Shrimp Endive Salad with Lemon Cream Dressing

Justin and I were lucky enough to have a date night a few weeks ago. We went to Grain and Gristle, a cute little pub with amazing food and tons of pickles. I love any place with loads of pickled things! (Even though I think the restaurant name is a bit unfortunate, the place is stellar and I would recommend it!)

While there I had an endive salad with shrimp. The combination of crunchy bitter endive and the sweet shrimp was made even tastier by the creamy, lemon dressing. I had to replicate it. It took a few tries to get the dressing right, and needed real cream, not a low-fat alternative. Also, using a meyer lemon made the dressing much more delicate and fragrant, but using a regular lemon and adding a spoon of white sugar worked just as well.

This makes plenty of dressing, enough for a few salads. Save it in the fridge for about a week. 

Shrimp Endive Salad with Lemon Cream Dressing
1 shallot, very finely chopped
Juice from 2 meyer or regular lemons (2 teaspoons white sugar if using regular lemons)
1/3 cup olive oil
large pinch of kosher salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 heads of endive, separated and laid on a serving platter or individual plate
1/2 - 1 lb shrimp, cooked and peeled.

1. In a jar, add shallot and lemon juice. Let rest 10 - 15 minutes. This will soften the shallots.
2. Add olive oil, (sugar), and salt to jar. Put on the lid and shake until it starts to emulsify (get a bit thick). Add cream and gently stir to combine. Don't shake the cream too much.

3. Separate endive leaves and lay them on a serving platter or individual plate. Divide shrimp onto the plate or platter.
4. Drizzle with dressing.

Enjoy!