Lemony Greek Shrimp Salad with Frizzled Onions

This beautiful, crunchy, and flavorful salad is sure to impress - worth the extra time to prepare! A unique combination of shrimp, red onion, bell pepper, cucumber, and Feta cheese with a light tang of lemony dressing is topped beautifully with french fried onions.

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients

2 large heads of Romaine lettuce, washed and torn into bite size pieces
1 lb Large (20 - 24 per lb) shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 English cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and halved
6 oz Feta cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
6 Bamboo Skewers, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes
1 Tbls. oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Shirlie Jayne's Lemony Greek Salad Dressing

Frizzled Onions Topping Ingredients (or purchase 1 can of french fried onions)

2 large onions
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups flour
salt and pepper
1/4 to 1/2 tlbs. cayenne pepper
vegetable oil for frying

How to Prepare

Prepare Frizzled Onion Topping First (or open 1 can of french fried onions - much easier!)

Peel onions and slice very thinly (a mandolin slicer makes this process easier)
Separate the onion slices and place in a shallow baking dish. Pour the buttermilk over the top. Press the onions down so they are submerged and soak room temperature for one hour.
Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a bowl and set aside.
Pour 1 to 2 quarts of the vegetable oil in a dutch oven or deep sauce pan. Heat to 375 degrees or until a pinch of flour sizzles when sprinkled on the oil.
Take a handful of onions, using tongs, out of the buttermilk and dredge them in the flour mixture. Coat all the onions and tap them on the inside of the bowl to get rid of the excess. When the oil is up to temperature, plunge the onions in and with a spoon, carefully break them up so they float independently. They will be cooked rapidly so be ready to remove them! Place them on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Repeat with the remaining onion slices.

Prepare Salad

Place shrimp into a large zip lock bag and coat them with Shirlie Jayne's Lemony Greek Dressing.
Marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
In a mixing bowl, gently toss tomatoes, cucumber, and onions.
Pour enough Shirlie Jayne's Lemony Greek Dressing to coat salad and let stand at room temperature while grilling.
Heat t he grill and thread four shrimp lengthwise, facing the same direction. Sprinkle with oregano and salt and pepper to taste.
The shrimp should lay flat on the grill. Grill shrimp until just cooked through (about 2 minutes on each side).
Grill bell pepper until just softened on each side. Coarsely chop the bell pepper.
Remove the shrimp from the skewers.
Place a small mound of romaine on 4 salad plates. Evenly distribute the tomato and cucumber.
Drizzle with Shirlie Jayne's Lemony Greek Salad Dressing.
Artfully sprinkle the feta cheese and place the onions in a pile.
Decorate the shrimp on the outside of the plate in a crescent shape. Serve!