In a mood for something that comes together easily without a lot of fuss? With quick, pan fried shrimp and an Asian flavored dressing, this Pineapple Shrimp Barley Salad is fresh, healthy and fills you up without fattening you up!
With plenty of fresh pineapple on hand I decided to dice it up and make a salad with it. The fresh, bright and tangy flavor would pair well with shrimp and instead of a stir fry or grilling a fast sauté and in the salad would be what I like. A meal in minutes.
Some days I’m just want something fast and tasty and take out is not my answer. I checked the refrigerator and with some leftover cooked barley, pineapple and some fresh shrimp I had picked up this salad came together using one of my favorite Asian inspired salad dressings. While the classic vinaigrette ratio of 3 to 1, oil to vinegar, is the usual guideline I wanted a little more tang and did 1 to 1. I added some slivered almonds and chopped bell peppers for crunch appeal and the cilantro finished it off.
This really hit the spot after a bad day of getting my car hit by someone who didn’t choose to look in their rear view mirror. He backed into us T-bone style as we were leaving a parking lot and then couldn’t find his license. Warning bells rang off and I remembered to stay calm, whipped out my iPhone for pictures of both cars, the passenger’s driver’s license and insurance card.
My passenger side rear door and panel are crunched a bit. It was a little irritating and I won’t go into details, but the thought of dealing with insurance companies is never top of my list of things to do. Wish me luck! My baby may be a year old, but she’s still new to me. Sad face.
Needless to say this hit the spot and I knew I was serving up some good, healthy food.
If you like barley, check out my Shrimp Corn and Barley Salad, Barley Salad with Apricot and Pine Nuts or Savory Barley Salad with Preserved Lemon, Enjoy!
- 1 lb large shrimp deveined
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 cups cooked barley cooled
- 1 cup pineapple diced
- 2 cups bell pepper diced (See Note 1)
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped, lightly packed
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
- Asian Dressing:
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 cloves garlic smashed and chopped
- pinch red pepper flakes
- Whisk together the salad dressing and set aside.
- Wash and cut top and bottom off bell peppers and remove seeds. Dice into 1/2" uniform pieces.
- Dice fresh or canned pineapple into 1/2 " pieces.
- Cook barley per package directions and allow to cool. (See Note 2)
- In a large salad bowl mix together the barley, pineapple, bell peppers, almonds, cilantro and half of the salad dressing. Toss to coat and allow dressing to absorb with barley. Cover and refrigerate while you cook shrimp.
- Season shrimp with salt and pepper. In a large skillet over high heat add oil to pan. Quickly sauté shrimp, cooking for 1 to 2 minutes per side depending on size, or until golden and crisp on edges. Remove from pan and add to salad. Toss to coat and add more salad dressing as you like to taste. Serve immediately or chill completely prior to eating.
2. Bring 1 cup pearled barley, pinch of salt and 2 1/2 cups water to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; cook, covered, until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 25-30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Makes 3-3 1/2 cups.
Barley is a favorite of mine for salads and soups, but I always forget about it! Barley, pineapple and shrimp sound like a winning combo!
So sorry about your car, Kevin. But I’m so glad that you weren’t hurt.
Thanks Marissa. The car has a Dr. appointment soon and should be good as new!
This was delicious!! I’m definitely going to add this to my recipe rotation.
Thanks so much for trying it and coming back here to let me know. There’s lots of other good stuff here, I hope you take a look around and try some more Supriya! Have a wonderful day. 🙂
Oh Kevin, sorry to hear about the accident. But let’s not talk about negative things – I’d rather be concentrated on good and delicious things like this salad. I do barley (not to mention shrimp), and this salad idea sounds something I need to try!
Hi there Ben, it’s definitely a hearty and healthy one that’s quite flavorful with the Asian dressing. Enjoy!
Actually the insurance adjuster just left after viewing the car damage and wrote me a check, time to find a repairman!
So sorry to hear about your accident, Kevin. I’m glad you’re ok – even though your car is dinged up – but that was some sharp thinking to take photos – always better to be prepared – right?
By the way, this pineapple shrimp barley green pepper salad sounds phenomenal! So love that Asian Dressing and the crunch from the slivered almonds! This is perfect for a calming down a crazy day! Good luck, my friend, in sorting everything out – I hope you don’t have any trouble doing so.
