Rania's Recipes: Romesco Chicken Salad & Shrimp Salad

If you're looking for some delicious new recipes to try, Rania Harris has you covered!

Romesco Chicken Salad

• 5 tablespoons Romesco Sauce (recipe follows)
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, more as needed
• Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional), more as desired
• 2 cups shredded or diced cooked chicken (about 8 ounces)
• ¼ cup finely diced small celery
• 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• Kosher salt

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine the romesco, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and cayenne and stir to blend. Add the chicken, celery, red onion, and parsley and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice as needed.

Makes about 2 ½ cups, enough for about 4 sandwiches

Romesco Sauce

• 1 medium Roma tomato
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the tomato
• 1/3 cup toasted blanched almonds
• One 10-ounce jar roasted piquillo peppers, drained, seeds picked out
• 1 medium clove garlic, smashed and peeled
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, more as needed
• 1 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
• Kosher salt

Rub the tomato with a few drops of olive oil to very lightly coat. Using tongs, hold the tomato over a gas flame until charred all over (3 to 4 minutes). If you don't have a gas range, you can put the tomato under the broiler, turning it frequently and watching carefully so that it doesn't go up in flames. Let the tomato cool enough to handle, then remove and discard the skin and seeds. Set aside.

Put the almonds in a food processor and pulse until they're just coarsely chopped, about 10 pulses. It's okay if they're uneven; you just want to start the chopping process. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Put the tomato, peppers, garlic, vinegar, paprika, and 1 teaspoon salt in the food processor. Blend until it forms a coarse paste, 10 to 15 seconds. Add the almonds and olive oil and pulse just until coarsely chopped; it should still have distinct pieces of almonds. Taste and stir in more vinegar or salt as needed.

Makes about 1 ¾ cups

Shrimp Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette

• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp—shelled and deveined, shrimp halved lengthwise, shells reserved
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 6 ounces watercress (10 cups packed), thick stems discarded

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the shrimp shells, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the shells start to brown, about 3 minutes. Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.

Strain the shrimp stock and return it to the saucepan. Boil over high heat until reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 10 minutes. Pour the reduction into a small bowl. Stir in the vinegar and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and season the dressing with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderate heat, tossing, until just cooked, about 3 minutes.

In a bowl, toss the watercress with the dressing. Add the shrimp and toss. Mound the salad on plates and serve.

Serves: 4