Shrimp and mango salad a cool meal for a hot night

When temperatures are soaring and my desire to fire up the oven wanes, it can only mean one thing — the height of salad season has arrived.

Yes, most of us eat salads all year long. But right now our local produce is peaking at farmers markets and in the produce section of local grocery stores, which means all the ingredients we need to pull together a quick, delicious and refreshing meal are at their best.

So it only makes sense to give this dish, usually relegated to the role of first course or side, a much deserved promotion to main event, which is exactly what I've done with this week's recipe, Shrimp and Mango Salad with Peanut-Lime Dressing.

For a salad to work well as a main course, it must have variety of textures and flavors. Otherwise, it's not interesting or, frankly, satisfying. This salad hits all the buttons.

The dressing is both easy and complex. Salty and sweet, with a touch of peanut butter and honey, it is counterbalanced with a hit of acidity in the form of fresh lime juice.

Shrimp is cooked until just done. Perfectly cooked shrimp is tender, with a slight snap when bitten into (overcooked shrimp is tough). Because shrimp takes just a few minutes to cook, it's important to watch them closely. Look for uniform pinkness with no brown or grayish spots and then immediately remove them from the pot.

Crisp, cool, lettuce is then topped with the shrimp, along with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, mango (not local, but definitely in season) and chopped peanuts before being drizzled with the dressing.

Serves 4.

From Meredith Deeds.

For the dressing:

• 1/4 c. lime juice

• 1 tbsp. smooth peanut butter

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

• 1/4 c. canola oil

• 1 serrano chile, seeded and finely chopped

For the salad:

• 1 lime, halved

• 2 medium heads romaine lettuce, or other crisp lettuce, torn into pieces

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

• 2 medium ripe mangos, pitted, peeled and chopped

• 2 baby cucumbers, thinly sliced

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, peanut butter, honey, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the oil. Stir in serrano. Set dressing aside.

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Squeeze the juice from both halves of the lime into the water. Add the lime halves. When water returns to a boil, add the shrimp and remove from heat. Let stand just until shrimp are cooked through to a uniform pinkness, about 3 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a bowl of ice water with a slotted spoon and let cool. Drain.