A Southern Belle's Salad

served with celery and black pepper

By Leigha Burnham
@LeighaBurnham
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Time for a second summer salad in our summer salad series. (Say that sentence fast three or four times!) I struggled a bit with what salad to share this week, because my heart was set on my grandmother's potato salad. But since I'm trying to eat a little "lighter" this summer, I decided to make an old favorite from my South Beach dieting days. I don't adhere very strictly to the South Beach Diet plan, but I must say that some of the recipes are divine! And to get a flavorful meal with the added bonus of the slimming factor wins in my book!

Georgia has a huge shrimping industry! If you have ever visited Savannah, Darien, St. Mary's, Jekyll, or even Tybee, you have probably had a version of this Southern favorite. It is served at bridal showers, baby showers, and tea parties. It is so familiar that I tend to make this salad from memory and I also tweak it every now and again by adding or substituting ingredients. I very often substitute cucumber for the celery since my husband isn't a fan. I always put more dill than what is called for because I absolutely love dill! Play around with this one to get it just the way you like it. I have also given you two serving options in the photos...the first is the traditional "in-a-bowl" method with some celery sticks on the side. The second serving option is how the ABG curator and I enjoyed this tasty treat for lunch today...as hors d'oeuvres, with a little of the salad mounded up on thick slices of fresh cucumber from the farmer's stand. Yum!
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served on cucumber slices

South Beach Diet Shrimp Salad

• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon grated lime zest
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (or celery salt)
• 1 1/2 pounds peeled, de-veined, and cooked small fresh shrimp (thaw if frozen)
• 2 large celery stalks, thinly sliced (or cucumber if preferred)

Directions:
Whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, lime zest, dill, and salt in a large bowl. Add shrimp and celery; toss gently to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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