Green bean and prawn salad
( Insalata di gamberi e fagiolini )

Recipe for prawn and green bean salad

Preparation and cooking

• - Thaw prawns dipping them directly in boiling water.
  Let them boil for less than a minute.
  Count the time from the moment in which the water begins boiling again.
  Be careful: read the instructions on the package carefully. Every brand has its own tips to cook prawns
• - At this point drain and let them cool.
  Then shell them.
• - Squeeze lemon and pour its juice in a little bowl.
  Add bay leaf and prawns.
• - Let prawns marinate in lemon juice for about 30 minutes. Remember to stir them now and then.
• - Meanwhile steam green beans.
  Let them cool, cut into two or three pieces and put in a bowl.
• - Drain prawns from marinade and add to the bowl together with aromatic herbs and olive oil.
  Season to taste with salt and stir.

Just before serving

• - Chill prawn and gree bean salad if you prepare it ahead but remember to bring them back to room temperature before serving.

Note

Tips

• - In winter you can add hot green beans (bought frozen) and so you can serve this dish warm.
  In summer you can serve this prawn-and-vegetable salad cold. Besides you can use fresh aromatic herbs, baby green beans and fresh prawns.
• - If you buy raw, fresh prawns, you have to increase the quantity (600g - 1 1/3 pounds), boil them for 1 minute until their shells turn pink and then remove their shells and heads.
• - If you like, you can add a garlic clove in the marinating juice. We prefer not to use it in order to taste the real flavor of the ingredients.

Menu planning

• - This prawn-and-vegetable salad is a good main dish for your daily menu all the year round as I've just written.
  Ideas for a special occasion menu. It's perfect as starter in a seafood menu or it can be a tasty course in a buffet table.

Healthy eating

• - This tasty salad made with prawns and green beans is a typical Mediterranean dish.
  It's rich in protein for the presence of prawns. It's a low-fat dish because we don't use too much olive oil. This is the reason why I have the habit of marinating prawns.
  The only problem of this recipe is its high cholesterol content. In fact prawns don't have high total fat but high cholesterol. 150mg per 100g edible portion. 300mg is the daily requirement. So if you have to control your cholesterol you can't prepare it frequently.
  According to the nutritionists we should eat protein at dinner. The recommended calories for dinner are 500 - 600 for a person with an energy requirement of 2000 kCal per day to be divided into five daily micro meals.
  Choose pasta with vegetable sauce and fruit for lunch to have an healthy daily menu.
  
• - Celebration menu. Don't worry in this case. A special occasion happens rarely, doesn't it?
• - If you want to drink a glass of wine remember you have to add 80 to 85 calories per 100ml.
• - I remember you my original home recipes can be made without salt. There is always a combination of flavors that substitutes salt.

Loretta

What's the right wine for " Green bean and prawn salad "?

My husband Carlo and I suggest to pair a godd-quality white wine such Regaleali Bianco from Sicily.