Octavia’s Warm Shrimp Salad with Cantaloupe & Feta

Excuse me for a minute while I eat all of the popsicles and forget to blog about it (oops).

I spent last week in Sunriver, Oregon, where the air is hot and dry and the mountains loom quietly on the horizon.  We were there for Ben’s family reunion.  There were some sweaty bike rides, a dip in the pool, a few spirited games of pickle ball (a real game, apparently), lots of empty wine bottles, ample ice cream cones, plenty of deer sightings, and a whole lot of family time.

My niece, Matilda, says hello.

…Skeptically.

We drove through Portland to get to Sunriver, so we stopped at Lardo for pork meatball bahn mi sandwiches, cucumber salad and french fries.

A good decision.

In Sunriver, we pretended to know how to play croquet.

When we got back to Seattle, it was hot.  Real hot.  Like, sweaty-knee-back hot.  So we picnicked on the patio with cold white wine and this salad, which is plump with shrimp and tangy with arugula and feta.  The cantaloupe is a nice and unexpected addition; it really pulls the whole dish together.  It’s a salad for hot summer evenings, light and flavorful, as delicious at room temperature as it is warm.

Octavia’s Warm Shrimp Salad with Cantaloupe & Feta

Adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine

The original recipe calls for honeydew instead of cantaloupe, and frisée instead of arugula.  I liked our substitutions but if you want to stick with the original I’m sure it’d be delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled & deveined (tails removed)
• kosher salt
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
• 1 medium lime, finely grated to yield 1 teaspoon zest, squeezed to yield 4 teaspoons juice
• ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound greens baby arugula
• 1 medium canteloupe, peeled, seeded & cut into 1/2-inch chunks (about 4 cups)
• 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh mint leaves
• 2 teaspoons cracked coriander seeds

Directions:

Pat the shrimp dry, and season sparingly with salt and cayenne.

Warm a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the oil.  Once the oil is shimmering, add the shrimp and cook on one side until pink, about 1 minute. Flip the shrimp and add the shallots, lime zest, and 1 tsp. of the lime juice. Turn the heat to medium and cook until the shrimp are just opaque throughout, about 2 minutes more.

Meanwhile, in a large serving bowl, whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 1 tablespoon lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss the arugula and the melon in the vinaigrette.  Top the salad with the shrimp, feta, mint, and coriander and serve.

Serves 4