Shrimp Salad with Avocado Ranch Dressing

I’m sure this Shrimp Salad with Avocado Ranch Dressing will look familiar to some of you, especially for those that lived or visited Sandusky, Ohio in the ‘80’s. A well known restaurant during that time was Fanny Baer’s Restaurant on Milan Road. They specialized in seafood and steak.

Every time I went I ordered this salad. What made the salad extra yummy was the dressing. Many say that it’s a Green Goddess dressing, but if you search for that dressing you’ll find it has different ingredients, such as anchovies, watercress, avocado or a bunch of food coloring just to make it look green.

We are going to make a homemade avocado ranch dressing that I think is more like the original dressing used at the restaurant.

If you’ve never tried this shrimp salad, hold onto your hat, because if you love shrimp, you’ll love this salad. Serves 4


Ingredients:

1 head of lettuce, cleaned
1 8 oz bag of bay shrimp
I’d purchase this, because it’s already prepared for a salad:

1-2 can(s) of mandarin oranges
2 cups of toasted coconut
2 cups of almond slivers
Avocado ranch dressing

Directions:

In 4 salad bowls evenly divide the head of lettuce. Top lettuce with the shrimp, then the mandarin oranges. Sprinkle on the toasted coconut and almond slivers. Drizzle on the avocado ranch salad dressing.

To toast the coconut:
   Preheat oven to 325F. Spread coconut flakes evenly on a baking sheet in a thin layer. Bake 5-10 minutes. After a few minutes stir the coconut to ensure it gets toasted evenly.


Avocado Ranch Dressing (yields 2 cups)
Ingredients:

2 large ripe avocados
1 cup Buttermilk, divided
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 cup parsley
2 green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons chives
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dill
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Juice from 1/2 of a lime
1 teaspoon honey, optional

Directions:

Scoop out the flesh of the avocado and put it in a food processor with 1/2 cup of buttermilk and all the rest of the ingredients. Pulse until smooth. Add in the remaining buttermilk a little at a time until you get your desired consistency. Keep in an airtight container. Will keep in the refrigerator up to a week.