Confetti Salad with Shrimp and Bacon

Confetti Salad with Shrimp and Bacon is a nod to my Alabama FoodBuzz friend, Drick, whose recipe for Creamy Shrimp Salad was the source of inspiration. If you like Southern and Cajun cuisine, Drick's Rambling Café is a wonderful blog full of mouthwatering recipes.

This creation brings a lively twist to the many variations of confetti salad with the addition of bacon and cayenne pepper. I happen to like the kick of cayenne pepper, but if you have young, sensitive taste buds in the house, the salad will stand on its own without the hot stuff. I used red onion, celery, peas and corn in this recipe but black beans and chopped red bell pepper would be welcome additions.

A quick, light-yet-flavorful, one-dish summer meal, Confetti Salad with Shrimp and Bacon is a good source of fiber and vitamin C as well as an excellent source of vitamin A and iron (using FDA food labeling jargon). No added salt is needed for the recipe: The shrimp and bacon provide just enough.

Yield: 4 servings

Preparation Time: 45 minutes

1 lb raw wild-caught shrimp, 12-16 per pound
2 garlic cloves
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c red onion1/2 c celery
2 slices bacon
1 c frozen green peas
1 c frozen or canned yellow corn kernels
1 T fresh parsley, chopped
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1/4 c mayonnaise
4-6 romaine lettuce leaves

Place three quarts of water, garlic cloves and Worcestershire sauce in a large stock pot; bring to a boil. (Thanks to Drick for cuing me in to perking up the water with Worcestershire sauce.) Add shrimp, bring back to a boil and boil 3-4 minutes. Drain shrimp in a colander and run cool water over shrimp. Peel (and devein, if desired) shrimp; cut in thirds cross-wise. Refrigerate while preparing additional ingredients. Chop onion and celery. Cook bacon in nonstick frying pan; remove from pan and place on paper towels to drain fat and crisp bacon. When cool, crumble into small bits. Simmer frozen peas for five minutes in small sauce pan; drain and rinse with cool water. Place all ingredients, except Romaine leaves, in a mixing bowl and fold gently until well mixed. If you make ahead of time, wait to add bacon until just before serving, to preserve crispness. Plate individual servings by arranging lettuce and mounding salad on top.

Per-serving Nutritional Profile:
    Calories, 240
    Fat, 8 g
        Saturated Fat, 1.5 g
    Cholesterol, 175 mg
    Carbs, 19 g
        Dietary Fiber, 3 g
    Protein, 23 g
    Sodium, 550  mg
    Vitamin A, 25% Daily Value
    Vitamin C, 15% Daily Value
    Calcium, 6% Daily Value
    Iron, 20% Daily Value