Artichoke season is here, and as I’m a big fan of this unique vegetable (actually, an edible flower bud from the thistle family), I always try to find new ways to serve it. This time I’ve decided to use the artichoke hearts as a bed for serving a tasty shrimps salad.
The salad was flavored with saffron and lemon mayonnaise, as both compliment the mildly sweetish artichoke flavor, as well as the shrimps’. Combining these two elements was wonderful, both in flavor and color, and made for a great first course dish.
Unlike in THIS recipe, here I’ve cooked the whole artichoke, as I wanted to enjoy the tasty tip part of the leaves as well, to double the fun. The leaves were dipped in the remaining saffron mayonnaise that I’ve used to flavor the shrimps salad, and made for a tasty snack. Try both and enjoy.
Notes:
* Fresh artichokes are obviously the best choice here, but if you can’t get them, frozen artichoke hearts can be used instead. Prepared marinated artichoke are not suitable for this dish.
* If you’re not up to preparing the saffron mayonnaise yourself, simply mix ½ cup good quality mayonnaise with 5-6 saffron threads that were soaked in 1 Tbs warm water for 5 minutes, 2 tsp lemon juice, ½ tsp mustard, 1-2 drops hot sauce and salt to taste.
* The shrimp salad is also great in shrimp rolls.
* Cooked lobster tail, crab meat, or poached white fish, can be used instead of the shrimps.
Makes: 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: about 25 minutes
Ingredients:
For the artichokes:
4 large artichokes
A slice of lemon
2 tsp salt
For the shrimp salad:
12 medium fresh unpeeled deveined shrimps, or frozen, thawed
Slice of lemon
½ tsp salt
¼ cup saffron mayonnaise from THIS recipe, without the garlic (see notes)
1-2 drops hot sauce
2 scallions, roughly chopped
1. The artichokes: cut off the stem of the artichokes close to the base. Place them in a deep pot and cover with water. Add the lemon and salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to medium, and cook, covered, for about 20-25 minutes, or until the artichokes change color and you can easily pull out a leaf from the center of the artichoke. Drain and let cool to room temperature.
2. Remove the outer leaves, keeping them aside for dipping. Discard the inner leaves and remove the fuzzy part. Cover and keep at room temperature until serving.
3. The salad: place the shrimps in a pan, cover with water and add the lemon and salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, until they change color. Cool to room temperature. Peel and chop roughly. In a small bowl, mix with the scallions and ¼ cup of the saffron mayonnaise. Adjust seasoning if needed.
4. Place the cooked and cleaned artichokes hearts on a serving plate, and add the shrimp salad on top. Garnish with some outer leaves, or a slice of lemon, and serve immediately.
Shrimp my all time favorite…scrumptious😋
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Thank you. Same here, and so is artichoke, so it made sense to combine the two in one dish. 🙂
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Well done👍🏻
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Presentation too good
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Thank you. 🙂
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You’re always welcome dear😍
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A recipe after my own heart and tummy too! I love artichokes but never seem to cook with them and then anything shrimp is thumbs up for me. A sister uses them a lot so I guess I’ve been lazy and let her do the cooking. I will be looking for those yummy treats in the grocery…
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Thank you Judi, I’m glad to hear.
Cooking artichokes is really so simple, and eating them when freshly cooked is so much tastier. It’s just a shame the season is so short! 🙂
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This is a WOW dish, Ronit, and the saffron mayo recipe is a keeper!
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Thank you Dolly, I’m glad you liked the dish. I was very happy with how it came out, but in flavor and presentation. The saffron mayo is indeed so good. I make it often, as it’s suitable for so many uses. 🙂
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Looks wonderful. I love shrimp and saffron.
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Thank you Paul. It is indeed such a tasty combination! 🙂
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What a great idea! 👍🏻 it looks really fancy too.
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Thank you Myra, I’m glad you liked the dish. It definitely looks more sophisticated than it actually is! 🙂
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This is a keeper recipe. Well presented and designed.
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Thank you Rita, I’m glad you liked the dish. It was very tasty. 🙂
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The saffron mayo looks deee-vine! Haven’t had an artichoke in ages. Time to correct that!
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The saffron mayo is indeed so tasty and can be used in so many ways. As for the artichokes, hurry before the season is over! 🙂
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The presentation is beautiful! I’ve never tried making any artichoke dishes that went beyond the basic boiled artichoke. The combination of artichoke and shrimp salad sounds wonderful.
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Thank you Sheryl, I’m glad you liked the recipe. The artichoke indeed paired so well with the salad. Highly recommended! 🙂
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Superb! This brings back a lot of memories! 🙂
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Thank you Franck, I’m glad this post brought back nice and tasty memories. 🙂
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Shrimp is always a good idea, that’s for sure. Now saffron gives it a twist of flavor. Well done, Ronit. 🌿🍤
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Thank you Gail, I’m glad you liked the recipe. Saffron indeed adds such nice flavor and color. Highly recommended. 🙂
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I grew up on artichokes, living in California. It’s funny to me that I still encounter people who have never tried one. But they are a bit odd, and do take a bit of work! I absolutely love what you’ve done here.
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Thank you Mimi, I’m glad you liked the recipe. People who didn’t grow up on artichokes indeed find them odd, which is a shame, as they are so very delicious! 🙂
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What an elegant first course you have created…I like everything about it.
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Thank you Karen, I’m glad you liked the dish. It was very tasty. Will make it again soon, while artichokes are still in season. 🙂
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I think it is really special.
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So nice to hear. 🙂
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Oh my gosh what a treat this is! Saffron mayo – it’s just incomprehensible to me that there is such a thing! Wow! You’ve kind of blown my mind, Ronit!!
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Thank you Mollie, I’m glad you liked the recipe. The saffron mayo is indeed so tasty, and can be used in many ways. Highly recommended! 🙂
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I too love artichokes Ronit – fantastic and inventive way to serve them, inspires me to venture beyond simply preserving them in vinegar!
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Thank you Laura, I’m glad you liked the dish. It is such a tasty and fun way to serve artichokes. I hope you’ll enjoy it! 🙂
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Looks wonderful, lovely presentation too Ronit!
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Thank you Annika. This was such a tasty combination. A shame artichoke season is so short! 🙂
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