Recipe for Shrimp Salad with Green Goddess Dressing

By Patti Werry, Co-host of Dinner’s Gonna Be a Little Late Tonight – The Green Goddess Dressing origin story harks back to the early 1920s when a chef at San Francisco’s Palace Hotel created the dressing for an actor who was starring in the play “The Green Goddess.” I love this version of the recipe for Shrimp Salad with Green Goddess Dressing, but you’ll find many different iterations on restaurant menus and in cookbooks, so feel free to play around with your favorite ingredients.

Our recipe for Shrimp Salad with Green Goddess Dressing can be used on any type of lettuce or vegetable salad. It can also be used as a dip with crudités or even as a sauce for poached salmon (yum!).

Recipe for Shrimp Salad with Green Goddess Dressing

Serves 2

Ingredients

For the salad:

• One head butter lettuce
• One large avocado
• 1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese
• Lemon wedges, for garnish

For the shrimp:

• 1/2 pound (8 – 10) large shrimp (16 – 20 count per pound) peeled and deveined with tails on
• 1/2 cup white wine
• Half of one lemon
• 5 peppercorns
• 4-5 parsley stems
• 1 tablespoon salt

For the dressing:

Makes 1 3/4 cups (12 servings)

• 2 canned or jarred anchovies, drained and chopped (or 1 T capers)
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 1 cup parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh basil*
• 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves
• 1/4 cup snipped chives (or 4 scallions, trimmed and cut into pieces)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup sour cream (or yogurt, buttermilk)
• 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar (or white wine or sherry vinegar)
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

* This recipe works well with a variety of herbs such as cilantro, mint or dill.  If  you have a preference or something on hand, substitute your favorite instead of the basil!

Instructions

Poach the Shrimp

1. Bring about 1.5 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot or Dutch oven.
2. Add the white wine, lemon, peppercorns, parsley and salt.
3. Return to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let the flavors meld, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the shrimp and cook just until opaque and pink, about 2 minutes.
5. Drain and place the shrimp in an ice bath.
6. Chill until ready to compose salad.

Make the Dressing

1. Place all of the dressing ingredients except the salt and pepper in a food processor or blender. Process until fairly smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Compose the Salad

1. Wash the lettuce (discarding tough outer leaves) 
2. Slice the avocado into 1/2 inch slices
3. Toss the lettuce with the dressing to taste
4. Arrange a bed of lettuce on two plates
5. Arrange shrimp and avocado in a spiral pattern on the plate, alternating shrimp and avocado slices
6. Lightly drizzle additional dressing on shrimp and avocado (optional)
7. Sprinkle Gorgonzola cheese on top of shrimp and avocado
8. Serve with lemon wedges

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