Purple rice salad with avocado, braised shrimps, mint and toasted almonds

• 15 minutes to prepare • 25 minutes to cook • Serves 4

My heart says chocolate and wine
but my jeans say - for the love of God - woman, eat a salad!

 

Here’s a salad you can get excited about year round.
Fresh, flavorful, filling, and best served at room temp, this purple rice salad with shrimps and avocado spans the gap between winter’s braises and summer’s leafy greens. It’s the sort of simple dish I could alwats eat happily.

Long-grain rice tends to be drier and fluffier than shorter varieties, making it the ideal base for rice salads.
Moreover, this dish is studded with braised shrimps and avocado, garnished with toasted almonds, and enlivened with chopped mint leaves.
If you don’t care like the flavor of mint, substitute fresh basil. You can also use grilled chicken instead of shrimp, and add other vegetables such as asparagus or snap peas.

Hope this salad brightens up your dinner repertoire!

Here are ingredients for a 4-serving recipe:

 

300 g purple rice
1 ripe avocado
1 orange
400 g shrimps
20 fresh mint leaves
1 fistful almonds cut into slices
EVO oil
salt and pepper

1. Boil water in a pot, add salt. Once the water starts to bubble, pour the rice and cook it for 20 minutes
2. Keep calm and, clean the shrimps
3. Prepare the orange marinade: in a bowl, mix the juice of half orange, 1 tablespoon of EVO oil, salt and pepper. Stir gently
4. Take the shrimps and immerse them in the marinade, mix well and let them cool in the refrigerator for 10 minutes 
5. Meanwhile, peel the avocado and cut it into pieces. Keep aside
6. Heat a pan and, when it is hot, braise shrimps on it. It will take a couple of minutes for each side. Keep aside
7. Then, toast the almonds in a pan with no seasoning 
8. Drain the rice and pour cold water on it to stop the cooking. Place it in a large bowl
9. Add avocado, braised shrimps, and toasted almonds
10. Wash the mint leaves and cut them into small pieces, Place them in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of EVO oil, a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir to mix
11. Season the rice with the mint dressing, and serve immediately!

Nutrition Facts are detailed in the table below. Data is provided per serving.