Three more weeks until school is in session and that means more jumping, playing, and running with my son (and my daughter). I look at him in amazement of the endless energy that exudes from him. He wears me down! So these days, I’m lucky to get a lunch break or even a snack, which usually consists of what they’re snacking. Luckily, they love fruits, so I slice a bowl for all of us and we eat it together and tell stories.
With so little time to cook and/or eat, food these days has to be simple to make and quick. It’s fig season here and my in-laws have an ever growing orchard of figs, in addition to the two “newly fruiting” fig trees in our garden. So we have them in bountiful supply and we love sharing them with friends and family. I have used figs in many different recipes like here, here and there, and in smoothies of course.
Yesterday I got these local wild caught shrimp with this salad in mind. I love it, it’s bursting with color and flavor, but most importantly it takes less than 10 minutes to make. And of course, it had to have figs. So I made a fig vinaigrette and I also used some of the fruit to grill which brought out the sweetness and caramelized the sugar beautifully. If you like figs, I highly recommend this salad.
Grilled Shrimp and Fig Salad
6 oz baby arugula
4 oz baby sunflower greens (also called Sunflower sprouts)
4-6 Conadria figs, split in halves (or your favorite variety)
1 lb shrimp ( I used local wild 21-25)
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper (for the shrimp)
Devein and clean the shrimp. Pat dry with a paper towel, then sprinkle salt and pepper to taste and toss. Place on an oiled hot grill for about 30 seconds on each side. Place the fig halves open face down and grill for about the same time as the shrimp (only on one side). Remove shrimp and figs. Toss with the greens and nuts*. Drizzle vinaigrette and go for it.
6 oz baby arugula
4 oz baby sunflower greens (also called Sunflower sprouts)
4-6 Conadria figs, split in halves (or your favorite variety)
1 lb shrimp ( I used local wild 21-25)
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper (for the shrimp)
Devein and clean the shrimp. Pat dry with a paper towel, then sprinkle salt and pepper to taste and toss. Place on an oiled hot grill for about 30 seconds on each side. Place the fig halves open face down and grill for about the same time as the shrimp (only on one side). Remove shrimp and figs. Toss with the greens and nuts*. Drizzle vinaigrette and go for it.
*If you’re allergic to nuts, then replace them with any seed of choice (sesame, pepitos, etc.), equally scrumptious.
Conadria Fig Vinaigrette
makes 1 cup
4 oz Conadria figs
1/4 cup grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp shallots
1 tbsp Sherry vinegar
1/4 tsp salt (or adjust to taste)
Freshly ground pepper to taste
In a blender, mix all ingredients together until well blended and the figs are pureed. Chill until ready to serve.
Conadria Fig Vinaigrette
makes 1 cup
4 oz Conadria figs
1/4 cup grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp shallots
1 tbsp Sherry vinegar
1/4 tsp salt (or adjust to taste)
Freshly ground pepper to taste
In a blender, mix all ingredients together until well blended and the figs are pureed. Chill until ready to serve.
Comments 2
What a lovely salad, and the pictures are always so happy and beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
You're very creative..! Awsome looking salad!