Shrimp and Avocado Salad

I stumbled upon this recipe playing with my Dinner Spinner Pro app on my iPhone. It *sounded* incredibly tasty and with the teens out of the house today it was the perfect opportunity to give a try. Oh. My. Word. This EXCEEDED all of my expectations! The husband was looking for seconds. :)



SHRIMP and AVOCADO SALAD

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups cooked & coarsely chopped shrimp
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs cocktail sauce
salt to taste
2 avocados, halved lengthwise, pitted, and scooped out of the skin
1/2 lemon
Boston lettuce leaves
paprika

Directions
In a bowl, mix the shrimp, chives, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, and cocktail sauce. Season with salt.
Line individual serving plates with one leaf of Boston lettuce and sprinkle with paprika to taste.
Place 1/2 an avocado on each lettuce leaf.
Mound the shrimp mixture into the avocado hollow and sprinkle with fresh squeezed lemon juice.

This recipe is modified from a recipe by the same name I found on AllRecipes. The changes are pretty significant, so I'm not going to list them separately.

Although, I will note that the original recipe seems to serve the avocado IN its skin on top of the lettuce. That seemed a waste of a perfectly yummy looking piece of lettuce, so I scooped the avocado out of the skin in one piece and spooned the shrimp mixture into the hollow. One of the reviewers on AllRecipes suggested lining a rectangular plate with the lettuce leaves sprinkled with paprika, placing the wedges in a line, and spooning the shrimp between the avocado slices.

Also, the original recipe uses bibb lettuce. I substituted Boston lettuce only because it was the better looking of the two at my grocery store.

ENJOY!

Is it still Cobb Salad without the avocado?

Lettuce - check
Cubed Turkey - check
Bacon - check
Hard boiled eggs - check
Tomatoes - check
Bleu Cheese - check
Avocados - OOPS!

Forgot to pick up the avocado this weekend.  I also forgot chives, but in my defense my recipe didn't call for chives.  In my research to determine how essential the avocado is to Cobb Salad I discovered that a traditional one would also include the chives.


Dressing for Cobb Salad

3 Tbs red wine vinegar
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp dijon mustard

Whisk together in a large bowl. Add lettuce for salad to bowl and toss with dressing.

This is an incredibly yummy salad. I can't believe I've lived 45 years without trying this! Both Flower Child and I agree that this could be a dinner main dish, although the rest of the family probably would like some kind of pasta alongside it. Tonight I served it with mac and cheese.