Shrimp, Corn & Red Pepper Salad -

This shrimp salad filling is reminiscent of a ceviche

This shrimp, corn and red pepper salad was devoured by all at a beach gathering this Summer. It was pre-Irene and we were sitting watching the sun set, munching contentedly on croissants filled with this super sandwich filling. Life doesn’t get any better than this, we thought. Sundowners in hand, we’re surrounded by good food and good company. But that was then...

Now we’re scurrying around Philly, grabbing school supplies and storming through Summer homework assignments.

Welcome to our world of back-to-school madness!

Recapture those receding Summer memories with this delightful and nutritious shrimp salad hoagie. For a posher picnic version, try croissants - as did our friend Catherine who dished up this recipe at the Jersey shore.

We like this recipe so much that we started playing around with it a little.

You can bump up the heat quota by adding a seasoned mayonnaise (we like Beck’s Creole Mayo), then assemble an array of salad greens on a plate and lay the shrimp mixture on the salad greens and voila, you have a light lunch. Alternatively, the shrimp works beautifully on a hot baked potato – there you have a quick and easy dinner.

I’d not heard of canned shrimp before, but they are extremely reasonable. If you prefer to use fresh shrimp feel free to switch this ingredient out, but the canned shrimp are surprisingly good and have a softer texture than conventional frozen shrimp (and they take less time to prepare – no need to peel or chop!)


Shrimp, Corn & Red Pepper Hoagies

1 large ear of corn
1 ½ cups cooked peeled tiny shrimp (you can buy in cans from most major grocery stores)
1 cup diced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon grated lime peel
½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste

Spice it up with Creole Mayo

(if you want a spicier version, try Beck’s Cajun Café’s new Creole Mayo in place of normal mayo - this is available from Beck's stand at Reading Terminal Market)

Cook corn for 3-4 minutes. Drain. Cool and cut off kernels. Place corn kernels in a bowl and add tiny shrimp, diced bell pepper, finely chopped cilantro and green onion. Add your lime juice and lime peel and the hot pepper sauce, toss to blend and mix mayo. Taste and season with salt and pepper as required.

Slice your hoagie across the middle and pull out some of the bread filling to make space for the sandwich. Divide shrimp salad amongst rolls and serve.

The best thing about this recipe is that you can make the shrimp filling the day before you actually need it.

When you’re scrabbling to get ready for a new school year, this recipe is an absolute lifeline!