It will all sort itself out I’m sure, just always an unexpected hassle to deal with. Thanks Shashi, appreciate it.
We have been on a shrimp binge here as of late. So good!
I tend to cheat my vinaigrettes to the tangy side too. Perfect for this salad. GREG
Thanks Greg. I remember as a kid always sipping the last of the salad dressing in the bowl (crazy?)… so I guess I was always a vinegar kinda guy!
Oh no! I hope it all runs smoothly with your insurance. What a pain! Great looking salad, though, I could do with this now – with extra shrimp!
I’m sure it will all sort out, thanks John.
It looks like you guys are having a wonderful and tasty trip, just loving the IG photos. Need to check your blog and see if there are new posts of the trip!
Getting your car hit is such a stressful experience. Unfortunately I had this happened to me more than once! I hope all goes well with the insurance companies.
Pear Barley is such a great addition to salads – I have only discovered it a few years ago and just love the nutty flavour and chewy texture of it. I can imagine that it tastes great in your pineapple shrimp barley salad finished with that gorgeous Asian dressing!
At this point I left all in the hands of the insurance company, we’ll see, thanks Miriam. I too love the nutty flavor of barley. Farro and Freekah are two others that I’ve been eating a lot of lately too. Good stuff!
I am loving everything about this, Kevin! Barley is such a fantastic idea… So tasty!!
Thanks Annie, hearty and healthy!
Ohhhh NOOO! I’m so sorry your ride got hit by some jack@$$ not paying attention. That is SO annoying. I totally feel your pain, buddy! I will keep all my fingers and toes crossed that the insurance company isn’t too much of a PITA!! In the meantime you should just stuff your face with this seriously amazing, salad! Kevin, you make the BEST salads!! Obviously this one is no exception! Love the pineapple and Asian vibes going on here! Plus those shrimp look absolutely PERFECT! Pinned!! Cheers, buddy… and good luck with the car! <3
I hear ya, maybe he should have been driven after his long flight? Anyways, thanks and for the kind words here. Gotta love a BIG Ole Salad that’s a meal, right? Cheers!
Hey Kevin! This is perfect for the still hot days we are having! I would toss in some fresh corn since we are still getting good corn. Sorry about the “baka” (a word I learned from Nagi’s Mum) that hit your car! I never worried about my driving, it’s the other guy I worry about. Hope the rest of your week gets better!
Gotta love a salad that’s a meal, right? This is perfect and that corn sounds like a wonderful addition. So needless to say Dorothy, when we come visit, I’ll drive ;).
Such a summery recipe and I really like that you’ve used barley – it’s one of my favourites!
Thanks Caroline! I agree, isn’t barley fantastic, love grains!
This is on my menu plan as we speak for tomorrow’s slot. Sorry to hear about your car. (((Big hug))) Anything insurance and car and car accident related is call for an easy dinner and lots of wine. Pictures are fantastic, as always.
Thanks Sally, agree. While we no longer drink anymore, this was a perfect sub… and the new Jason Bourne movie. 😉
Umph. Sorry about the car situation, Kevin. Good call on grabbing photos…you might not need them, but you never know. And why do I have a sneaky suspicion that the guy didn’t have a license at all? Either way, I hope that works out quickly! Or maybe I hope it works out slowly so you guys can keep having this salad every night…kinda Groundhog Day style? 🙂 Love the pineapple in there!
You are a mind reader Dave, he didn’t, just flew in from Hong Kong and the airport lost his bag with drivers license in it. Crazy. I guess not being in any car accident for over 20+ years has been a good thing, it’s just a hassle. I also made this with grilled pineapple, two thumbs up!
Haha….’crunch appeal’…. love it!
Oh no!!! Your car!! That’s so crappy, Kevin! I hope everything works out well for ya!! Fingers & toes crossed. The main thing is your ok, though!!
This salad looks delicious! Love the combo of the pineapple & shrimp & I do think this would even be lovely chilled as you say….perfect, for lunch! That Asian Dressing sounds awesome…..I’d definitely use a generous pinch of chili flakes. Pinning!
Good luck with everything!!
Thanks, it’s always such a hassle to deal with. Endless calls, call backs, forms, online this and VM that. He didn’t have a drivers license! Then the other driver (his wife) offered hers and asked if we would say she was driving. Hello, that would be no, give me your insurance card. She claimed he just flew in from Hong Kong and his bag with drivers license in it was lost at airport. Crazy.