This Spicy Shrimp and Poblano Salad has been one of my favorite meals this summer. If you have been following my recipes this summer you might have noticed that I have a slight obsession with zucchini. I mean what can I say, they are delicious, inexpensive, healthy, and so easy to make!
Anyways, for this recipe, I like to use a small zucchini. Not the monster ones perhaps growing in your garden. Save those for loaves of bread, muffins, or one of these recipes Chicken Zucchini Enchiladas or Cheesy Zucchini and Egg Pie. This dressing can be as spicy or mild as you want. I was in the mood for some heat in this dressing. I used a serrano pepper and removed most of the seeds and stems. If you want a mild heat use jalapeno and remove all the seeds and stems before adding it to the processor.
My favorite tools for Spicy Shrimp and Poblano Salad…
There is a specific kitchen gadget I want to talk about that I used in this recipe. The Cuisinart CSB-79 Smart Stick 2 Speed Hand Blender, Brushed Stainless Steel, I received it as a wedding gift and I use it all the time. It is not the actual hand blender I use often but the mini food chopper attachment. The chopper is the perfect size for small jobs. Perfect for when you do not feel like getting out the whole big food processor. It whips up everything from breadcrumbs to pestos, dressings, and even mayonnaise. The only thing that gets dirty is the cup and blade which is really easy to wash. I honestly love this product. It is mentioned here in this post about my favorite kitchen items. No, they did not pay me to say that. I am thinking that a small blender cup on a magic bullet or Vitamix would work out the same way as far as ease of cleanup. This salad has a bit of everything. Sweet shrimp, spicy peppers, creamy dressing, and salty cheese which makes it absolutely delicious! I hope you enjoy this simple flavorful salad as much as we do.
A huge thank you goes out to all of the readers, cooks, food enthusiasts, friends, and keto warriors who support this blog! Come and follow our Facebook page where we post all of our new recipes and ideas! Feel free to check out some of my recipes here!
Shop the Goods
There are links on this site that are defined as “affiliate links”. This means that I may receive a small commission (at no cost to you) if you happen to purchase something through the links provided.
Table and a Chair is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program
Table and a Chair is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program
There are links on this site that are defined as “affiliate links”. This means that I may receive a small commission (at no cost to you) if you happen to purchase something through the links provided.
Spicy Shrimp and Poblano Salad
Ingredients
- 1 head romaine lettuce cleaned, trim off the dark green tops and reserve. Chop up the rest for the base of the salad
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 serrano chile cut off the stem and remove the ribs and seeds. *
- .75 pound shrimp cleaned and deveined
- 2 poblano peppers cut off the stem, slice lengthwise, remove the seeds and slice into strips
- 1 small zucchini top and bottom removed and cut crosswise in half then lengthwise into spears
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 4 ounces feta cheese you could also use cotija if you can find it
Instructions
- In a small food processor or blender cup add the lettuce tops, mayo, garlic, and serrano. Blend until smooth and season with salt to taste. Reserve in the fridge for later.
- Preheat a large pan, preferably a cast iron over medium high heat. In a large bowl toss together the prepped poblanos, zucchini, shrimp, cumin, and oil. Season this with generously with salt and pepper. Add to the hot cast iron and cook stirring every so often until the shrimp are cooked through. About 4-5 minutes.
- Remove the shrimp to a plate for later. Continue to cook the veggies until they are blackened in spots, another 4-5 minutes. When you are doing this do not mix them around too much, you want them to have contact with the pan to get some color on them.
- Now place your lettuce in the bowl, toss with the cooked shrimp, the hot veggie mixture, and crumbled cheese. Serve with the creamy serrano sauce alongside for dressing the salad. Enjoy!
Love the use of poblano on this recipe. I’ve been really into the large green peppers lately, so this is right up my alley!
Awesome!
This looks delicious. I love shrimp salads! I’ve never used a serrano sauce before. It looks amazing.
It is delicious but pretty spicy!
What will you actually recommend to use- cotija cheese or feta? They have both in my local store. Thank you
I used feta because that is what I had and it was delicious. If I had to purchase one specifically for the recipe I would buy cotija!
Yum….I love shrimp….and using them in salads is such a great and tasty way to enjoy them. I cannot always get these fresh peppers. This would be perfect to serve to company.
I’m sure any fresh pepper would be delicious, I am just partial to poblanos because it is one that my husband will actually eat 🙂