A Skillet Supper - Warm Shrimp and Escarole Salad

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I occasionally have the good fortune to stumble onto a really good recipe that could easily be overlooked. This simple warm shrimp salad is one of them. I first saw the recipe in Bon Appetit magazine and while it sounded interesting, I was too busy at the time to test it. Fortunately, I clipped and stored it to try another day. It came out of hiding one evening when I had a bunch of escarole that had to be used and it has been a menu regular ever since. The skillet entree takes about 20 minutes to prepare and it relies on some very ordinary pantry ingredients. Unless I have a plan to use the entire can, I use two teaspoons of anchovy paste, rather than whole anchovies, to make this dish and I usually omit the radishes you see in the ingredient list. I also remove the shrimp from the skillet before I add the escarole. It is very easy to overcook the escarole and while that will not affect flavor of the dish, it negatively affects its appearance and texture. I really like this dish and I hope you will give this simple recipe a try. It is a delicious novelty that I suspect will become a regular at your table. Here is how this unusual salad is made.

Warm Shrimp and Escarole Salad...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Bon Appetit magazine

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons drained capers, chopped
8 radishes, trimmed, quartered
1 1/4 pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 head of escarole, torn into large pieces (about 10 cups)
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

Directions:
1) Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add anchovies and cook, mashing with the back of a spoon, until anchovies dissolve and a paste forms, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and capers; cook, stirring constantly, until garlic is fragrant but not brown, about 1 minute.
2) Increase heat to medium-high. Add radishes and cook, tossing often, until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add shrimp; cook, tossing occasionally, until just cooked through, about 4 minutes.
3) Add half of escarole and toss until beginning to wilt, about 1 minute. Add remaining escarole and toss until wilted, about 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Yield: 4 servings.

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