Spring Pea & Asparagus Salad with Shrimp & Chioggia

Fresh green peas plucked from the pod, plump sugar snap peas and tender spears of local Ontario grown asparagus tossed together with a little butter and chopped homegrown mint come together beautifully in this healthy, vibrant and verdant warm salad. Topped with juicy grilled tiger shrimp and sliced raw Chioggia "candy cane" beets, the flavours positively shout summer!



Spring Pea & Asparagus Salad with Shrimp & Raw Chioggia Beets
Serves 2

1 1/2 cups fresh peas from the pod
2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed
12 asparagus spears, trimmed
16 large shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails on
1/4 Chioggia beet, thinly sliced and julienned
1 tsp hot chilli or sesame oil
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives


In a medium bowl, marinate the cleaned shrimp with a teaspoon of hot chilli or sesame oil and toss well to coat. in another bowl, toss with asparagus with a little oil olive to coat, and set aside.

Preheat an outdoor grill to medium high. Place the shrimp and asparagus on the BBQ and grill until the shrimp are opaque and the asparagus is lightly charred. 

Meanwhile, using a small pot with fitted steamer basket, pour enough water into the pot to cover the peas and fill the steamer basket with the sugar snap peas. Bring the water to a boil and place the peas in the boiling water, and set the steamer basket with the sugar snap peas on top. Cook until the peas are tender, about 5 minutes. When done, pour all of the the peas into a colander to drain, then return to the pot with some butter and chopped mint. Cover and set aside. 

To serve, place the peas and asparagus on a decorative platter and top with the grilled shrimp. Garnish with the sliced raw Chioggia beets and finely chopped chives.