Grilled Shrimp, Tofu, and Pineapple Salad


It has been abnormally chilly in New York for this time of year, it actually feels much more like San Francisco with highs in the mid-60s.  To get myself in the mindset of warmer weather, I made an Asian fusion salad with a tropical flair from ingredients such as caramelized pineapples, crisp jicama and fresh mint. This salad always transports me to the lazy afternoons in California on our garden terrace when I'd have my feet up, sipping on a glass of ripe chardonnay, basking in the sun's warmth, and watching the boats sail quietly through the bay. It was during one of those amazing clear afternoons when I first made this salad, so I have very warm memories affiliated with it.


This is an exotic salad that has a little bit of everything: sweet, tangy, bright, fiery and smoky. It requires some prep work, such as julienning carrots, cucumbers, and jicama, but is well worth the effort. If you have never had jicama, it is a refreshing crisp root that tastes similar to a water chestnut or a potato without the heavy starches. It can be found at Whole Foods or most Asian or Mexican grocery stores.

Grilled Shrimp, Tofu, and Pineapple Salad
(adapted from Martha Stewart Living)
Ingredients

For the Salad
  • 1 package (14 ounces) firm tofu, quartered lengthwise
  • 1 pound medium shrimp, shells intact, deveined
Shrimp Marinade
  • 1/4 cup unseasoned rice-wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons sambal oelek chili paste
  • 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh ginger
Salad Ingredients
  • 1 medium pineapple, peeled
  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 3 medium carrots, julienned 
  • 1/2 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick crosswise
  • 1 medium jicama, peeled and julienned
  • 3 tablespoons sliced fresh mint
For the Dressing
  • 1/4 cup unseasoned rice-wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Method
  1. Make the salad: Place tofu slices on a rimmed baking sheet between layers of paper towels. Place a baking sheet weighted with heavy cans on top of the tofu. Let stand for 30 minutes. Pat tofu until completely dry.
  2. Place shrimp in a bowl. Puree vinegar, honey, sambal oelek, garlic, and ginger in a food processor until smooth, and pour over shrimp. Turn shrimp until well coated. Cover and refrigerate, turning once, for 1 hour.
  3. Preheat grill to medium. Cut pineapple lengthwise along sides of core into 2 large pieces, then slice each piece lengthwise into thirds. Reserve remaining center piece for another use. Grill pineapple, turning frequently, until brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Brush tofu with oil, sprinkle with the salt and pepper, and grill, turning once, until brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Grill shrimp, turning once, until opaque, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
  4. Cut pineapple crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut tofu into 1/2-inch cubes. Peel shrimp, and combine with pineapple, tofu, carrots, cucumber, jicama, and mint in a salad bowl.
  5. Make the dressing: Whisk together ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over salad, and toss until well combined.
Serves 6-8

56 comments:

Belinda @zomppa said...

Simple, but sounds so fresh and perfect! Hope it warms up a bit.

Mari Nuñez said...

Awesome combination. I love it! Thanks for sharing this recipe.

3 hungry tummies said...

That is a beautiful and fresh looking salad! Looks like you have a sunny kitchen too!

La Bella Cooks said...

A perfect salad to bring back warm weather memories. It is actually pretty cool here in CA right now, so I might have to make this myself as well!

Angie's Recipes said...

A very delicious and tempting summer salad! Love the addition of tofu in the salad.

Mimi said...

What a delightful combination of flavors and texture.
Mimi

square kitchen said...

that sounds like a real summer recipe. I imagine that very good on our next bbq. thanks for sharing.

Meena said...

lovely ingredients...yumm-ooo!

MaryMoh said...

Mmmm...I really ike this. You have all my favourite in a dish. I don't mind eating this everyday.

Deana Sidney said...

So many good things, Christine!!! The weather seems to finally be breaking that frigid spell and I am so in the mood for refreshing salads... love shrimp with pineapple!

Deana Sidney said...

So many good things, Christine!!! The weather seems to finally be breaking that frigid spell and I am so in the mood for refreshing salads... love shrimp with pineapple!

Donna-FFW said...

What a fantastic combination, I love how it is so fresh, great flavors!

♥Sugar♥Plum♥Fairy♥ said...

U have created a meal here, with a combi that has me completely donuts....lovn it ....
Pairs beautifully too!!

Simply Life said...

Oh my gosh, I love everything you used here -great dish!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I'd say this salad is definitely worth the effort. It is spot prawn season, bit only for a few short weeks, so I better get cracking.

lululu said...

I thought NY would have been warm and humid for quite some time already.
Hope this wonderful salad brought you some exotic feelings!

kat said...

Very exotic but a bet a tasty change

Cool Lassi(e) said...

Well that salad looks perfect. So much flavor and ingredients..definitely a winner!

Asha @ FSK said...

:)) Agree, with the weather we have been having it's nice to create dishes that transports you back to lovely memories.. ! very pretty dish!

