A Bougie Shrimp & Orzo Summer Salad

As wild as this year as been, can you believe that summer is coming to an end? Well at least summer is ending for the rest of the world, here in South Florida, we have summer year-round.

But with summer ending, I had a craving for something light and crisp (yet still filling) before we get into the heaviness of fall and winter cooking. Exhibit A: This Shrimp & Orzo Salad.

Listen. I love a good salad. When I really think about it, outside of wings, salad MAY be my favorite dish. Random, I know.

I love those big salads filled with meat, cheese, and ONIONS (always onions), with a bomb salad dressing to round the whole thing out. I also enjoy the cute little salads like a Caesar Salad with simple toppings like cheese and croutons. Honestly, I love them all, and this Shrimp & Orzo Salad lands right in the middle between cute and light and hearty and filling.

When I first made this salad in 2016, my immediate thought was, this salad is bougie. This is the type of salad that you serve yourself when you’re about to go shopping at Saks or before logging online to try and snag a Telfar bag. This is the salad you order when you’re having a bougie brunch with your girls and you don’t want to do too much. Only you don’t have to order this salad, sis, you can make this salad yourself.

The beauty of this salad is that it pairs with pretty much any vegetable you like or have on hand. I used tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions, classic salad toppings because that’s what I had in my fridge however I could totally see toppings like corn, asparagus, and peppers pairing with this salad as well. When it comes to salads, I truly feel that there shouldn’t be any rules or limitations, and whatever floats your boat is what we go with.

So as we bid adieu to summer and hello to fall, we finish summer well with this bougie salad.

Ingredients

1/2 lb of shrimp

1 Cup of Orzo

2 Cups of Arugula Lettuce

1 TSP of Lemon Juice

1 TBSP of Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

Toppings of Choice:

Cucumbers

Grape Tomatoes

Red Onions

Feta

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

1.5 TBSP of Dijon Mustard (2 TBSP if you want a little more punch)

3/4 cup of Olive Oil

1/3 cup of honey

1/3 cup of Honey Citrus Balsamic Vinegar** (white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar are perfect substitutes)

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 TBSP of Dill

Salad Instructions

1. Cook Orzo fully according to package directions. Don't forget to salt the water!

2. To a pan, add olive oil. Season shrimp with salt, and cook shrimp fully (3-4 minutes per side, until pink). Add about a teaspoon of lemon juice and a teaspoon of dill to shrimp.

3. To assemble the salad, add arugula, orzo, and toppings of choice. I happened to have onions, tomatoes, and tomatoes.

4. Top with shrimp and feta.

5. Enjoy!

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette Instructions

1. Add mustard, vinegar, and honey to a bowl and mix together.

2. Drizzle in olive oil, WHILE WHISKING. Mix well to emulsify.

3. Season dressing with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Stir in dill for razzle-dazzle.

5. Refrigerate or serve immediately. Enjoy!