Happy mother’s day to myself, my mother, my grandmothers & every single mother out there trying to stay sane in the middle of this crazy thing called “motherhood”.

If you have read any of my previous posts, you would notice that I always talk about my mother’s hatred to cooking or actually anything kitchen related even if it was boiling an egg or microwaving a pre-cooked meal.

But what I never talked about was my mother’s UNBELIEVABLE passion to “eating” nice food not “cooking” it. I don’t think there is a single person in this world who can indulge in food like she does! She really appreciates every single flavor & ingredient out there; I don’t recall my mother ever saying “I hate this or I am not really into that”. She LITERALLY eats everything with the same passion.

She is the best company you can share a meal with & even if you aren’t hungry, her endless indulgence will make you starving!

Thank god I made it out of her house in a decent weight because when you are around mom, you will do nothing but eat, eat & eat hahahah.

So today, I am posting one of the meals that we always enjoyed together at THE FIRST MALL Gourmandise cafe. It was “our place” …we always went there when we wanted to share some good food & gossip.

This shrimp ceaser salad is one of my favorite salads ever; whether I am preparing it for myself only or for a fancy dinner hosting.

It comes together in no time, doesn’t require any fancy ingredients & the oven + the food processor do almost all the work.

Besides, having leftover ceaser dressing in my fridge is never EVER a bad idea! I don’t only add it to salads, try it as a dip for veggies or french fries, spread it over toast with cheese, tomato & cold cuts or drizzle some over your grilled chicken! A WIN WIN kinda dressing!

& this dressing recipe is a good one …. actually a really good one! The classical ceaser dressing we grew up eating at restaurants!

Preparing this salad with shrimps & not chicken takes it to a whole NEW level! Dipping the perfectly seasoned shrimps in the ceaser dressing then biting into the lettuce just creates the perfect combination for me … my mother … & hopefully you as well.

Ingredients:

FOR THE SALAD:

• 1 small iceberg lettuce cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese or more to taste
• freshly grated black pepper

FOR THE SHRIMPS:

• 2 cups raw peeled shrimps
• juice of 1 medium lemon
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp coriander كسبرة ناشفة
• 1/4 red pepper flakes or more to taste (optional) فلفل حار مجفف
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt & pepper

FOR THE DRESSING:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
• 1 dash Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 slice anchovy (optional) 
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• salt to taste
• to make the sauce thinner: 2 tbsp milk

FOR THE BREAD CROUTONS: (OPTIONAL)

• 3 slices white toast (preferable stale/old)
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional)
• salt & pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven at 200 C.
2. Mix the shrimp with all the marinade ingredients.
3. Spread in a single layer on a baking tray & bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until cooked through.
4. Let the shrimps cool down to room temperature. 
5. For the croutons, cut the toast slices into medium sized cubes & toss with the olive oil, garlic powder, salt & pepper until well coated.
6. Spread the croutons in a single layer on a baking tray & bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes until golden & crispy; tossing them 2-3 times to make sure all sides brown evenly (You can bake the shrimps & croutons at the same time but in separate trays). 
7. Meanwhile, in the food processor, add all the dressing ingredients except the milk & process until smooth. Taste for salt & pepper seasoning.
8. If you want a thinner consistency, stir in 1 tbsp milk. If you still want it thinner, add the remaining 1 tbsp milk. 
9. Arrange the lettuce chunks in a single layer on a serving plate, top with shrimps, sprinkle with parmesan cheese & freshly grated pepper & drizzle with the dressing.
10. Serve immediately.

Notes:

1. You can replace the shrimps with chicken & use the same marinade but the baking time will vary depending on the thickness of the chicken.
2. You can cook the shrimps in a hot pan over the stove instead of the oven.
3. If you have a block of parmesan cheese, you can use a vegetable peeler to add thin slices of cheese to the salad.
4. You can store the dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a week.
5. Add the dressing just before serving the salad so that it doesn’t wilt the lettuce. The leftover salad can be refrigerated up to 24 hours as long as it wasn’t mixed with the dressing.