Recipe of the week: Raoul’s Shrimp Salad

Salad as a Meal by Patricia Wells, featured in our July cooking column, has us looking at salads in a whole new light. Hailing from southeastern France, this recipe looks nothing like what is expected of a salad. Suggestion: don’t ask questions, just enjoy!

Raoul’s Shrimp Salad

Think of this as a modern shrimp cocktail, enlivened by a touch of fresh chives or cilantro. Protein-rich and a snap to prepare, this recipe comes from Raoul Reichrath, chef and owner of one of our favorite haunts in Provence, his Michelin-starred Le Grand Pré, in Roaix.

© Jeff Kauck Photography

Equipment: 4 chilled large dinner plates

Ingredients:

• ½ cup tomato juice
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• Several drops Tabasco sauce
• Fine sea salt
• 1 to 2 red bell peppers, trimmed, seeds removed, cut into 1/4- inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 celery ribs, cut into crosswise slices (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 ½ pounds (25 to 30) cooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• ½ cup minced fresh chives or cilantro

In a large bowl, whisk together the tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, and salt. Taste for seasoning. Add the red peppers and celery. Stir to blend. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let the flavors develop.

Toss the shrimp with just enough sauce to lightly and evenly coat the ingredients. Add the chives and toss to blend. Taste for seasoning. Mound the shrimp salad on plates, and serve.

WINE SUGGESTION: Raoul’s wife, Flora, is the hostess and sommelier at Le Grand Pré. She introduced us to one of our favorite local white wines— Domaine Chaume- Arnaud’s La Cadène Vinsobres Blanc, an atypical blend of 50% Viognier and 50% Marsanne. This white wine has the vivacity and complexity to stand up to the pungent flavors in this dish.

Excerpted from Salad as a Meal: Healthy Main Dish Salads for Every Meal by Patricia Wells. Excerpted by permission of William Morrow Cookbooks (2011). All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Read our review of this book.