Grilled Romaine Hearts, Tomatoes And Shrimp With A Basil Vinaigrette

Grilled romaine hearts are absolutely divine. A super easy, quick, and healthy meal. Elegant enough for company. My kids devoured this but I will admit all 3 of my kids have some what refined taste buds and prefer food a bit more complex then a hot dog... Even the littlest who turns 7 next week cleaned his plate. (If one of the kids were to have had an aversion to grilled romaine it was bound to be him.) It's just how it is in our house.. The hubby was sweet enough to grill the salad and take a few photo's while I was making the vinaigrette. 

This recipe was linked up at Lifeologia.

Toss shrimp with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

Brush romaine hearts and tomatoes with olive oil, sprinkle with a generous  pinch of sea salt. (Ignore the mushrooms, he just grilled some up as a side.)

Add shrimp to grill. We have a grill pan we use. Other wise skewers work well for cooking shrimp.

Place romaine over grill and cook until slightly wilted and grill marks appear. Rotate and cook on all sides. About 5 minutes total.

Once shrimp is pink remove from heat.( Hubby then placed shrimp on the top rack to keep warm in a medium sized pan.

Hubby forgot to take a picture of the tomatoes.. He had added the tomatoes to the grill and cooked them at the same time as the romaine, rotate just like the romaine once hot and grill marks appear.

Add all ingredients for the vinaigrette into the blender or food processor and process until creamy and smooth.

Gorgeous green color! Deliciousness!

Plate romaine. Top with shrimp and tomatoes. Drizzle with vinaigrette. 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 6 (Adjust as needed for more or less)

Ingredients

For Vinaigrette

• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard, ( You can add up to 1 teaspoon for a little spiciness)
• 1/3 cup White Wine Vinegar
• 3 tablespoons Water
• 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning, Dried
• 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt And Pepper, Or To Taste
• 2/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup Fresh Basil

For Salad

• 3 whole Romaine Hearts, Cut In Half ( I had found petite ones at the store I used.)
• 2 pounds Shrimp, Peeled, Deveined And Tails Removed
• 1 1/2 pounds Small Tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 teaspoons Salt 
• 1 teaspoon Pepper

Preparation Instructions

For Vinaigrette

Add all ingredients to a blender or a food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy about 1 minute.

For Salad

Toss Shrimp with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Toss tomatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt.

Brush on remaining olive oil all over romaine hearts. Season with a generous pinch of sea salt.

Over a hot grill add shrimp, in a separate section on the grill add the romaine hearts cut side down and the tomatoes.  Rotate shrimp until pink and remove from heat about 5-6 minutes.  Cook romaine and tomatoes until grill marks appear. Rotate and cook on all sides. Total cook time is about 6-8 minutes for the romaine and tomatoes.

Place grilled romaine heart on plate. Cover with shrimp and tomatoes. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.