... Shrimp Salad Pitas

I stumbled across this recipe last month and thought it looked so fresh and summery that I just had to give it a try.  Granted, it took me about a month to get around to actually making it, but hey, better late than never!

With it's fresh shrimp, crunchy veggies, and lite dressing, I knew it'd be perfect on a hot summer day... or night, as the case may be.  Definitely give this one a shot, but beware, they're messy to eat!  It might be best to eat it as a salad with a side of pita or crackers.  Regardless of which way you choose, you'll want to add this to your line-up.

Shrimp Salad Pitas
serves 4

1/2 small red onion, chopped
1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and halved crosswise
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup 2% greek yogurt
1 medium carrot, coarsely grated
1 cucumber, halved lenthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 lemon
4 whole-wheat pitas
8 bibb lettuce leaves

Preheat the broiler.  Soak the chopped onion in a bowl of cold water while you prepare the shrimp.

Toss the shrimp with the olive oil, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste on a rimmed baking sheet.  Spread in an even layer and broil until the shrimp are opaque, about 4 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl and let cool.  Wash and dry the baking sheet.

Drain the onion and add to the shrimp along with the yogurt, carrot, cucumber, dill, and salt and pepper to taste. Grate in 1 teaspoon lemon zest and squeeze in about half of the lemon juice.

Lay the pitas on the baking sheet and toast under the broiler.  Cut the pitas in half and fill with the lettuce and shrimp salad.

Taylor's Notes:
Ok, I'm not sure how long it takes to preheat a broiler.  Mine doesn't 'ding' at me like it does when I'm preheating the oven.  I think I had it on for maybe 10 minutes before I put the shrimp in.  My shrimp took about 5 1/2 minutes to cook, but I bet it would have been quicker if I would have placed the rack closer to the broiler.  Oh well... tomato tomahto.  The most important thing is that your shrimp are cooked through and are nice and pink... and not because of the paprika.  That said, I think the shrimp might be better grilled than broiled.  There's always next time.


I halved this recipe and it made enough for me to have one serving (two pita halves) and leftovers for tomorrow's lunch, so the recipe is true to size.  Don't you hate it when a recipe tells you it's 4 servings when in reality it's 2 or 8?!?  It happens people.  Trust me.


Since I had baby carrots on hand, I just decided to 'matchstick' them instead of buying a normal size carrot and grating it like the recipe calls for.  The dollar that I saved wasn't worth it.  Those baby carrots are hard cut... unless you don't mind losing a bit of your finger.  Don't worry, I didn't.  But there were a few close calls!


Other than those little tidbits, and the fact that I just stuck the pita right on the cooking rack - no time for cleaning mid-prep! - I followed the recipe and was pleased with the results... a fresh little salad/sandwich for dinner.


Enjoy!