I fall in the last category: Memorial Day weekend, which typically falls on my mom’s birthday, is a time to be with family and friends, have a glass of something cool and high alcoholic content accompanied by food that breaks my Paleo diet. So for me, a go-to crowd pleaser is my roasted shrimp and orzo salad. I found this recipe while binge watching Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa, and amid shots of her roaming the farmer’s market in Martha’s Vineyard and perusing the aisles in her local French bakery (doesn’t everyone have one in their town), she made this for her summer dinner party, y’know, in her Martha’s Vineyard backyard. Needless to say, my invitation was somehow lost in the mail.
Let me get this off my chest before I go any further: I have a love/hate relationship with Ina Garten, and yes, it’s mostly on my end because the woman doesn’t know I exist. Everything has to be “good” in her ingredients: “good” olive oil, “good” cheese, “good” spices. Um, Ina? Anything on sale at my grocery store is “good” in my opinion. Sure the woman brags about her monthly trips to Paris, sometimes name drops on her shows and in her cookbooks, and calls her husband Jeffery (not Jeff, but Jeffery.)
But the woman can cook, dammit, and that’s why I love her.
And her roasted shrimp and orzo salad has something for everyone and the best part? It’s completely foolproof. And the end result will have you standing on a chair over your plate, lining up the perfect shot for your Instagram with some lame ass hashtag like #ShrimpLife. (Trademark Julie.)
So, here’s my little spin on Ina Garten’s roasted shrimp and orzo salad. Get ready to fall in love with a meal. I’m sure it’s legal to marry in some states.
My attempt to IML: Instagram My Life. Shot #001 – standing on a chair, over the cutting board. My next shot? Just a solitary shot of me looking into the void, wearing a Coachella flower headband.
Julie Tip #1: multitask while cooking. While waiting for your water to boil, prep the ingredients. Also, don’t forget to drink while prepping. You’re human after all.
Quick Rorschach test! Do you also see Jamie Dornan lying naked on a beach? No? Oh.
Julie Tip #2: Place your wooden spoon over the boiling pot after you put in the pasta. It prevents it from boiling over. Science, y’all.
Why, you ask, do I have a plastic bag over my olive oil? When I first opened that bottle, which is plastic, it spilled over. Want to know what’s worse than cleaning spilled olive oil? Nothing. The answer is nothing because it’s the devil’s baby oil.
Go ahead and insert your dated Forrest Gump joke about shrimp here. Julie Tip #3: don’t forget to remove the tail because once you’re eating, it becomes a hassle and I’m just lazy.
This is what I think people on the clean eating diet dream about each night.
Almost there.
So close. Julie Tip #4: taste before adding more salt and pepper. Sometimes, you don’t need it and it’s always better to under salt than over salt. If this was the Rachel Ray Show, you all would be applauding me right now.
You did it, kid! God bless the Greeks and their greatest creation: feta cheese. Your economy may be shit but your cheese is amazing.
Roasted Shrimp and Orzo Salad
Adapted from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa
- 3/4 lbs of uncooked orzo
- 2 lbs of shrimp, peeled and deveined (Because that vein is nasty to eat IMO.)
- 1 hothouse cucumber, seeded (just scoop them out with a spoon) and medium-diced
- generous handful of dill, chopped
- generous handful of Italian parsley (The flat leaf kind, people), chopped
- 1 cup of minced scallions (green onions), use both green and white parts – think about 3 to 4 green onion stalks
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (If you’re doing fresh lemons, this is about 1 and 1/2 lemons; use the remaining lemon in your hard lemonade you’re drinking while cooking.)
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 3/4 pound of feta cheese, large diced (Julie Tip #5: Get it in a “shaker” container. Your life just got easier.)
- Optional: handful of cherry tomatoes (for color), sliced
- Optional: handful of basil, chopped (Because basil makes life better. It’s a fact.)
Get Ready to Cook
- Preheat your over to 400 degrees, and make sure the cooking rack is in the center of the oven.
- Fill a large pot with water, and sprinkle some salt and a few drops of olive oil (so orzo doesn’t stick) and bring it to a boil. (Julie Tip #6 Italian style: If you’re going to cook pasta with a heavy sauce (marinara or Alfredo), NEVER put olive oil in the water. This makes the pasta slippery and sauce doesn’t adhere to it. It’s okay for this recipe, however. I know. Hypocrite.)
- When the water comes to a boil, stir in the orzo and cook according to instructions on the box (usually 11 minutes for al dente). Don’t forget to stir occasionally! Drain the orzo when time’s up and transfer to a large bowl.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the lemon juice, 1 tsp of salt (Be careful not to over salt this dish!), 1 tsp of pepper, and 1/2 – 3/4 cup of olive oil (I like a little more olive oil in my dish) and whisk together. (This is a great workout, BTW.) Pour over the pasta and stir.
- In the same mixing bowl (why waste bowls?), add the shrimp, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. You could also had a squeeze of that lemon half you didn’t use, unless it’s in your drink. Mix it all together, and pour onto a sheet pan. Make sure the shrimp is in a single layer. Cook for 6 minutes and DO NOT OVERCOOK THE SHRIMP. Trust me: 6 minutes is plenty of time.
- Add roasted shrimp to the orzo, followed by the dill, parsley, cucumber, scallions, and basil and tomatoes (if you included them). Sprinkle in an additional 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of pepper. Mix well. Add feta cheese and mix carefully.
- Serving advice: cover and refrigerate this for an hour or two before serving.
Bon appetit! If you make this, let me know how it went and if you added anything! Happy cooking!
