Jalapeño Shrimp Caesar Salad

Dinner, Lunch, Salad, Seafood, , , , , , , , , , , , 14 Comments

Hey Y’all!!

We’ve been super busy here in Texas lately and with the hottest days of summer upon us light and quick meals are a must.  Recently one of my go to meals has been this delicious Jalapeño Shrimp Caesar Salad.  Cool crispy romaine lettuces, creamy avocado, warm juicy shrimp, and my secret ingredient….. Jalapeño Caesar Dressing 🙂  Come on y’all knew I had to add some pepper in somewhere!!

This Jalapeño Caesar Dressing is super easy to make and gets that jalapeño kick from one of my recent favorite grocery store finds, Ground Jalapeño Pepper.

image

Of course if you can’t find Ground Jalapeño Pepper on your spice aisle you can always substitute a little fresh jalapeño chile in the dressing.

I love using shrimp this time of year because they cook so fast its like not even cooking. It’s practically as fast as put the shrimp in a hot pan, turn once, they are done. Ok maybe it’s not that fast but almost! But if you don’t like shrimp grilled chicken is wonderful in this salad too.

I hope you enjoy this simple and easy Jalapeño Shrimp Caesar Salad as much as we do!!

image

Jalapeño Shrimp Caesar Salad

image

Jalapeño Caesar Dressing

Ingredients:

1 Large Garlic Clove, Grated

1 Teaspoon Anchovy Paste

1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard

2 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

1 Lemon, Juice and Zest

1 Cup Mayonnaise

1/2 Cup Freshly Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese

1/2 – 3/4 Teaspoon Ground Jalapeño Pepper (or to taste)*

Salt (to taste)

Fresh Cracked Black Pepper, to taste (I like a lot of pepper)

 

Directions:

Add all of the above ingredients to a blender or food processor and mix.  Taste for seasoning and store the dressing in an air tight container in the fridge until ready to use.

 

The Shrimp:

1 Pound Jumbo Shrimp, peeled and deveined

Salt

Black Pepper

Garlic Powder

1/2 – 3/4 Teaspoon Ground Jalapeño Pepper

Season the shrimp to taste with salt, pepper, garlic powder and 1/2 – 3/4 Teaspoon jalapeño powder.   Heat a little olive oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the shrimp until just cooked through and pink, about 4-6 minutes.  Remove from pan and squeeze the juice of 1/2 lime over the shrimp.

Assemble the Salad:

1-2 Heads of Chopped romaine Hearts *

Shaved Fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano (I use a vegetable peeler)

2 Avocados, sliced and squeeze on the other half of the lime

Croutons (if desired)

Dressing

Toss desired amount of Jalapeño Caesar Dressing on the chopped romaine then top the salad with sliced avocado, shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, Croutons, Cracked Black Pepper, and Warm Shrimp.

image

Eat!!

*Notes:

If you can’t find the Ground Jalapeño Pepper you can 1/2 a small jalapeño (seeds) removed in the dressing. Or use cayenne pepper but reduce the amount used because cayenne is a good bit spicier.

For really good crisp lettuces I use a salad spinner to get the lettuce very dry. Then 30 minutes before serving I put the lettuce in the freezer so it is super chilled and crisp.

Posted by

My name is Melody and I am the cook and blogger behind Meals With Mel. I have a love for traveling, I share a joy for gardening, and I have a passion for cooking. Although I do some baking, I don't consider myself a baker as I can't stand having to measure. When it comes to cooking my philosophy is add a bit of this, a dash of that, a splash of something doesn't hurt, never forget some type of pepper and always add at least one clove of garlic. Thanks for stopping by my Spicy Texas Kitchen and I hope to see you again!!! Melody

14 thoughts on “Jalapeño Shrimp Caesar Salad”

  2. Oh wow, I totally have to make this after my parents leave! (My mom is allergic to shrimp.) We have a spice store here in town that sells every kind of spice known to man, I think, and I do remember seeing ground jalapeno pepper spice (as well as numerous other ground chile spices). I’ve never made my own Caesar, I suppose this would give me a chance to try making that for this. (Or I could be lazy and add the ground jalapeno to store-bought but I KNOW that wouldn’t be as good as your version.) 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Haha the first time I made this I added Jalapeño powder to store bought Caesar dressing 😉 I’m not always a “homemade” dressing kinda girl. The husband “loves” ranch and I love just a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil on salad. But the past few days I’ve made a homemade Caesar and a Greek dressing and he’s loved them both!! I’ll call it progress 😁
      Oh and ground jalapeño powder is a revelation… It’s like everything to love in one little bottle!!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  3. Those shrimp should indeed be cooked very quickly. I’m a bit shocked by that cup of mayo 😉 Shrimp always works well with chillies and garlic, so this must be delicious. It might be nice to allow the shrimp to marinate for half an hour in the seasonings with olive oil before cooking them.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hahaha! Yeah a cup of Mayo 😉 I should have referred to this as “Pantry” Caesar dressing as we’ve been on the road so much lately I haven’t had much time to go to the store and not an egg in sight for making traditional Caesar dressing. I did allow the shrimp to marinate in the seasoning, but I guess I left that out of the recipe… Opps! Hope all is well Stefan and it was great to hear from you and get your feed back:)

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  4. This is brilliant Melody!! Looks like something I’d like to see our our table tonight!! And I’ve never heard of Ground Jalapeño pepper!! But you can bet I’ll be looking for it at our grocery store! Is it super spicy?? I really love the taste of jalapeño, but it can be a little too hot for me (a heat wimp, I think, next to a real Texan). And love the shrimp and avocado for summer. Perfect! thanks. xox

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks Rhonda 🙂 It is the prefect salad for a end of summer dinner. The jalapeño ground pepper is a little spicy but not too bad although my mom says I lost my heat sensor a long time ago. It’s got heat but not like mouth on fire heat. Have you ever tried Jalapeño potato chips? I would say its about he same heat level.

      Like

      Reply

      1. OK Melody– I have been walking past those jalapeño chips in the market and thinking I’d sure like to try them–but what if they are too too hot?? (I’m a cheapskate– don’t want to buy a bag of chips I won’t eat)– I’ll have to give both the chips and the salad a try! thanks friend. xo

        Like

Leave a comment