Seafood Salad with Tarragon Dressing

                         

Makes 4 maindish salads, 400 cal. ea.                                                    Adapted from Sunset.

Frozen raw shrimp and calamari are just fine for this recipe. The calamari you can find in a box. The freezing and thawing process helps tenderize the calamari, and boiling super hot for just one minute they’ll be perfectly tender—and much cuter. You’ll only need ½ the box so you can carefully chip away through the frosty critters,(don’t let them scare you), and thaw under water in a strainer then refrigerate a couple hours until your read to eat. Go online to see a video of how to clean them. It’s creepy fun!

1 pound peeled, deveined medium raw shrimp

1/2 pound cleaned calamari, bodies and tentacles

1/2 C. good  mayonnaise

1 tsp. grated lemon peel

1/4 C. fresh lemon juice

1/4 C. fresh tarragon, chopped

     1 Tbs. Dijon mustard

     1/2 tsp. kosher salt

     1/2 tsp. pepper

     2 heads butter leaf lettuce, rinsed, dried and torn to bite size

     1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced

Combine mayonnaise, lemon peel and juice, tarragon, mustard, and 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add shrimp and calamari and boil for one minute. That’s all! Drain and immerse in ice water until cold; drain again. Cut calamari bodies into 1/2-in.-wide rings and if using large squid cut tentacles in half lengthwise.

Plate lettuce and dress salad. Arrange with seafood and top with avocado.