Shrimp Sweet Pea Salad Boats

Shrimp Sweet Pea Salad Boats! You gotta love the freshness, and flavors of this dish. Quick easy and so much fun to eat, a great appetizer, or even a main to get a meal going!

Salad boats!  Who would have thought that a nice crisp iceberg lettuce leaf filled with wonderful ingredients would pack as much punch in flavor and texture? Well, after having these, I am a huge fan. They are so easy to prepare, so delicious and fun to eat, that I truly am looking forward to eating them again and being creative to put together so many more flavor profiles to these salad boats. My creative juices are flowing, pardon the pun, lol.

These Shrimp Sweet Pea Salad boats were inspired by a recipe found in a cookbook called "Brown Eggs and Jam Jars" by Aimee Wimbush- Bourque. Of course, we put our own flair and creativity into it to make it our own. I have made something a bit similar called salad rolls but never salad boats and was quite excited to get started.

Nicoletta was the one who found the cookbook. She loves going to the library and just basks in the shelves filled with books. I would have to say she is a bookworm and when she is into it, Nicoletta will devour the pages quickly. It is one of the things I love about her, the passion for literary works. Well,  this time I went with her to the library and we found many great cookbooks and took some favorites home. I remember being a kid, eyes wide, appetite in check, and creativity in abundance,  flipping through pages of cookbooks and magazines featuring great recipes that I would one day be able to do. I love the innocence and passion of those childhood memories. There was not any food networks or gusto TV, only a few cooking shows like Julia Child, or the Galloping Gourmet, and not to forget those wonderful Kraft commercials before the hockey games or hit TV shows. I always loved when the narrator ended the commercial with "vegetable cheese melt, brought to you by Kraft, makers of  Kraft cheese slices". I would always imitate the voice and say it with them, what a scene.... me small wearing nice dress pants and shirt and vest bow tie, mother's decision.  I would run to my parents and beg them to buy that product so we could make what they featured in the commercial. My dad and mom would always respond with their favorite line "You do not recognize good things", in Italian of course. My response, as always, with a very quick wit, "How do you know if it is not good until you try it, have you tried it?",  their response, well we won't go there, lol. For those of you growing up in anItalian family,  you will understand, lol.

Now back to the Shrimp Sweet Pea Salad Boats

Making these salad boats are easy, so easy that it makes it that more enjoyable to prepare and eat. I want to say it is so wonderful to have my wife back Home. She is my sous chef on my recipes and I am her's on the recipes Nicoletta does. I believe we are a great team, so as usual Nicoletta had all the ingredients ready for these wonderful salad boats. Working full time and running a food blog demands lots of passion and drive along with time, so coming home to ingredients prepped is always a blessing and one that I am grateful for, Amore! (Nicoletta). So with that being said we begin with some nice fresh green peas shucked, washed and steamed. A nice red and green pepper chopped and diced, a green onion chopped, the green onion and pepper coming from my parents wonderful garden, which is always a blessing. Add a diced ripe mango and some diced avocado. Last but not least some small baby shrimp, and of course iceberg lettuce leaves washed and spun dry. Have the extra virgin olive oil and lime ready, and now we are ready to get these salad boats together.

In the original recipe all the ingredients are kept raw. Wanting to put our own touch we decided to saute some of the green onion, green peppers, peas which were steamed a bit a little before, the shrimp, a splash of the olive oil, some salt and pepper, a little dusting of onion and garlic powder, paprika, some fresh parsley and thyme minced, a squeeze of lime juice. Take off heat and cool. Mix with the other ingredients, add in some more of olive oil and lime juice and a dusting of minced fresh parsley, a quick tossing, and voila! time to get to eating these amazing salad boats.

Eating these Shrimp Sweet Pea Salad Boats is much like a taco night. Take a lettuce leaf, fill with the vegetable, fruit, and shrimp mixture. Fold lettuce to house ingredients, and open wide. The flavors are wonderfully fresh. The mango with its almost ginger and peppery sweetness mingling with the red peppers. The shrimp and green onion and pepper, with the ever so sweet peas singing through your mouth with its earthy, sea briny tastes. That little bit of thyme and parsley giving this salad bowl some tweaks of elevated flavors. The combination of the fresh green onion and avocado, the great flavor and smooth texture give this mixture a  veggie meatiness combination. The lime and olive oil dressing  wonderful, along with fresh cracked sea salt and black pepper, not too acidic but just enough to brighten every ingredient of these salad bowls. The amazing thing is the textures, the lettuce crisp, cool, and the fruit and vegetables, some caramelized, some semi crisp but all beautiful and luscious, keeping your taste buds guessing in every bite. We thoroughly enjoyed this recipe and I am sure you will to. It is a great entrée to get a meal going, but also on its own leaves us feeling light, healthy, and fulfilled.

So, from our kitchen at Sugarlovespices to yours, enjoy!

Song of the day: "Sweater Weather" by The Neighboorhood. I stumbled upon this song thanks to my guitar teacher who was teaching me the base line. I would have to say thanks to Marty for opening my world to so many great bands and songs.

Shrimp Sweet Pea Salad Boats

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Shrimp Sweet Pea Salad Boats! You gotta love the freshness, and flavors of this dish. Quick easy and so much fun to eat, a great appetizer, or even a main to get a meal going!

• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 8 salad bowls 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 ½ cup small shrimp
• 1 cup sweet peas
• ¼ cup green pepper
• ½ cup red pepper
• 1 green onion
• 1 avocado
• 1 mango
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp onion powder
• pinch garlic powder
• pinch of paprika
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• 1 lime, the juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8 iceberg lettuce leaves

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Instructions

Peas:

1. In a small pot of water, place fresh shucked and washed peas in, bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, drain and set aside.

Shrimp:

1. In a saute pan drizzle 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and toss in ½ the chopped green onion.
2. Saute for a few minute and as the onion becomes a bit opaque, add in peas, green pepper, and shrimp.
3. Sprinkle with the thyme and ½ of the parsley.
4. Squeeze some lime juice, a dash of salt and pepper, onion powder, and paprika.
5. Cook for about 10 minutes on medium to high heat.
6. Take off heat and let cool.

Final mixing:

1. In a bowl place dice mango, red pepper, green onion, avocado.
2. Drop in the shrimp pea and pepper mixture.
3. Drizzle in remaining olive oil and a good squeeze of lime juice.
4. Finish with a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley.

Salad Bowls:

1. Take an iceberg lettuce leaf. Spoon in vegetable, fruit, and shrimp mixture.
2. Dust with some minced parsley.
3. Serve with a wedge of lime juice.
4. Ready to serve. Enjoy!

Notes

You can use any lettuce you wish, just remember it has to be one that can hold some ingredients inside.
P.S. Be creative and make it your own.

• Author: Loreto and Nicoletta
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Category: Appetizers, Vegeterian

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Loreto

When I am not cooking, I enjoy playing musical instruments, singing, writing. I have learned over the years to live in gratitude and enjoy the moment.