This Shrimp, Sausage, and Wild Rice Salad recipe is adapted from a recipe I found in a cookbook long ago. I suspect it came from a Craig Claiborne or Graham Kerr cookbook, but I don’t remember. I do remember that the copy I had was a small format paperback, without many, if any, pictures.
I don’t know what happened to that cookbook, but I’ve searched and searched for another copy whenever I’m thrifting or when I hit a local book sale. I head right to the cookbook section, and if I find one that is a likely suspect, I crack it open to the index at the back, looking for something that might have been the source of this recipe. So far, nothing. Google hasn’t been helpful either.
The shrimp, the sausage, and the wild rice are all essential components of this salad. The celery is as well – the crunch, the freshness. The White Balsamic Vinaigrette is just as important in the mix. These flavors and textures just work. No herbs, no adornment.
This Shrimp, Sausage, and Wild Rice Salad is fairly simple, so I don’t know to what degree I’m deviating from the original recipe, but I’ve continued to make this salad over the years. It’s great for entertaining because you can make it entirely in advance. Just pull it out of the frig about 30 minutes before you plan to serve it so that comes to room temperature.
Or you could warm it in the microwave. Just barely. This is how I eat it when I have it for breakfast. I bet it would be delicious topped with a poached egg.
Shrimp, Sausage, and Wild Rice Salad
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Wild and Brown Rice mix
- 1/2 cup White Balsamic Vinaigrette (see note below for clickable link to the recipe)
- 1 pound shrimp
- 4 stalks celery
- 1 can water chestnuts
- 5 links sweet Italian sausage
Instructions
- Prepare the rice – Prepare the rice according to package directions or however you normally cook rice.
- Clean the shrimp and chop the veg – Rinse, peel, and devein the shrimp. Depending on the size of the shrimp, you may want to chop them into bite-sized pieces. Clean and chop the celery. Drain the water chestnuts and give them a rough chop.
- Brown the sausage – Remove the sausage from the casings and sauté in a large skillet until nearly cooked through.
- Sauté the shrimp, celery and water chestnuts – Add the celery and water chestnuts to the skillet with the sausage, and cook until the celery is crisp-tender. Add the shrimp and continue sauteing until the shrimp is cooked through.
- Combine and serve – Combine the cooked rice and sausage mixture (including any fat from the skillet in a large bowl. Stir so that it's mixed evenly and the rice is coated, then stir in the vinaigrette. This dish is good served warm or cooled to room temperature.
Notes
I took this Shrimp, Sausage, and Wild Rice Salad to a potluck a few years ago. My friend Lorraine loved it, and asked for the recipe. I said, There is no recipe – I just threw it together. Which was true and not true at the same time. There was a recipe, long ago. I may never know who created it, but now it’s mine.