Grilled Shrimp and Pineapple Rice Salad Recipe with Orange Vinaigrette

My husband and I have found that as we have gotten older we prefer lighter meals. We are eating vegetarian dinners like this Bean Salad on Honeyed Quinoa more frequently and I am finding that I prefer chicken or seafood to venison. On our last shopping trip to “the big city” I picked up some shrimp and scallops so I will be able to make some lighter meals now that summer is here. This grilled shrimp and pineapple rice salad is a perfect example. I picked up the organic pineapple on the same shopping trip and knew it would be perfect with the shrimp.

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Grilled Shrimp and Pineapple Rice Salad

Serves 3 to 4

For the marinade:

2 TBS fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
1 TBS sherry or white wine
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp salt

For the Rice Salad

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1 lb wild caught shrimp
3 cups cooked jasmine rice
8 oz pineapple, in slices about 1/4″ thick
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

For the vinaigrette:

1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
2 TBS fresh squeezed orange juice
1 TBS rice vinegar
1/2 tsp salt or more to taste
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

Make the marinade:

Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a medium bowl.
Peel and devein the shrimp
Add the shrimp to the marinade and let sit, turning after every 10 minutes, for 20 minutes
Remove from marinade and pat dry

Make the Rice Salad:

Grill the pineapple for about 2 minutes on each side until grill marks appear and it just starts to get soft. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Follow by grilling the shrimp for about 2 – 3 minutes on each side until the shrimp are cooked through. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Toast the pumpkin seeds until the start to pop and turn golden brown. Set aside
Chop all but 4 shrimp into small pieces.
Do the same with the pineapple, reserving one piece to be cut into strips for garnish.

Add the chopped shrimp and pineapple to the bowl.
Reserve about half of the pumpkin seeds for garnish and place the other half in the bowl.
Gently mix all of the ingredients together.

Make the Vinaigrette:

Mix all of the vinaigrette ingredients together and stir until emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Finish the Rice Salad:

Drizzle the vinaigrette over the rice salad and gently mix. Let sit for about 5 minutes.
To plate: place about a quarter of the contents of the bowl on a plate, top with a shrimp and slice of pineapple and sprinkle with a quarter of the remaining toasted pumpkin seeds.

How Was the Grilled Shrimp Recipe?

We both enjoyed this meal. If you come to the blog with any regularity you know by now that I am a big fan of rice salads. They are easy to make, delicious to eat and can be served hot or at room temperature. You can also make them with just about anything – the world is your erm, rice salad.

Grilled shrimp and pineapple made for a winning combination. I used my Swiss Diamond XD Grill Pan (which the company had sent me for review last year) to grill the shrimp and pineapple. I use that pan so often. It works beautifully and cleans up like a dream. If you are interested you can purchase it HERE.