Summer at it’s best!
This is a riff on a recipe I once saw in Bon Appetit Magazine. I LOVE recipes that are healthy, easy to make and use real fresh ingredients. This is definitely one of those! It’s just fresh shrimp, mini heirloom or cherry tomatoes tossed in delicious marinade of Red Wine Vinegar, Olive Oil, Oregano and Capers for extra punch and flavor! Sprinkle toasted Pine Nuts over the dish for an extra dimension of flavor and a little crunch.
ESCABECHE
Marinade Shrimp AFTER it’s been Grilled!
This recipe uses a process called Escabeche, a method in which fish or meat is marinated & cooked in an acidic mixture – usually in Mediterranean or Latin American dishes. It’s EASY and adds nice flav-ah!
Because the marinade works well with most any seafood or meat (try chicken or swordfish!), I like to double the recipe & keep the extra in the fridge for another meal during the week. It makes it SO much easier to simply grill chicken (for example), then throw it in a ziplock to marinade for a bit. Then serve it with the tomatoes over a bed of brown rice or Farro and you’ve got another lite summer lunch or dinner!
Grill shrimp FIRST, then marinade for 15-minutes up to an hour, Escabeche style!
Serve for Summer Lunch or Dinner!
“As Is” or over Farro
This works perfectly for lunch or dinner – it’s totally up to you. I usually like to make lunch my larger meal, because that’s when I tend to be the most hungry. Serve the dish “As Is” OR over 1/2 cup of prepared Farro for a little extra heartiness. Farro is a lot like a brown rice, but higher in protein & fiber. It is an ancient grain that is hearty, yet won’t leave you feeling heavy.
Smart Tips:
- I make several servings of FARRO on Sunday, as a convenient way to stay on track with healthy eating all week. It’s EASY to make in your Rice Cooker (use the Brown Rice Setting). This is the Rice Cooker I use. It does take longer to cook because of the heartiness level (that’s a good thing!). Use it just as you would brown-rice.
- PINE NUTS: I keep a few servings of toasted nuts in the freezer as another time-saver. I mean, as long as you’re going to the trouble to toast your nuts, you may as well make a few servings and save yourself the time later, right?!
Make it with me!
Grilled Shrimp with Heirloom Tomatoes & Oregano | Lite & Easy!
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs Fresh Shrimp, peeled & deveined, tails left on
- 2 cups Farro, cooked according to package instructions
- ¼ cup Red Wine Vinegar
- ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 3 tbsp Capers, roughly chopped
- ¼ tsp Kosher Salt, or to taste
- 2 cups mini Heirloom Tomatoes, halved (or cherry tomatoes)
- ¼ cup Pine Nuts, toasted
Instructions
Make the Marinade
- In a medium mixing bowl, add Vinegar, Olive Oil, Oregano, Salt & Capers. Whisk until incorporated. Set aside.
Grill Shrimp
- Lightly spray & salt both sides of shrimp.
- Grill over medium-high heat for about 2-3 minutes each side or until both sides are pink.
- Remove from heat and place in a large mixing bowl.
Add Tomatoes
- Add tomatoes to the Shrimp.
Drizzle Marinade
- Drizzle the marinade over the grilled shrimp & tomatoes. Allow to sit for 15-minutes or up to 1-hour.
Assemble
- Place 1/2 cup of cooked farro at the center of each plate. Artfully arrange the shrimp on top of the farro, topping with the tomatoes (make it pretty!).
- Sprinkle 1 TB of pine nuts over the top & enjoy your lite Summer Lunch!
