Serves 4
Notes
This dish is lovely with ripe summer melon, but feel free to try with other fruit as well- wedges of stone fruit such as peaches, nectarines, or plums would also be delicious.
Ingredients
- Pesto
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
- Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salad
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 small cantaloupe, peeled and cubed
- 1/2 small honeydew, peeled and cubed
- 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced on the bias, plus 1/2 cup tender leaves
- 2 little-gem lettuces, torn into bite-sized pieces
Directions
For the pesto, combine the basil and mint in the work bowl of a mini-food processor. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the lemon juice, and pulse to make a chunky paste. With the machine running, add the oil to make a smooth pesto.
For the salad, put the bay leaves in a large Dutch oven with 2 quarts lightly salted water. Bring to a simmer. Add the shrimp, and simmer until they’re just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain, discarding the bay leaves, and cool the shrimp under running water. Pat them very dry.
Place the shrimp in a shallow serving bowl with the cantaloupe, honeydew, celery and celery leaves, and lettuce. Drizzle with about half of the pesto. Toss, drizzle the remaining pesto over the top, and serve.
