Shrimp and Spiralized Cucumber Salad with Chia Seed Vinaigrette

This is another recipe from a healthy Sur la Table cooking class I took a couple of months ago. It was so pretty on the plate and also very tasty.

Shrimp and Spiralized Cucumber Salad with Chia Seed Vinaigrette
Servings: 4

The poached shrimp can be made ahead and chilled, but the spiralizing should be done just before assembling the salad.

Poached shrimp:
8 cups water
1/2 cup white wine (optional)
2 bay leaves
5 black peppercorns
2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 medium yellow onion
1 head garlic, cut in half
4 sprigs fresh herbs, such as thyme and flat leaf parsle
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Chia seed vinaigrette:
1 tbsp. tamari (or Braggs Liquid Aminos)
1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. raw honey
1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp. chia seeds
1 tbsp. finely minced ginger
1 tsp. Sriracha hot chile sauce (optional)

For the salad:
1 large English cucumber
1 small red bell pepper, stemmed and cored, very thinly sliced
2 scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

For the poached shrimp: Bring water, spices and seasonings to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add shrimp and stir to combine. Poach just until bright pink and opaque, 2-3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp from the pan and spread out evenly on a baking dish. Chill until needed.

To prepare vinaigrette: In a large bowl, whisk together ingredients. Add chilled shrimp and toss to coat. Set aside.

For the salad: Spiralize cucumber and lay out on paper towels; gently pat cucumber with additional paper towels to soak up excess liquid. Using kitchen scissors, trim cucumber into bite-size pieces and transfer to the bowl with vinaigrette. Add remaining ingredients. Toss to combine and serve immediately.