This colorful salad combines juicy shrimp, salty bacon, crunchy veggies, and zesty clementines with a marmalade dressing that will jolt your taste buds awake.

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I love salads, but I can quickly lose interest if the ratio of leafy greens to proteins to crunchy things isn’t right. To me, a successful salad must provide perfect bites that combine a riot of flavors and textures—bonus points if the salad features something warm and something sweet.

This Marmalade Shrimp and Bacon Salad is not your usual leafy business. The juicy shrimp, salty bacon, crunchy veggies, and zesty clementines are tossed in a marmalade-based dressing that is sure to jolt your taste buds awake. This exciting salad makes for a conversation-starting appetizer, delicious addition to a potluck brunch, or super-nutritious lunch.

Helpful Tips for Making Marmalade Shrimp and Bacon Salad

• Make it ahead: Of course, you can (and should, to allow flavors to develop fully) make the dressing a few hours (or up to 2 days) in advance, but this Marmalade Shrimp and Bacon Salad is sturdy, so you can make it ahead, too: up to a half-day ahead of serving time. Simply toss the salad ingredients together in a large bowl, or in portions in separate containers meal prep-style, and drizzle with the dressing right before serving.

• Vary the citrus: I like to use clementines because they’re quick to peel, sweet, super juicy, and aromatic, and they create super cute, flower-shaped slices. Depending on the season you’re making this salad in, you can substitute mandarins or any type of orange. I think this Marmalade Shrimp and Bacon Salad would be especially beautiful topped with blood oranges!

• Switch up the veggie line-up: This Marmalade Shrimp and Bacon Salad will gladly welcome any crunchy, colorful members of the vegetable family. Try adding sliced bell peppers, broccoli florets, green beans, sugar snap or snow peas, blanched fresh peas, blanched summer corn kernels, sliced radishes, or thinly sliced fennel or cabbage to the mix for an equally delicious, colorful result.

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Marmalade Shrimp and Bacon Salad

This colorful salad combines juicy shrimp, salty bacon, crunchy veggies, and zesty clementines with a marmalade dressing that will jolt your taste buds awake.

Prep Time:25 minutes mins

Cook Time:5 minutes mins

Total Time:30 minutes mins

Servings 4 servings

Author Marie Asselin, FoodNouveau.com

Ingredients

For the marmalade dressing

• 1/4 cup 60 ml orange or clementine marmalade
• 1/4 cup 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp 45 ml rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp 30 ml Japanese soy sauce (shoyu)
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 tsp 2 ml sambal oelek, or pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1/2 tsp 2 ml kosher salt, or fine sea salt

For the shrimp and bacon salad

• 1 tbsp 15 ml extra-virgin olive oil, or any neutral-tasting oil (canola, sunflower, grapeseed)
• 1 lb 454 g peeled and deveined medium-size shrimp (31 to 40 count)
• 1/2 tsp 2 ml kosher salt, or fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 handfuls baby spinach
• 1 handful bean sprouts
• 4 clementines peeled and sliced, or 2 oranges, peeled, pitted, and chopped into pieces
• 2 Lebanese cucumbers thinly sliced, or 1/3 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1 large carrot peeled and shredded or thinly sliced
• 4 slices bacon cooked and chopped
• 2 green onions sliced
• Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup 80 ml coarsely chopped toasted almonds, or walnuts, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds
• To serve optional
• Fresh basil leaves

Instructions

• For the marmalade dressing: Combine all the dressing ingredients in an airtight jar. Close, shake vigorously, and set aside.
• For the shrimp and bacon salad: Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet set over high heat. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the marmalade dressing, and toss to coat. Let the shrimp cool while you assemble the salad.
• In a large salad bowl, combine the spinach, bean sprouts, clementines, cucumbers, carrot, bacon, and green onions. Add 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the dressing and toss to coat. Season with flaky sea salt and pepper, toss, taste, and add more dressing if needed. Add the cooked shrimp and toss to combine.
• SERVING: Garnish the marmalade shrimp and bacon salad with chopped almonds and fresh basil leaves. Serve immediately.

MAKE-AHEAD TIPS

• Make the dressing up to 2 days ahead and keep refrigerated.
• Cook the shrimp and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 day.
• Toss the remaining salad ingredients together (baby spinach, bean sprouts, clementines, cucumbers, carrots, bacon, and green onions) and refrigerate in a large airtight container or a large salad bowl covered with plastic wrap for up to a day ahead of serving. Toss with the dressing and the shrimp and garnish with chopped almonds and basil leaves right before serving.
• Prep as a lunch: Toss the salad ingredients and the cooked shrimp together. Divide between individual airtight containers, top each serving with chopped almonds, then add a tiny container of dressing to each portion. Refrigerate for up to a day. Drizzle portions with the dressing right before serving.

Did you make this?

Tell me how you liked it! Leave a comment or take a picture and tag it with @foodnouveau on Instagram.

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