Cooking for two

Mint, cardamom spice up shrimp salad

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 26:
Minty Cardamom Shrimp Salad photographed in Washington, DC.  Tableware from Crate and Barrel. Photo by Deb Lindsey/For The Washington Post)
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 26: Minty Cardamom Shrimp Salad photographed in Washington, DC. Tableware from Crate and Barrel. Photo by Deb Lindsey/For The Washington Post)

Indian cooks know that toasting whole spices, then grinding them, pays off with fuller flavor, maximizing the just-released oils: in this case, from cardamom, coriander and cumin seeds as well as dried red chiles.

Minty Cardamom Shrimp Salad

1/2 pound extra-large raw, tail-on shrimp, peeled and deveined

Salt

5 white or green cardamom pods

1 small dried red chile pepper, stem and seeds removed

1 teaspoon coriander seed

1/2 teaspoon cumin seed

1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves

1/4 cup plain low-fat Greek-style yogurt

2 teaspoons safflower or mild olive oil

5 ounces mixed salad greens

Toss the shrimp with a generous pinch of salt in a mixing bowl; set aside.

Heat a large, dry skillet over medium-high heat.

Crush enough of the cardamom pods to yield 1/4 teaspoon seeds. Combine the cardamom seed, chile pepper and coriander seed in the skillet; toast 1 to 2 minutes, shaking the pan every few seconds. Transfer the mixture to a designated spice grinder, leaving it uncovered to cool.

While the skillet is still hot, toast the cumin seed 15 to 30 seconds, until fragrant and lightly browned. Transfer to a small bowl to cool.

Grind the cardamom spice mixture to the consistency of finely ground black pepper. Add it to the shrimp and toss to coat.

Finely chop the mint leaves.

Grind the cooled cumin seed (no need to wipe out the spice grinder first), then return it to its bowl; whisk in the yogurt, mint and a generous pinch of salt to form a thick dressing.

Heat the oil in the same skillet, over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the shrimp, spreading them in a single layer. Cook for 3 minutes on each side or until opaque and just cooked through. Remove from the heat.

Place the greens in a large bowl. Spoon the dressing over them and toss to coat evenly.

Pile the greens onto a platter. Top with the warm shrimp and serve.

Makes 2 servings.

Recipe adapted from Indian Cooking Unfolded: A Master Class in Indian Cooking, With 100 Recipes Using 10 Ingredients or Less by Raghavan Iyer

Food on 07/23/2014

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