KennyT said...

The combination of the ingredients is so good! This salad looks refreshing and summery!

Jennifer said...

This is a really great salad!!! I think ill make it this week with just the tofu! thanks!

ann low said...

Looks colorful and flavorful.

Sarah Naveen said...

beautiful pics...nice recipe..looks so yummy!!

Pam said...

What a fantastic salad... I love every ingredient used.

Tasty Trix said...

The grilled pineapple sounds so wonderful in this. I would LOVE to be eating this on your (former) California porch with a glass of wine! That sounds so perfect.

Barbara said...

Very interesting combo of ingredients. Love the spicy marinade for the shrimp and love that you've grilled everything. Pineapple and mint are unexpected and the perfect foil.
Looks delicious!

Penny said...

Great combination of ingredients. I love complex flavors mixed together. We have recently grilled cantelope and radicchio and love what the grill does to them.

Joanne said...

I love salads like this that have a great combination of flavors! Perfect for summer...wherever it is!

The Diva on a Diet said...

Sweet, tangy, salty, crunchy ... this recipe hits all the right notes for me! And its beautiful to boot. Love it, FLB!

I'm enjoying the hell out of this unusually chilly weather ... because I know that sooner, rather than later, I'll be complaining about the heat! ;)

Anonymous said...

Hi Christine♥ it has been a while!
Delightful to stop by your blog as usual.
xOxO.

A Canadian Foodie said...

Hi, Christine!
Call me silly - but why do you add the tofu? Is it for the texture? It adds no flavour, and you already have the protein. It seems curious to me. The salad sounds really crisp and fresh and tangy and like a perfect summer lunch - I just can't get my head around the tofu.
:)
Valerie

Gera@SweetsFoodsBlog said...

What an excellent salad has all the possible flavors! Hope a warming weather soon.

Cheers,

Gera

The Blonde Duck said...

I've been looking for some good summer salads!

tasteofbeirut said...

This is an amazing salad and with the view of the bay as you describe and a glass of Chardonnay from Sonoma I would qualify it as heaven; so what are you doing in New York?

Stella said...

This salad sounds like the perfect sweet and savory snack. I love jicama's crunch and the rest of the ingredients sound refreshing. That description of eating it in San Fransisco didn't hurt anything either...

Juliana said...

Love the ingredients in your salad...it sure is a complete meal. Like the idea of using tofu :-)

Chef E said...

So many times I reach for pineapple then my hand being a free thinker grabs the watermelon!

I need a pineapple fix and this is my motivation! Looks good, jealous of that pretty kitchen, as I have a closet for one :)

chow and chatter said...

wow this looks great and amazing snaps as ever

Reeni said...

This is a gorgeous salad! The flavors are lovely. So bright and fresh. I love where it took you!

El said...

Such a beautiful and refreshing salad. I wish I were watching the boats pass by too!

Claudia said...

I love coming here! I am totally sold on this salad. Will make it for the weekend...and fresh shrimp comes to MN this weekend.

Velva said...

This is amazing salad. I love the flavors. The best foods are the ones we have the fond memories about-

Lea Ann said...

Fabulous salad. Another one boomarked and can't wait to give it a try in any weather. Hope it warms up.

Sarah said...

Perfect! We have been trying a variety of tofu recipes lately and this looks delicious!!!

Unknown said...

I love jicama in salads. I'm allergic to all fish (shellfish included) but I bet this salad would be great with some chicken :)

Deb in Hawaii said...

What a wonderful salad--I love all of the ingredients--especially the jicama!

Kim said...

This truly is one exotic salad with beautiful ingredients. Sounds like you have wonderful memories affiliated with it. I could really go for basking in the sun on a garden terrace with a glass of wine right now.

Lori said...

What a fantastic recipe! So light and flavorful with a splash of exotic flavor. It has been cold around here too and my garden isn't liking it much. I don't want July heat yet, but I think the garden would prefer it. :)

nancy at good food matters said...

Gorgeous salad. I love all its elements, and the shrimp marinade looks excellent.

Our weather has been very bizarre. Beyond the rains and flooding of two weeks ago, its had wild swings of heat/humidity to gray and quite cool.

sweetlife said...

goregous salad, love all the flavors..and jicama yum one of my favorites..

sweetlife

Bo said...

The weather has been so warm here...This refreshing salad would be perfect for my dinner tonight. Yummy.

tigerfish said...

You have it all there...all the exciting flavors just like how you describe it! Wooo...that sambal, with the pineapples, shrimps....fabulous!

Sook said...

Shrimp and tofu sound like a great combination! Yum!

Justin said...

i think that cool weather is finally behind us, although i'm cooking up some soup right now??? anyway, this dish is my kind of cooking, for sure.

pigpigscorner said...

Lovely combination of ingredients!

OysterCulture said...

This dish just sounds like its bursting with flavor. Love the pineapple and shrimp combo. Look forward to making it soon.