Mint-Marinated Shrimp with Tabbouleh, Tomatoes and Feta

Somehow this week has turned into a Mediterranean fiesta.  Can you even say that?  Who knows.  I am saying it anyway.  But thus far this week I have posted Grilled Branzino with Ladolemono and Lamb Souvlaki Sandwiches with Tzatziki Sauce.  Including this dish, this is more Mediterranean food than I think we have ever made in such a short span.  Look at us mixing things up!  I'm fairly proud of myself - make that ourselves since Alex helped me cook the souvlaki and the branzino.  But I get to take most of the credit for picking out/making up the recipes.  This recipe was one that I stumbled across last week while looking for some new shrimp recipes.  We make a lot of shrimp (we probably cook almost as much shrimp as we do chicken) and I am always interested in finding new healthy, shrimp recipes.  This particular recipe appealed to me because it was a different flavor profile from our usual dishes and involved a new ingredient that I had never cooked with before - bulgur.  I know that bulgur is traditionally used for tabbouleh (or tabouli or however you spell it), but when I have made tabbouleh in the past we have used other grains like quinoa.  But it's always fun to try new things.  And now that I have bulgur I have to figure out other uses for it, which is even more fun!

Alex particularly enjoyed this dish.  I thought it was nice and fresh.  I particularly liked the tabbouleh salad, although I thought the shrimp didn't absorb quite as much lemon flavor as I would have liked.  That might be due to the fact that we only marinated the shrimp for 15 minutes, rather than the 30 that the recipe specified, but I just don't know if marinating the pre-cooked shrimp for an extra 15 minutes would really have resulted in much additional flavor.  But roasting the shrimp definitely intensified the flavors of the shrimp themselves, which I think is a good thing.  Actually, I think it would be a fabulous cold picnic dish.  I feel like I say that fairly often, but this dish really would be.  It would be just as good served cold as it would room temperature and it's a wonderful alternative to pasta salad or chicken salad.

Recipe after the jump!

Mint-Marinated Shrimp with Tabbouleh, Tomatoes and Feta

Adapted from Bon Appetit

August 2006

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup medium or coarsely cracked bulgur

3/4 cups water

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

5 tbsp evoo, plus 1 tsp evoo, separated

5 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped, divided

s&p

3/4 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 small plum tomatoes, seeded, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup baby arugula, finely chopped

1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

2 green onions, finely chopped

1 small garlic clove, minced

Stir bulgur, 3/4 cup water, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 3 tbsp in large bowl. Let stand until bulgur is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss shrimp with 1 tsp evoo, s&p in a rimmed baking sheet. Roast shrimp until opaque and just cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons oil, 3 tablespoons mint, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. Remove warm shrimp with a slotted spoon and toss in dressing. Marinate 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
 

Drain off any excess liquid from bulgur. Mix in tomatoes, arugula, feta, green onions, garlic and remaining 2 tablespoons mint. Season salad to taste with s&p.
 

Mound salad in large shallow bowl or on individual plates. Spoon shrimp and dressing over and serve.