Southwest Blackened Shrimp Salad

This is my twist on a southwest salad. I loaded it up with tons of colorful vegetables, blackened shrimp and a spicy cilantro lime dressing that’s sweet, spicy, and I want to bottle it up and eat it every day! It’s so good.

Ingredients

• ½ lb. blackened shrimp (recipe follows), peeled and deveined, tail on or off
• 1 cup orange bell pepper, cored, seeded and julienne
• 1 cup red bell pepper, cored, seeded and julienned
• ½ cup vine ripe tomatoes, seeded and medium dice
• 1 cup queso fresco, crumbled (or whatever kind of Mexican cheese you prefer)
• 3 scallions, sliced
• ½ cup red cabbage, shredded
• ½ an avocado, sliced
• 1 bag of mixed greens
• A handful of southwest tortilla strips
• 2 ears of corn, shucked and cut of the cob
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Spicy cilantro lime vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Directions

Heat grill pan to medium high heat and start to grill the blackened shrimp about 2-3 minutes on each side just until pink and firm to the touch. Set aside

In a medium sauté pan heat oil to medium high heat and cook the corn until just starting to turn golden, and just cooked through then season with salt and pepper.

Combine all the other ingredients into a large bowl and toss. Or place each ingredient on the plate in sections to make it look pretty.

Blackening Seasoning

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• ½ tsp. cumin powder
• 1 tsp. Spanish paprika
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• ¼ tsp. cayenne (depending how spicy you want it)
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 tsp. lime zest

Directions

Combine all ingredients into a small bowl and sprinkle over the shrimp to then grill.

Spicy Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 1 lime zested
• ½ cup lime juice (3-4 limes)
• 2 garlic cloves
• ¼ cup cilantro
• 1 jalapeno, seeded
• 2 tbsp. honey
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Combine all ingredients, except oil, into the blender, and blend until combined. With the motor running slowly add the oil just until the vinaigrette emulsifies. Drizzle over the salad!