Grilled Shrimp Panzanella

In Main Dishes, Recipes, Salads by Frances Largeman Roth

Makes 4 servings

Panzanella is an Italian bread salad, and it’s a great way to use up stale bread. It’s also a nice way to get kids (and vegetable averse grown ups) to eat more veggies. What’s that–you don’t eat gluten? Totally fine–just use a sturdy gluten-free bread. And it comes together super fast: By the time you’ve let the shrimp marinate, you’ll have grilled the bread and put the salad elements together.

Note: I like using a metal mesh grill basket for small items like shrimp. It’s much easier and cleaner than threading the shrimp onto skewers and then having to remove them once they’re cooked. And hey–you can always cook the shrimp in a pan and toast the bread in a toaster–it’s all good!

Ingredients:

For the shrimp:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp, tails on

For the panzanella:

  • 1 large clove garlic, halved
  • 3 slices (1-inch thick) day old crusty bread
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • ¼ cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
  • 4 cups baby arugula

Preparation:

  1. In a zip-top plastic bag, combine all of the ingredients for the shrimp. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, rub the cut sides of the garlic over the bread slices. Use a pastry brush to coat both sides of the bread with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Heat a grill or grill pan to medium high and grill the bread for 1 minute per side; transfer to a cutting board. Leave grill on.
  3. Remove shrimp from the bag with the seasonings (dispose of bag) and either thread on skewers or transfer to a metal mesh grilling basket (see note above) and place on grill. Cook for 2 minutes per side, until pink and opaque. Remove from heat.
  4. In a medium bowl, combine the cherry tomatoes, salt, pepper, balsamic, the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and olives. Toss gently.
  5. Cut the grilled bread into 1-inch cubes and add to the bowl with the cherry tomatoes; toss. Divide the arugula among 4 bowls. Top with 5 to 6 shrimp and about 1 cup of the panzanella.