Tuesday, June 26, 2012

A Good Excuse for Potato Chips . . .


Shrimp salad was a summertime staple when I was growing up (along with chicken salad and tuna salad.) A cool lunch or supper on a hot day, it can be prepared in the early morning before the day heats up, leaving the cook nothing to do later but assemble the plate. My tomatoes aren't ripe yet but a roadside stand supplied some local, dead-ripe beauties. And then there are the chips...

Chips (crisps to you Brit-types) are a special treat in our house.  When the boys were little, if they spied a bag of chips coming in with the groceries, they immediately asked who was coming for dinner.

But chips were always served with those shrimp/tuna/chicken salads of my youth and who am I to turn my back on such a fine tradition?

Shrimp salad is so easy to make. Boil up your shrimp with some Old Bay Seasoning, a lemon cut in half, some onion and garlic. DO NOT OVERCOOK! As soon as the shrimps are pink, remove from heat, drain, and let cool. 

(In the interest of time and economy, I use the already peeled frozen, farm-raised shrimp. Of course, wild-caught Carolina shrimp in their shells would be much tastier, and if Sam of Carolina Kitchen ever comes to supper, that's what I'll use.)

Mix the cooled shrimp with chopped hard-cooked eggs, diced celery and red onion, and a good amount of fresh dill weed, then bind together with mayonnaise (my own homemade mayo is part of the magic, as are the bright yolks of the eggs from our chickens. But store bought mayo and eggs will certainly do.)

Just don't forget the chips.
 
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17 comments:

Ms. A said...

Perfect for the heat of summer!

Martin said...

Looks and sounds delicious.

Kath said...

I feel cooler and more summery already! Here's to a lovely salad for dinner.

Brian Miller said...

nice....and the chips give that bit of saltiness too that goes so well with the salad....did not have shrimp as much growing up, but def chicken....

Jean Baardsen said...

Like one needs an excuse for potato chips.... Looks delicious!

Friko said...

Could I book a place at your table now, please.?

Barbara Rogers said...

Lovely narrative and menu...I'm a chip-a-holic! Just don't buy them much or they're gone!

Suz said...

chips....say no more

Stella Jones said...

They add a nice crunch to the meal, don't they. Over here, shrimp are very expensive so I would only use them for a dinner party and I don't have many of those these days. What I liked about your choice of meal today was the colour. Everything so colourful and just begging to be eaten up!

NCmountainwoman said...

Pleasing to the eye and to the palate! We also love chips and never bring them into the house except when we have guests. But when we go down to Rocky's for my hot dog fix? Chips and the green tomato pickles are more important than the hot dog. Well, equally important at least.

Thérèse said...

Sounds delicious and with such flowers as decorations it's perfect.

Jules said...

That looks really good but obviously the chips are the crowning glory!!!!

Frances said...

Oh, this post and its picture have brought back many childhood Virginia memories of summertime meals. And chips!

I haven't bought any chips in perhaps over 20 years, but think that I might have managed to taste one or two, or maybe three.

Thank you so much for the recipe. xo

tipper said...

I've always wanted to try my hand at shrimp salad-I think you just convinced me : )

Inger said...

Sounds like a refreshing meal on a hot summer's day. And the flowers are gorgeous.

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Yum! Sounds good just with the chicken!

Thérèse said...

Your two first pictures are so magic. I love seeing them on your blog.