Prawn and Asparagus Salad

A great hit at dinner parties, this simple salad is easy on calories while rich in taste and appearance. Large, frozen prawns are far cheaper than fresh ones, so the frozen ones are  what I use, thawing them overnight in the fridge. 

If your grocer doesn’t stock Bocconcini cheese balls (aka “pearls”), use a small scoop to carve them from a large ball of soft Mozzarella (“Bocconcini”). I use seven or eight prawns per main dish serving (Even 10! Live on the edge, Nicole!). 

Only the prawns need last-minute preparation: Cook them on lightly greased skewers on high heat: I use a griddle rather than fussing with a skillet.

 Griddle-sear prawns and asparagus.

Skewering prawns makes their placement on the salad much quicker. I steam the asparagus or - if the stalks are especially thin - sear them beside the prawns. Make things easy on yourself with a high-quality prepared salad mix (rather than ripping and gripping and snarling and swearing because you’re running out of time).

Adjust the quantities of the salad and the dressing recipe as you prefer. Served on small plates,  and in smaller quantities, this also makes a terrific appetizer. Once you’ve made this dish, you’ll want to serve it over and over again!

Prawn and Asparagus Salad:

Over individual plates of mixed greens, arrange: 

Prawns, pan-seared on the stove just until they turn pink

Asparagus, cooked briefly, chilled on and under ice, and patted dry with a paper towel (see Asparagus Notes)

Cherry tomatoes, halved

Bocconcini pearls

Drizzle with light oil-based dressing of your choice (see Dressing Note).

Asparagus Note: Thin asparagus boiled in a skillet need about one minute; thicker asparagus need slightly more, but be careful not to cook them through. These should be al dente (slightly crunchy-crisp).

Further Asparagus Note: Eating unsauced, firm asparagus with your fingers is considered polite, one stalk at a time.

Dressing Note: Salad dressings flummox me. Never quite sure which to choose, I generally ask husband Ron to provide something. So this simple something was it! Adjust the quantities as you need to; this makes enough for two servings.

Prawn and Asparagus Salad Dressing:

2 tbsp. (30 mL) soy sauce

1 tbsp. (15 mL) granulated sugar

2 tbsp. (30 mL) rice vinegar

1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) garlic powder

Shake ingredients together in covered jar until well combined. Let sit in fridge at least 30 min. to allow flavors to blend. Drizzle over prepared salad just before serving.