No May potato salad

In the brand new The Book of Tapas,* there's a great recipe for what the authors call a Cauliflower and Shrimp Salad. But you could, as you'll see by the ingredients list, just as easily call it a potato salad.

I made it using new potatoes, sliced thickly. And, as presented, the salad is a little bland. But a little Piment d' Espellette sprinkled on each portion perked it up nicely. A little chopped dill would likely work as well.

Cauliflower and Shrimp Salad

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced (I split it, deseeded it, and sliced into half-moons)

1 tbls white-wine vinegar

3 tbls extra virgin olive oil

1 small cauliflower (I used half of one), broken into florets

2 cooked potatoes, peeled (I left the skins on)

5 oz cooked large shrimp, peeled

3 tbls mayonnaise

2 hard-boiled eggs, shelled and cut into wedges

Salt

1 tbls chopped parsley, to garnish

Put the cucumber in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and set aside for 30 minutes. In a salad bowl, beat the vinegar and oil together with a pinch of salt using a fork.

Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Add the cauliflowers florets and boil for 10 minutes, or until they are just tender but still firm to the bite. Drain them well and pat dry (I shocked them in ice water, first).

Rinse the cucumber slices and pat dry with paper towels. Add the cucumber, cauliflower florets, potatoes and shrimp to the bowl and gently mix togehter. Add the mayonnaise and mix together again. Arrange the hard-boiled egg wedges around the salad, garnish with parsley, and serve.

Serves 8 as a tapas.

*The Book of Tapas, written by Simone and Ines Ortega, Phaidon Press, 2010

 

Cooked dressing is very good.

 

can use a yogurt base. not sure how many calories your saving but it sounds healthier.

 

Here is a recipe for old-fashioned boiled dressing, which can be used in potato salad, or over salad greens.

From “The Gift of Southern Cooking”, by Edna Lewis

Boiled Dressing      Yield: 2 cups

1 cup cider vinegar

3 egg yolks

2 tsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. dry mustard

2 tsp. all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. freshly ground pepper

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 1/3 cup  heavy cream

Pour the vinegar into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Put the egg yolks into a small mixing bowl and stir in the sugar, mustard, flour, cayenne, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Slowly stir the boiling vinegar into the egg yolk mixture. Pour the dressing back into the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until it thickens and begins to bubble. Remove from the heat and add the butter, stirring until it is melted and absorbed into the dressing. Stir in the cream and cool completely. Cover and refrigerate. Will keep two weeks. 

 

Sounds really good, but, is it healthier than traditional mayo dressing?

 

Funny, we just had a warm potato salad for dinner last night, here's the recipe.

- boiled potatoes cut into cubes (piping hot)

- chopped boiled egg

- greek olives

- finely chopped scallion (or red onion)

- tomato wedges

- fresh oregano

- fleur de sel

- olive oil

- red wine vinegar

- freshly cracked pepper

Combine all the cold ingredients and then add the hot potatoes.  I also added a few fresh baby spinach leaves because I had them laying around and it was excellent.  We also ate our salad with a can of smoked sardines on the side.