Brussels Sprouts Salad with Seared Shrimp and Bacon

I’ve got some good news for you.

But first, I don’t know how this happened, or when or why or where, given the 723 tubes of Burt’s Bees lip balm littering my house and life, but somehow over the last 12 to 24 hours my lips have become ever so slightly chapped, shifting into that perfect dewy golden summer Hollywood shade of coral-pink, and now I look like a fresh schoolgirl all flush and frisky!

But I guess that would be good news for me.

 

However, if my lips continue on the path in which I expect, they’ll begin to shed and scale and completely peel apart, thus turning my ripe schoolgirl Hollywood summer lips intooooo a reptile.

Not good news for Aaron.

 

But you don’t rightly care because you just saw a picture of sizzling bacon and I’ve lost you forever.

Which is good news for you?

Well now I’m confused, but I promise I will keep you updated on the metamorphosis of my lizard face.

I’ve got some good news for you!

It’s called spicy seared shrimp over a titanic mound of shredded brussels sprouts and chopped kale, flash sautéed in bacon fat (holla), and tossed with cool chunks of creamy avocado and bacon crumbles. And toasted pepitas. And the spicy shrimp. That you also sautéed in bacon fat. (mommy)

 

Thirty minutes to pull together.

Boomtastic spice.

Nuttin’ but veggies, good fat, lean protein . . .

And bacon.

Best news ever.

OMG I think one lip is already peeling. Son of a . . .

Brussels Sprouts Salad with Seared Shrimp and Bacon:

What it took for 4 small salads, or 2 bigger ones:

* 4 slices bacon
* 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 1 tsp crushed green (or red) pepper flakes
* 2 pounds brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
* 4 cups chopped kale
* 1 avocado, diced
* 4 Tbs toasted pepitas
* 1 pinch coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Sprinkle the peeled shrimp with the crushed green pepper flakes. Let it sit while you start cooking.

In a large skillet, render your bacon until nice and crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove from skillet and place on a couple of paper towels to drain. Once cooled, break them apart with your hands. Taste a crumble or 500 to make sure you did it right.

Back in the skillet, assess the rendered fat. If it’s too much, drain until you have about 2 Tbs left.

Arrange the shrimp in the skillet and sear on one side for 2 minutes. Flip and sear 30 more seconds. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Remove from the skillet and cover to keep warm.

Back in the skillet, add the brussels sprouts and kale. All you’re going to do is basically flash sauté it. No idea if that’s even a thing. But that’s what you’re gonna do. For like 2 minutes tops. You still want it to have a slight bite, without tasting raw. Toss in a pinch of salt and pepper.

Evenly divide the sautéed sprouts and kale among plates. Top with seared shrimp, avocado, bacon crumbles and toasted pepitas! You could even spritz it with some lime juice too. Oh my face that would rule it.

Lizard face. That’s what they’re going to call me.

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29 Responses to Brussels Sprouts Salad with Seared Shrimp and Bacon

