Shrimp Salad

Maybe I was just absolutely starving, but this was hands down the best shrimp salad I've ever tried. I had to adjust it just slightly from the original version, but holy crap, so yummy. If you count the time boiling the eggs, it took less than a half an hour to throw it all together. So simple, so tasty.

So here's the scoop. I really don't like wasting food. Generally speaking, if I'm separating an egg, I will use just the part I need and reserve the other part for another recipe. I'm talking yolk vs. white here. I also keep a carton of egg whites in the refrigerator for times I only want egg whites. Unfortunatley, though, when it comes to things like egg salad and such, I don't use all of the yolks. The calorie/fat difference between the egg and the yolk is crazy. Since I can't think of a use for just a hard boiled egg yolk, that means I toss it. Sorry chicken who laid the egg, sorry pocket book, sorry Mother Earth. If you have a suggstion for using just a hard boiled egg yolk, please let me know.

But I digress yet again. I do that a lot. Let's make a yummy shrimp salad. I highly recommend you make the dressing before chopping up your whole ingredients to give the flavors time to meld.

I'm amazed how many different tips and tricks there are to making a perfect hard boiled egg. It's so frustrating when they crack while boiling OR when the shells stick to them and you lose half your egg white trying to get those stupid little shell pieces off. I've found a few tricks that seem to almost always get perfect hard boiled eggs.

One, let the eggs come to room temperature before putting them in the pan covered with water. Two, use a big enough pot that the eggs won't bump in to each other. Three, use cold water to start, and bring it to a boil very slowly over medium heat (rather than high heat like if you were just boiling water). Four, when they're finished boiling, use a slotted spoon to take them out of the pan and put them directly in an ice water bath. Five, after you transferred all eggs to the ice water, crack each one and put back in the ice bath so the cold water can enter the shell and further cool the egg. Six, roll the egg where you've cracked it before attempting to peel, loosening the shell. Seven, if it's still sticking, use the tip of a sharp knife or a fork to pierce and get under that little membrane, then focus on peeling off the membrane instead of just the shell.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 T. white wine vinegar
1 T. olive oil
1 T. honey (or agave nectar)
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
Sea salt & ground black pepper
2 hard boiled whole eggs, diced
2 hard boiled egg whites, diced
1 firm pear, cored and diced
1/2 red onion, diced
2 cups cocktail shrimp

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, olive oil, honey, parsley, thyme, basil, salt & pepper. Set aside. Stop periodically to whisk it together again (oil separates).

I'm going to assume you know how to chop vegetables.

Put eggs, pear, onion and shrimp in a large mixing bowl. Toss well with a large serving spoon. Whisk dressing one last time, then pour it over the salad. Toss again until everything is coated.

Eat.