We were recently asked by Smart and Final to create a dish using ingredients from the frozen food section. It’s pretty tough to forgo fresh ingredients for frozen ones, but we’re always up for a challenge! We cruised the aisles at Smart and Final to look for products that would inspire us. Derrick found some frozen Cornish game hens and thought stuffing them would be a great idea. At first I was sold, but then I thought about the time required to defrost it, make a stuffing, stuff it and then roasting it. Delicious? Yes, but too involved for us on this busy weekend. (gonna save that idea for another day…) I did see some frozen avocado halves that I found very fascinating. Frozen ripe avocados that you can have all year round! I’m definitely intrigued! We finally decided on frozen shrimp and edamame. I’ve been baking up a storm lately – from Meyer lemon bars, cranberry – orange cake, blueberry lemon coffee cake to baked rigatoni! I thought it would nice to throw a healthy salad into the mix.
This Asian inspired salad is light and refreshing. The soy sauce and lime juice adds zip and tang with just the right amount of saltiness to the dish. The dressing is made with Greek yogurt which is a healthy alternative to mayonnaise and adds another dimension of flavor. These frozen products are great to keep on hand for a last minute meal or easy snack. The frozen shelled and deveined shrimp was easy to defrost and the shelled edamame tastes delicious on its own for a healthy, protein packed snack. Overall – I think we did a good job utilizing frozen ingredients and I think the salad looks fresh and bright. Who would have guessed the two main ingredients were previously frozen?
Asian Shrimp and Edamame Salad
Prep time: 10 mins Inactive time: 20 mins Cook time: 2-4 mins Serves: 4
Ingredients:
20 frozen shrimp, thawed
Marinade:
¼ C low sodium soy sauce
1 green onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 Tbs. sesame oil
1 Tbs. honey
Zest of one lime (~heaping tsp.)
1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp of fresh lime juice
1 tsp. Chili Garlic Sauce
Salad:
1 C frozen shelled edamame
¼ tsp. sea salt
2 hearts of Romaine, chopped (or your favorite lettuce)
1 C sliced English cucumber
1 C shredded carrot
Dressing:
½ C Greek yogurt
3 Tbs. low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
½ tsp. black pepper
1 Tbs. to 2 Tbs. fresh lime juice, depending on your preference
2 tsp. sugar
1 Tbs. of prepared marinade
Directions:
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the marinade. Reserve 1 Tbs. of the prepared marinade for the dressing. Add thawed shrimp and let marinate for 20 minutes.
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Place edamame into a shallow bowl, sprinkle with sea salt, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds.
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Place the lettuce, cucumbers and carrots into a large bowl. Top with edamame.
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In a medium bowl whisk together the ingredients for the dressing and season to taste. This is a very tangy dressing, if you find it too tangy – add more soy sauce or use less lime juice. If you like it to be more tangy use more lime juice (I made it with 2 Tbs of lime juice – which I enjoyed but Derrick found it too tart). Put the dressing into fridge until ready to dress the salad.
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Coat a pan with cooking spray and sauté the shrimp over medium high heat until cooked. The shrimp should start to curl and turn pink – about 1 to 2 minutes on each side.
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Top salad with shrimp and dress with as much dressing as you like.
Enjoy!
Collective Bias compensated me for my time, but all opinions are my own
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That looks so fresh & delicious! My daughter loves salads, and I’m thinking this is perfect for summer when I don’t feel like cooking a whole meal. Great job & beautiful photo!
What a genius use of frozen foods! This looks so light and fresh, I’d never guess that was where the ingredients were from. I love the idea that you can have everything on hand to make with little notice.
great way to step up to the challenge! Frozen veggies come in handy in my kitchen all the time. How do you like this brand of edamame. I bought a frozen one that didn’t delight my family, so I was wondering if this brand is ok.
have a good weekend Quyen!
Malou
Looks delicious!!
Amy: Thank you!! I think it would be great for summer too!
Nicole @ Heat Oven to 350: Thank you!! Very true – frozen foods can be very beneficial when you need to whip something up last minute!
Skip to Malou: Thank you! I do like this brand of edamame. I was very impressed that it was flavorful and had great texture. I cooked it in the microwave so it was very convenient!
Diane: Thank u!! Looking forward to seeing you at Camp soon!
This salad looks delish!
Jen: Thank you Jen!!