Warm Salad with Grilled Asparagus and Prawns with Sherry Vinaigrette

Our dinner continued with a wonderful warm asparagus salad garnished with chopped egg, ribbons on ham, capers and mushrooms and layered with succulent prawns....it was delightful.  In fact, for me, it could have been the entire meal.  It was filling and left little room for what was to come!  I think this would be wonderful served for brunch.  It is a beautiful and elegant salad.

Now for the sad news...I didn't get there in time with the camera.  I was caught up in helping to plate and serve the salad and didn't think about the camera until it was too late.  There is a picture here.  However the recipe that accompanies the picture is a little different.

The recipe we used came from Patrick O'Connell's Refined American Cuisine, The Inn at Little Washington.  The five star Inn and restaurant is located in the historic town of Washington, Virginia  that was founded in 1769 and surveyed by George Washington.

Warm Salad with Grilled Asparagus and Prawns with Sherry Vinaigrette

Serves 4


Grilled Asparagus

12 jumbo asparagus, trimmed and peeled
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 bay leaf, crushed
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup Sherry Vinaigrette
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

1.  Preheat the grill to high.
2.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Fill a mixing bowl with ice water and set aside.
3.  Add the asparagus to boiling water.  Cook 3-4 minutes, or until spears are just tender.  Remove the spears and immediately place in bowl of ice water.  Drain.
4.  Marinate the asparagus in the olive oil, bay leaf, and garlic.  This can be prepared in advanced and stored in the refrigerator overnight.
5.  Place the marinated asparagus on the grill and cook for about 1 minute on each side, until marked by the grill and warmed through.
6.  Remove the asparagus from the grill, place them in a large mixing bowl, toss with the Sherry Vinaigrette, and season with salt and pepper.  Keep warm.

Prawns

6 extra-large blue prawns or 3/4 pound fresh shrimp, peeled and split lengthwise
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 Tbsp chopped shallot
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon

1.  Season the prawns with salt and pepper
2.  In a 10-inch skillet, heat the vegetable oil over high heat until almost smoking.  Place the prawns in the skillet, turn the heat to medium, and cook for about a minute.
3.  Add the butter, shallot, garlic, and tarragon and continue to cook for another minute, or until just pink.
4.  Remove the prawns from the pan and keep warm.

Garnishes

1 hard boiled egg, roughly chopped
3 slices ham cut into ribbons (1/4 inch wide)
1 Tbsp capers, drained
1/2 cup white button mushrooms, cut into matchsticks
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp aged balsamic vinegar

1.  Place 3 grilled asparagus spears in the center of each of four plates.
2.  Sprinkle the asparagus with chopped egg, ham ribbons, capers, and mushrooms.
3.  Place 1/4 of prawns or shrimp on top of each serving.
4.  Drizzle each plate with a few drops of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Sherry Vinaigrette

Yield:  3 cups

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 Tbsp chopped shallot
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 Tbsp dry sherry
2/3 cup sherry vinegar
1 cup salad oil
2/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup walnut oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk all the ingredients together in a large stainless steel bowl.  Transfer to a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
Store in the refrigerator and shake well or whisk thoroughly before using.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

This was a super salad and the cookbook is excellent!