Grandma's Shrimp Salad...kinda'

My Grandma Brown made the best shrimp salad.  My aunts make it now and their's is just as good.  Last week I made some shrimp salad in the tradition of Grandma Brown and my brother said it was the best shrimp salad he had ever eaten, and I liked it too.  So I thought I'd write it down for the next time that I want to do it.  This isn't a tested recipe so I'm sorry I don't have exact measurements on everything.  Grandma made it with tiny pasta shells rather than elbow macaroni.  I like the elbow macaroni because it is shaped like shrimp.  Use whatever you have.  I'm sure Grandma never used greek yogurt but everything else is pretty close to the way she made it (I think).  I think that what made my brother say it was the best was the amount of salt I put in but it could be the combination of yogurt and homemade salad dressing that I used.

I had some frozen shrimp in the freezer but they were large so I just cut them up into pieces about the size of a pea.  I think grandma used tiny canned shrimp.  I think it is best with some kind of fresh or frozen shrimp rather than canned.

I hate Miracle Whip, I'm a mayonnaise girl all the way, but this salad really screams for Miracle Whip! Because I don't buy Miracle Whip (or mayonnaise for that matter) I made my own "salad dressing" the same way I make mayonnaise, only I added about 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar for the acid and about 1-2 tablespoons of sugar, a pinch of salt, and 1 teaspoon of dry mustard to 1 egg and 1 cup oil.  Check out how I do it  here.  If you don't want to make your own use good ol' Miracle Whip, no problem.

This is a great salad for those summer pot lucks. Just check with me if you are going to bring it to a pot luck I'm at.


Grandma B's Shrimp Salad

About 1 lb elbow macaroni (tiny pasta shells)
1 stalk of celery, chopped
about 5 green onions, chopped
about 5-6 chopped hard boiled eggs
Shrimp (about the size of the pasta)
1 cup Miracle Whip
about 3/4 cup greek yogurt
salt to taste

Cook the elbow macaroni in well salted water.  Drain, and run cold water over the pasta to stop the cooking and cool the pasta.  Drain the pasta well.  Taste the pasta for saltiness, add salt to taste.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix.

Is there anything better?

This is my lunch today.  Avocado, bacon, lettuce and homegrown tomato sandwich.  I used my homemade mayonnaise on this sandwich.

Last year I started cooking my bacon in the oven.  There isn't any splatter in the oven, so it's less messy, and even though it takes longer it is a lot easier.  Just turn on the oven, place the bacon on a rack in a pan and cook until it's done.  Sorry I don't remember how hot but I don't think it matters much...the hotter the quicker the bacon is done.  Just make sure you watch it closely and turn the bacon over once or twice. For two or three slices of bacon I use the microwave oven.  For a whole package of bacon I use the conventional oven then put the cooked slices in the fridge and warm them in the microwave when I'm ready to eat.

Mayonnaise

I probably make this recipe more than any other.  I don't buy store bought mayonnaise unless I'm going to take mayonnaise camping or on a picnic.  It is very simple and cheep to make and can be made from ingredients that I have on hand most of the time. Oil, eggs, some kind of acid and some seasoning.  It can also be adapted for different flavors depending on how you will be using it.  

What you get is so much better tasting than what you can buy in the store.  Bruce thinks I should find a way to sell the stuff.  I love it on BLTs.  I always sneak a taste when I make it and it always is delicious.

My mother and I started making this recipe when she bought a stick blender off of an infomercial and they showed how to make mayonnaise.  She struggled getting it to work right sometimes.  I have only had problems once or twice.  If it doesn't work the first time there is a way to fix it.  The stick blender is the key kitchen utensil to use when making mayonnaise.  A regular blender can be used but the method is slightly different.  You need to drizzle the oil into the blender in a steady stream while making the mayonnaise.

Oil: I use a simple vegetable oil.  You may use olive oil if you like but I find that it's flavor is too strong and would advise you not to use ONLY olive oil.  Use part olive oil and part vegetable oil.  I use a similar method to make Hollandaise sauce using melted butter.

Eggs: Yes I use raw eggs!  I have never gotten sick in the 20 or so years of making mayonnaise this way.  I am careful about the eggs that I use.  They are always clean and never broken.  If I understand it correctly salmonella occurs when cracked eggs are exposed for extended periods of time.  Also, I think I've heard that the acid will kill the bad stuff.  If you are in doubt I think it is easy to coddle the eggs to cook them slightly.  I'm just not sure that it makes that big of a difference.   I have always had the best luck when I don't use cold eggs.  I usually allow the eggs to come to room temperature before I make the recipe by letting them sit on the kitchen counter for a few minutes or an hour or so.  Sometimes I simply hold the egg in my hand for a few minutes to warm it.

Acid: I use fresh lemon or lime juice and/or vinegar depending on what I have on hand and how I want it to taste.  I don't like Miracle Whip but to make something like Miracle Whip, use vinegar and increase the amount and add sugar.  If I'm making sauce for fish tacos I use lots lime juice.  There are also different kinds of flavored vinegars that can be used.

Seasonings: Usually I add salt, pepper (white pepper if you don't want to see the black spots) and mustard (dried or Dijon style).  Sometimes I use garlic or onion salt instead of regular salt or I use finely grated fresh garlic if I want a stronger garlic flavor (which I like A LOT) which I guess you could then call it "garlic aioli" and then you would be fancy schmancy.  The fish taco sauce has lots of garlic, fresh cilantro and jalapeño.  As mentioned, if I want something that tastes like Miracle Whip I increase vinegar and add sugar. 

Container:  I have containers that I use all the time to make this.  Used to use the glass jars that chip dip came in.  Now I use 2 cup screw top disposable plastic containers that Ziploc makes.  I always make it in the same container that I store it in.  The important thing is that you can fit the stick blender in the container all the way to the bottom.

Stick blender:  These are cheep.  The one that I use cost about $10.  I think Mom paid $100 for the infomercial blender years ago but it was worth every cent she paid for it.  The most difficult part of making mayonnaise is cleaning this darned thing.  

I only keep this in the refrigerator for about a week and then I throw it away...okay maybe I leave it in there longer but your eye will tell you if it should or shouldn't be used.  It is so easy to make and really isn't expensive to make that you can afford to be safe and throw it out if you are in doubt.

Okay... here is how you do it:

Ingredients:

1              Egg

1  C.         Oil

1  Tbls.     Acid (lemon juice, lime juice and/or vinegar)

Salt and pepper to taste

1  tsp.      Mustard (dry or Dijon style)

Method:

Place the egg in the bottom of the container.  Pour the lemon/lime juice and/or vinegar.  Add the seasonings.  Pour the oil into the container.

Place the stick blender into the container through the oil so that the blades rest on top of the egg.  Turn the blender on to a slow speed and leave the blender there until you start to see the mayonnaise form, about 20 seconds.  Turn the blender on to high speed and slowly begin to pull the blender up until it is all blended.  

That is it!  Easy!

Later I'll post the recipes for Hollandaise sauce and for the fish taco sauce.