Bloody Caesar Shrimp Salad for Canada Day
From coast to coast, Canadians are making plans to celebrate our national holiday on July 1st, be it by watching the Snowbirds fly over Parliament Hill, marching in a parade, or making merry while poolside with friends.
It’s also Danny’s birthday, so we party extra hard, celebrating him and our fair country all at once. We’ve been lucky enough to receive an invitation to a barbecue at Tim and Angela‘s place in Montreal, and I say lucky, because Tim is the master of the Webber.
I’m slotted to bring a salad to this gathering, which is perfect because I’ve been cooking up something very patriotic for Canada Day – a Bloody Caesar Shrimp Salad. Inspired by one of our most famous cocktails, it’s light, fresh, and best of all, very simple. Oh, and if you have ice, there’s a cocktail to be enjoyed at the end of the recipe.
Now before you click away, you need to know that the marinade for that salad can also be made with regular tomato juice instead of Clamato juice, an ingredient that difficult to source outside of Canada, I am told. I suppose that replacement would make it a Bloody Mary Shrimp Salad.
Either way, it’s an utterly delicious way to enjoy those new tomatoes that are starting to ripen on the vine. If you’ve always been someone who enjoys the cocktail garnish as much as the drink itself, you’ll love this salad. A zesty marinade spiked with hot sauce and horseradish livens up cold shrimp and young celery add a necessary crunch. Top it off with a heap of fresh-picked parsley and you have a salad worthy of Canada’s birthday (or your celebration for the Fourth!).
I don’t recommend refrigerating this salad overnight, as the tomatoes tend to become mealy and the celery looses much of its crunch. However, a few hours in the fridge doesn’t hurt the dish and you certainly want to serve it well chilled. Oh, and if this salad is going to be sitting out on a picnic table, be sure to keep it on ice.
If you’re a pickle connoisseur like I am, I probably don’t have to tell you that this Bloody Caesar Shrimp Salad is further improved by a garnish of pickled asparagus, pickled fiddleheads, or spicy pickled green beans. Enjoy!
Bloody Caesar Shrimp Salad
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Clamato juice
- 1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3-4 dashes hot sauce (I used Tabasco)
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 380 grams wild caught shrimp cooked and cold
- 2 heaping cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 3 ribs celery inner stalks
- 1/2 cup celery leaves loosely packed
- 1/2 cup Italian parsley leaves loosely packed
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together Clamato juice, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, lime juice, celery salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Tumble in shrimp and cherry tomatoes. Cut celery into 1/4 inch slices and add to the bowl.
- Stir the shrimp and vegetables in the marinade until well coated. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Drain off the Clamato liquid and reserve for a cocktail. Toss celery and parsley leaves into the salad and heap onto a serving plate. Garnish with a squeeze of lime and serve at once.
- For the drink, add the marinade to a cocktail shaker along with 2 shots of vodka and plenty of ice. Shake well, then divide between two highball glasses. Garnish with more ice, a stick of celery and a wedge of lime. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More summer salads:
- Grilled Green Bean Salad with Tomatoes and Shallots
- Quick Asian Noodle Salad
- Fresh Carrot Salad with Cilantro & Cinnamon
- Tangy Quinoa Salad Cups with Radish and Avocado
- Middle Eastern Taco Salad with Roasted Chickpeas, Tangy Avocado Dressing
Bring on the greens and summer salads! Do you have a favourite?
Yummy!! this looks delish!!
I love how the liquid first marinates the shrimp and then is used for a drink! Great idea!
This salad looks amazing…..and sounds so tasty. Great idea for a BBQ.
On a side note….saw your article in the Costco Connection….very nice. You certainly are inspiration to all us “bloggers”. Great Work!!
This is definitely going on our summer’s menu, love the fresh and simple flavours. Happy birthday to Danny!
What a fun day you must have had! I’m guessing that the salad is a bit reminiscent of gazpacho? I’ll have to try it!
Just by reading the ingredients this salad is flavor explosion! I will definitely try this and serve it to my girlfriends! Thanks for sharing Aimee 😉
I love shrimp as a Caesar garnish, so I have a feeling that I would love this dish!
Just by reading the ingredients this salad is flavor explosion! Thanks for sharing Aimee