taste. 

For the dressing, combine 1 diced mango, 2 table spoons of sesame seeds, 4 table spoons of extra virgin olive oil and 2 table spoons of mint leaves in a blender or food processor and blend until the mixture is completely smooth. 

Season shrimp with salt and black pepper to taste, grill for about 3 minutes, and immediately toss into the salad. Next, arrange the salad on a plate, drizzle with dressing and garnish with remaining sesame seeds and mint leaves. And voila, you are all done!

Calphalon immersion hand blender | Schmidt Brothers Cutlery bonded teak series knife, sold as a 7-piece set | Pier One Imports Antique Scroll dinner plate & San Marino oil bottle | Francis Ford Coppola Sofia Monterey County Riesling   

Thank you for reading
& Bon Appetit,
LOVE,
Annabelle