This warm and smoky shrimp salad with chorizo is a weeknight win

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This recipe is an interplay of contrasts: simultaneously fresh and warm, light and rich, complex and simple. It’s both a salad and a comfort food, and its intense bold flavour might have you thinking it involves serious time and effort.

And yet, it comes together in minutes.

Much of that big flavour comes from a small amount of finely diced Spanish chorizo, you get a bit of it in every bite. (Look for Spanish chorizo, which is dry-cured and is different from Mexican chorizo, which is fresh.) It gets briefly sautéed in olive oil – just long enough to crisp up a bit and infuse the oil with its vermilion color and smoky flavour.

Along with garlic, smoked paprika, lemon and a touch of cayenne pepper, the chorizo easily elevates a sauté of plump shrimp and fresh tomatoes. Lean, protein-rich seafood with smoky chorizo is a classic pairing that always delights, and using cured meat like this – in small quantities as a seasoning – is an ideal way to enjoy it in a healthfully balanced way.

The ingredients in the skillet yield a smoky, lemony pan sauce layered with the savory tomato juices. Spooned out of the pan and tossed with a bowlful of fresh baby spinach leaves and sliced red onion, the sauce acts as a warm dressing, coating the leaves and softening them slightly to mellow their raw edge without undoing their freshness.

The saucy shrimp mixture is then mounded on top of the dressed spinach for a meal that draws you in like comfort food but qualifies as a healthy salad. Served with crusty bread for sopping up all the juices, it’s a meal that’s upscale yet practical, one you could proudly serve company or pull together on a busy weeknight.

Warm Shrimp, Chorizo and Spinach Salad

4 servings (makes about 7 cups)

Total time: 20 mins

In this colorful main-course salad, a sauté of smoked-paprika-spiced shrimp, tomatoes and chorizo tops spinach, which softens in the warm pan juices. It’s a boldly flavored and healthy meal that comes together in minutes. Serve with slices of crusty whole-grain bread for sopping up the flavorful sauce.

Storage: The salad is best right away. Refrigerate any leftover shrimp separately for up to 2 days.

Where to buy: Dry-cured Spanish chorizo can be found at well-stocked supermarkets, international markets and butcher shops.

INGREDIENTS

4 cups (4 ounces) lightly packed baby spinach

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 pound (16-20 count) raw shrimp (defrosted, if frozen) peeled, deveined and tails removed

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely chopped Spanish chorizo (see Notes and Where to buy)

3 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/8 teaspoon fine salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

pinch cayenne pepper, plus more as needed

1 1/2 cups (9 ounces) grape tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

STEPS

In a large bowl, use your hands to gently toss together the spinach and onion. Thoroughly pat the shrimp dry, especially if it’s defrosted.

In a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil until shimmering. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally, until it lightly crisps and infuses the oil with its color, about 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until aromatic, about 30 seconds.

Add the shrimp, and season with the paprika, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp begin to turn pink, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the shrimp is cooked through and the tomatoes begin to lose their shape, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the lemon juice and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, then remove from the heat.

Use a spoon to transfer most of the pan juices to the bowl with the spinach. (It’s okay if some tomatoes wind up on the spoon as well.) Gently toss to coat, then transfer the spinach mixture to a large serving plate or divide among plates. Mound the shrimp and tomatoes on top, and serve right away.

Substitutions: Baby spinach >> regular spinach, baby arugula, baby or regular kale, or Swiss chard. Red onion >> other types of onion. Grape tomatoes >> cherry tomatoes. Dislike heat? >> Omit the cayenne pepper.

Notes: Shrimp size naming convention can vary widely, so be sure to pay closer attention to the number count than its referred to size, such as “large”, “jumbo”, etc. Be sure to seek out Spanish chorizo, which is dry-cured, and not Mexican chorizo, which is fresh.

Nutrition per serving (about 2/3 cup shrimp mixture and 1 cup spinach): 273 calories, 6g carbohydrates, 189mg cholesterol, 17g fat, 2g fiber, 26g protein, 3g saturated fat, 358mg sodium, 2g sugar

This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.

— From cookbook author and registered dietitian nutritionist Ellie Krieger.