Shrimp & Pasta Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

Shrimp & Pasta Salad dressed with Creamy Avocado Dressing

When the weather is hot there is nothing better than a cool, creamy, yet substantial salad for a hearty lunch or light supper.  Shrimp Pasta Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing has it all going on, and is a meal in a bowl!  It also works as a side dish, just use smaller shrimp or cut the larger ones into thirds and mix them into the salad-perfect!  (If you're not a seafood fan, use cubes of chicken and cook them with chicken stock rather than fish stock and proceed with the recipe!)  The shell pasta cups the dressing, tomatoes, corn, and green onions, and each bite is a flavor bomb.  The avocado dressing is bright, surprisingly light, and has just a hint of heat.  This is a house favorite-try it at your house; it will be a summertime staple!  4 entree servings, or 6-8 side servings

1 pound pasta shells, cooked and drained

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup fish or seafood stock (I keep jars of Better than Broth in several varieties in the refrigerator, including fish, so I can mix up the exact amount that I need for a recipe; it works great!)

1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, 20-24 count per pound (I like Tiger shrimp with the tails on for an entree salad) If making this as a side salad or for a group, use smaller shrimp.

1 cup fresh or frozen corn, cooked but still crisp

1 cup ripe, seeded, chopped Roma tomatoes (make sure the seeds and liquid are squeezed out)

5 scallions, thinly-sliced on the bias

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish

1 large avocado, peel and seed removed

1 1/2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 Tablespoons water

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1/4 teaspoon dried chipotle pepper powder

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

After the pasta is cooked and drained, return it to the pot and toss with the 1 Tablespoon olive oil.  Spread it out on a sheet pan and refrigerate until completely cold, at least an hour.

In a medium frying pan over high heat, bring the fish stock to a boil.  Add the shrimp, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 minutes, stir, re-cover and cook until the shrimp are just pink and curled, don't overcook. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (If you are making this as a side salad, and are using the large shrimp, cut them into thirds or quarters and refrigerator.)

Bring the shrimp cooking liquid in the skillet back to a boil and cook until the liquid is reduced to 2 Tablespoons.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a large bowl combine the pasta, corn, tomatoes, scallions, cilantro, and shrimp(if you are making a side salad).  Set aside.

In a blender combine the avocado, white wine vinegar, lime juice, reserved cooking liquid, water, yogurt, chipotle pepper powder, and salt.  Process until smooth.  With the motor running, stream in the olive oil until well combined.

Toss the dressing with the pasta mixture until well coated.  For entree salads, place in individual salad bowls lined with lettuce and top with the reserved shrimp.  Garnish with additional cilantro and sliced scallions. 

To serve to a group or as a side, mix in the reserved shrimp and place in a large bowl lined with lettuce leaves and garnish the top with sliced scallions and cilantro leaves. 

Refrigerate until ready to serve, and keep any leftovers refrigerated.  Use within 2 days.

Cool Crab & Scallop Ceviche

Cool Crab & Scallop Ceviche

Summer entertaining requires a repertoire of refreshing, taste-bud tantalizing appetizers to stimulate palates and appetites that may be dulled by summer's heat.  This appetizer is my favorite for summer!  I started making this as a caterer about a dozen years ago, and it still delights me.  It is bright, light, and crisp, the seafood succulent and satisfying.  There's no cooking, as the scallops are "cooked" with the acid in the lime juice-how easy!  Place the ceviche in a bowl over ice to serve a crowd accompanied by a basket of tortilla chips, or serve it in martini glasses on a plate to hold the tortilla chips for a sit-down dinner.  Either way, you and your guests will savor every last bite!  Serves 6, but can easily be doubled.

1/2 cup very-finely chopped sweet onion, such as Vidalia

3/4 cup freshly-squeezed lime juice

1/2 pound bay scallops, fresh, or thawed frozen

1 1/2 cups Clamato juice

1 cup seeded, diced ripe tomato

2 Tablespoons finely minced jalapeno pepper

2 Tablespoons finely minced cilantro

1 cup chopped avocado

1/2 pound lump crab meat (claw meat if that's all you can find, but not preferred)

6 sprigs cilantro

6 lime wedges

6 ounces tortilla chips

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl, cover and chill 2 hours.

Place the Clamato juice in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and reduce to 1/2 cup.  Chill the reduced juice.

Add clamato juice, tomato, jalapeno, and cilantro to the scallop mixture.  Chill for 2 more hours to allow the scallops to finish "cooking".

Fold in the avocado and crab meat.  Garnish with cilantro sprigs and lime wedges.  Serve with the chips on the side.

Corn on the Cob with Zesty Compound Butter

I can't think of many foods that are as delicious in season than sweet corn. Freshly pulled from the field or garden, it only needs the silks and husks removed and a bit of light cooking to make it heavenly.  Growing up and for many years after, we froze bushels of it while it was in season, as well as eating it every day during corn season, which could last quite a while.  As delectable as it it, a little variety is always welcome. Compound butter is something I have been using for lots of different dishes, and it is a fabulous way to give an already amazing bite a flavor bump. Compound butter is easy to make; this is my favorite version to serve with sweet corn, which is a perfect side for grilled entrees, from hamburgers to barbecue chicken, and everything in between. Give it a try, I think you'll love it! Makes enough for 10-12 ears of corn

4 ounces (1 stick, 1/2 cup) butter, very soft, but not melted

1/2 teaspoon fine lime zest

1 teaspoon very finely minced cilantro

Pinch of dried ground chipotle pepper

Salt, to taste

In a small bowl stir the butter with a rubber spatula.  Add the zest, cilantro, chipotle pepper powder, and a pinch of salt.  Work the ingredients into the butter until they are evenly distributed.  Taste, and add more salt (and chipotle pepper), if needed.  The butter needs to be a bit "salt and pepper forward", as the butter provides the seasoning for the corn, so don't be too restrained with the salt and pepper.  Remember, too, that the flavors in the butter will be diluted once it has melted onto the corn, so if it tastes "strong", that is a good thing!

Once the butter is to your liking, take a square of plastic wrap and lay it out on the counter.  Drop the butter by spoonfuls in a 6-inch row over to one side of the wrap.  Gently roll the plastic wrap around the butter to form a cylinder.  Pick up the plastic wrap by the ends and twirl, tightening the cylinder of butter.  Lay the plastic down and roll the cylinder of butter a bit to even it out.  Tum under then ends of the wrap and place the butter in the freezer to harden.

When ready to serve, remove the butter from the freezer and slick into 10-12 pieces.  Place them on a small, chilled plate and serve alongside the corn.  Alternately, place slices of the butter on the ears as they are stacked on a platter and scatter additional chopped cilantro over the corn for a pretty presentation.  (This is beautiful, but the individual servings are easier for diners to use.)