Sizzling hot summer days call for salad suppers. The last thing you want to do at the end of a long hot day is heat up the kitchen with a casserole or a roast.
Panzanella is a traditional Italian salad made with day-old bread, ripe tomatoes, fragrant basil and a simple dressing made with rich extra-virgin olive oil. Some recipes also include onions, cucumber and olives or capers for a briny bite. Panzanella becomes even better the longer the vegetables mingle with the zesty dressing. It’s a great make-ahead salad that can help you keep cool at suppertime.
To give this recipe the Good and Good for You seal of approval, I’ve added lean protein-rich shrimp that are nutrient-dense and low in fat and calories. And I’ve upped the vegetables to give this salad even more fiber and crunch. The result is a deliciously garlicky mashup, a Scampi Panzanella that’s vibrant and filling with equal parts vegetable and lean protein to bread.
Scampi Panzanella
For a bold scampi flavor (and best-tasting results), saute the shrimp over low heat in the oil with garlic. But if time is of the essence, purchase precooked boiled or steamed shrimp, and dress your salad with raw garlic and room-temperature olive oil.
Whether you use stale bread or a freshly purchased baguette, toast the bread cubes to dark brown so they will hold up to the dressing. This salad can be served immediately or will keep up to 4 hours before the bread becomes too mushy.
6 ounces baguette, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 Vidalia onion, very thinly sliced
1 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
16 Castelvetrano olives
Zest and juice from 1 lemon
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound large raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed
4 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/2 cup basil leaves, loosely packed
1/2 cup freshly chopped parsley
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the bread on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until dark golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the bread to a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, onion, cucumber, olives, lemon zest and juice. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shrimp and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, turning the shrimp once, until the shrimp are white and opaque, 3 to 5 minutes.
Pour the shrimp, oil and garlic over the bread-vegetable mixture. Add the basil leaves and parsley. Toss to combine and coat. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 4 hours and serve chilled.
Serves 4.
Per serving: 424 calories (percent of calories from fat, 41), 23 grams protein, 41 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams total sugars, 4 grams fiber, 20 grams total fat (3 grams saturated), 143 milligrams cholesterol, 1,356 milligrams sodium.
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