White Bean and Roasted Shrimp Salad with Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette

Okay here are two words you don't often hear in the same sentence...Tyler Florence and easy. Wait, that's three words. Whatever. Don't get me wrong, I love and adore Tyler Florence, but the man likes pots and pans and lots of steps.

So, when I came upon this simple little recipe in Tyler's Ultimate: Brilliant Simple Food to Make Any Time, I was smitten. I mean it only called for two baking sheets, and bacon, and shrimp. I repeat..2 baking sheets, and bacon, and shrimp. Oh yes.

White Bean and Roasted Shrimp Salad with Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette
Serves 4

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces
extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt
8 fresh sage leaves
cracked black pepper
1 pint mixed red and yellow cherry or grape tomatoes
1 can (14 oz) cannellini beans, drained
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 bunch watercress, stems trimmed just above the rubber band

Preheat the oven to 350. Arrange 2 racks in the oven.

Arrange the shrimp in a single layer on half of a large baking sheet and put the bacon pieces on the other half. Drizzle with olive oil and season the shrimp with salt and scatter the sage leaves and pepper over all. Stick that into the oven and roast for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the shrimp are cooked through and the bacon is crisp and browned and the fat has been rendered.

At the same time, on a second baking sheet, drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss. Put the tomatoes in the oven and roast until they burst, about 10 minutes.

Scrape the tomatoes, shrimp, bacon and any juices into a large bow. Add the beans, the vinegar, and a healthy drink of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in the watercress.


This was wonderful. Really the flavors married well, and it was so easy! This will be my entry for this week's Tyler Florence Fridays. Be sure and check out the round-up sometime Friday afternoon.