Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Shrimp salad with dill a la IKEA

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There are two IKEA stores near where we live in southern California. We normally frequent the one in Torrance, which is slightly closer via a less congested route. But it has one fatal flaw: a sub-standard restaurant whose fare is limited to hot dogs, ice cream and those (admittedly wonderful) iconic Swedish meatballs with lingonberry sauce.

The other IKEA in Burbank is harder for us to reach and has worse parking. But its restaurant offers magical Scandinavian specialties: gravlax (cured salmon), a nice apple cake, and, in my husband's words, "cunning" little open-faced shrimp sandwiches. They take tiny bay shrimp, mix them with chopped fresh dill and mayonnaise, squirt the whole thing with lemon, and put it over thinly sliced brown bread. Simple, clean, elegant.

(Confession: Sometimes when the kids are away with their grandparents or sleeping over at friends' houses, my husband and I go to IKEA for date night. We can't be the only ones - right? Right?)


I was trying to remember shrimp salads of my youth and realized that bay shrimp must be a West coast phenomenon. I'd never seen the tiny pink shrimp before moving to California. Now I buy them often. I love their soft, briny chew in soups, seafood stews, and especially shrimp salad. A quick rinse and they're ready to go - no peeling, deveining or chopping required.

Note: I like a lot of dill in this shrimp salad. If you find it overwhelmingly aromatic, use the lesser amount.



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Shrimp salad with dill a la IKEA
Use tiny bay shrimp if you can find them - they're sweet, tender and require no preparation beyond a quick rinse.
Ingredients
  • 1 pound bay shrimp, rinsed and patted dry (can substitute larger shrimp, peeled and chopped)
  • 2 green onions, finely chopped
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. Serve chilled over lettuce leaves or sturdy brown bread.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 4 servings

5 comments:

Monet said...

Smile. We visit Ikea for a fun date night too. I wish I could share a plate of this shrimp salad with you! I hope you have a wonderful day, my sweet friend. Thank you for sharing another creative and beautiful dish. Hugs from Austin!

Angela said...

Erika -

There are millions of food blogs out there but what makes yours great is the combination of good food and humor. Date night at Ikea is hilarious! Although, a past boyfriend and I took a mid-day date trip to Ikea (at age 20). While there, he alluded to the last time we were there together... which was never! He got me confused with his previous girlfriend, who he also took to Ikea on a date! You're certainly not the only one :)

Thanks for keeping it yummy & funny,
Angela
http://alohayinzmangia.blogspot.com/

Erika Kerekes said...

Monet and Angela - I'm so glad to hear we're not the only grownups who spend romantic time at IKEA. Shopping and shrimp salad and meatballs with lingonberry sauce. What could be better?

Kristy said...

I keep hearing about the food at Ikea. I'm going to have to head over there one of these days. This looks so fresh and summery.

Rocky Mountain Woman said...

I've been making dill potato salad all week because of an overabundance of dill in my garden. Something new to add to the mix is quite welcome!

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