  1. Ashley - baker by nature November 8, 2012 at 8:04 am #
    Well this looks freakin' incredible!!!
  2. Brian @ A Thought For Food November 8, 2012 at 8:13 am #
    My lips never last with this weather. Totally sucks. Ok... so, we were THIS close to becoming blog twins today. Glad I moved things around. :-) Our recipes are quite different... well, basically mine doesn't have meat on it ( I know... lame). This look amazing.
  3. Heather @ Heather's Dish November 8, 2012 at 8:20 am #
    yes, please! and maybe a little extra bacon - just keepin' it real!
  4. Katie November 8, 2012 at 8:47 am #
    I had brussels and bacon for dinner last night! I'm pretty sure there's not a better vegetable + meat combination out there...although I need to toss some shrimp in there and see what happens. I know it will be rad.
  5. Liz @ The Lemon Bowl November 8, 2012 at 8:51 am #
    Hi. I'm coming over for lunch. See you in 3 hours.
  6. Mountaincat November 8, 2012 at 9:20 am #
    Is that a nice yummy glass of bacon grease by the plate? JK. Happy Friday.
  7. Meagan @ A Zesty Bite November 8, 2012 at 9:26 am #
    This is the perfect meal/dish! All my loves on one plate!
  8. Mandie @ Oh So Decadent November 8, 2012 at 10:07 am #
    I have been having the exact same problem too! I am a chapstick addict and recently I've had to double or triple the amount I normally put on. Which kind are you using? Maybe we need to switch to a heavy duty version or something. This salad looks wonderful though! I've been dying to try brussels sprouts (completely opposite from everyone else in the world) and adding bacon would make it so much better! Thanks for the idea :).
    • Bev Weidner November 8, 2012 at 10:20 am #
      I've used Burt's Bees FOREVER and never had an issue! Burt needs to rat-a-tat!
  9. Katy Morgan November 8, 2012 at 10:45 am #
    That looks delicious...and I hate Brussels sprouts. Is that right, Brussels? Or Brussel? I'm so confused...
  10. Kelly Hartman November 8, 2012 at 10:54 am #
    To combat chapped lips, I either: 1. Rub my lips with bacon grease while assembling a delicious meal (this recipe would work well) 2. Coat my lips in good old-fashioned Vaseline before I go to bed This also works for chapped nostrils. Not that I have ever had those or may have them right now. I supplement my nighttime routine with regular applications of lip gloss/balm/chapstick during the day as well. I adore Brussels sprouts, and this looks like a great way to get some kale into my diet too! :-)
  11. Katie @ Blonde Ambition November 8, 2012 at 1:14 pm #
    I am really into shredded brussels sprouts right now...and I am pretty much ALWAYS into bacon and avocado, so... I'm in.
  12. Rachael {SimplyFreshCooking} November 8, 2012 at 1:23 pm #
    Ok, first of all... this looks insanely good. Secondly, I used to be a cherry chapstick addict until I found out that it can make your lips MORE DRY... WHAT?!!! Anyway, I switched to Burt's Bees and barely even need to put anything on my lips. Ok, maybe twice a day. Once an addict, always an addict. I really hope you buy some asap!!! ;)
    • Bev Weidner November 8, 2012 at 1:37 pm #
      OHHHH I use nothing BUT BB's! I need to update my post. It's misleading :)
  13. Alison @ ingredients, Inc. November 8, 2012 at 5:45 pm #
    yes! PLEASE!
  14. Paula - bell'alimento November 8, 2012 at 5:49 pm #
    All about the brussels ..
  15. Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts November 8, 2012 at 8:22 pm #
    Bacon grease - count me in!
  16. Loretta | A Finn In The Kitchen November 9, 2012 at 9:58 am #
    My problem is always my hands! They get totally nasty this time of year! This salad looks absolutely perfect, and I pretty much have all the ingredients but bacon and shrimp. It looks gorgeous...
  17. Cookin' Canuck November 9, 2012 at 2:58 pm #
    Now that's the way to make Brussels sprouts irresistible!
  18. amanda November 9, 2012 at 6:57 pm #
    Made this tonight, was great! Added more bacon....hello we're from Kentucky. And used pine nuts. (Didnt have pepitas) so good. Never used brussel sprouts like this before. Thanks for sharing!!
  19. Kevin (Closet Cooking) November 10, 2012 at 1:38 pm #
    Now this is the way to do brussels sprouts!
  20. Home Inspections Chicago November 10, 2012 at 8:10 pm #
    Brussels Sprouts are so versatile!!!!
  21. mb brown February 15, 2014 at 10:20 am #
    Recipe sounds amazing ! can't wait to try it. When I clicked on the print friendly verson, my print preview showed 7 pages ! Why can't it just print the recipe ? Tanks.
    • Bev Weidner February 15, 2014 at 3:12 pm #
      I'm so sorry! There should be an option to select how much of the post/recipe you'd like to print. I'll look into it to see if it's messed up. Again, so so sorry!
  22. Katie November 6, 2014 at 11:18 pm #
    Oh em gee this combines all my favourite things, including brussel sprouts because I'm a weirdo like that. But bacon! Double win.

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