Shrimp Salad with Grilled Lettuce

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Shrimp Salad (serves 2)

2 hearts of Romaine lettuce (sold prepackaged in the produce section), sliced in half lengthwise
1 medium to large-sized, ripe Haas avocado, sliced in half lengthwise and seed removed
15 25-count shrimp (tails and shells left on)
12 cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
Feta cheese crumbles
Extra virgin olive oil
For the Dressing:

Zest from 1 orange and the juice of 1/2 the orange
1.5 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 to 1/2 C extra-virgin olive oil
Poaching Liquid for the Shrimp:

3 to 4 C water
1 C dry white wine
1/2 onion sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
20 black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
Kosher salt
1 large bowl of ice water
Poach the shrimp on Saturday evening before Mother's Day. Begin by adding all of the ingredients for the poaching liquid (except the salt) into a saucepan. Heat on a high flame until the liquid begins to boil. Reduce to a very low simmer and cover. Allow the mixture to simmer lightly for 5 to 10 minutes. Add a generous amount of salt to the water and mix well.

Add the shrimp to the liquid. The simmer should go away, so turn up the heat slightly, but do not allow the water to boil. Allow the shrimp to poach for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they are opaque. Peel one of the shrimp and cut in half to check for doneness. If the shrimp is cooked through, transfer all of them to a bowl of ice water and allow to fully cool, which should take about 2 minutes.

Remove the shrimp from the ice water and pat them dry using paper towels. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

You can make the dressing on the morning of Mother's Day. In a bowl, add the orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, mustard, honey and smoked paprika. Season liberally with salt and pepper and whisk well.

Slowly add the olive oil to the mixture, whisking continuously until it emulsifies. Set aside.

When mom arrives home and is ready to enjoy your lunch, it's time to put the finishing touches on the salad. Start by removing the shrimp from the fridge and, using your fingers, remove the shells. The tails can either be left on, or removed. Set aside.

Preheat either a grill pan, or an outdoor grill.

Brush the cut sides of the romaine hearts and avocado with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place the avocado halves, cut side down, on the grill and cook for 1 to 1.5-minutes. Give them a quarter turn and cook for an additional minute, or until grill marks are achieved. Remove and set aside.

Place the romaine hearts on the grill and cook for 30 to 45 seconds. Rotate a quarter turn and cook for another 30 to 45 seconds, or until they are uniformly charred. Remove and set aside.

To plate your salads, place two halves of the grilled romaine onto two separate plates. Top each salad with equal amounts of shrimp. Toss the sliced tomatoes in a tablespoon or so of the dressing, and place on top of the shrimp. Using a spoon, scoop out bite-sized pieces of the grilled avocado and arrange equal portions onto each plate. Drizzle each salad with the desired amount of dressing and top with crumbled feta cheese. Serve with slices of warm baguette.