The heat of this shrimp marinade, sweetness from the fresh basil, and peppery arugula will have you going back for seconds. This zesty salad will impress guests as a starter almost as much as it will please your own pallet as a solid meal.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 6 deveined shrimp, shelled and tail removed
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice (from one fresh lemon)
• 5 oz. baby arugula
• 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp. toasted pine nuts
• 1 Hass avocado, sliced
• 1 c. cherry tomatoes
• 8 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
• 2 tsp. fresh lime juice(from one fresh lime)
• Kosher salt
• Ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix lemon juice, lime juice, 3 tbsp. of the oil, oregano, and cayenne.
2. Place shrimp in juice mix and allow to marinate at least ten minutes.
3. Meanwhile, warm a medium non-stick pan with 2 tbsp. of oil on medium heat.
4. Sauté shallots 1 minute.
5. Pour shrimp and marinate in sauté pan, and then add tomatoes.
6. Continue cooking until shrimp are done and tomatoes burst.
7. Remove pan from heat.
8. In a medium bowl, toss arugula and basil together.
9. Arrange avocado slices on top of arugula mixture.
10. Use a fork to remove burst tomatoes, shallots, and shrimp from pan and top salad.
11. Pour dressing from pan onto salad.
12. Sprinkle with pine nuts, kosher salt and pepper, and serve warm.

Feel free to mix it up: If you don’t have pine nuts on hand, consider sliced almonds instead. If cheese is your kryptonite, consider a small sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Additional herbs can alter the flavors without upping the calories. And if you want to taste the burn of the marinade, consider adding finely chopped chipotle peppers to the shrimp while it awaits the pan.