Roasted Shrimp and Asparagus with Green Goddess Dressing #30MinuteMondays

Succulent roasted shrimp and asparagus are served with a tangy garlic scape green goddess dressing for an easy, 30-minute paleo dinner that's also Whole30-compliant.

I'm kind of mad at myself because I missed the boat on ramps this year. At the photography workshop I went to in May we ate them at almost every meal (there's a picture of them in this post), and when I got home I vowed to track some down so I could cook with them myself for the first time. However, I'm a lazy late-evening grocery shopper and there were never any ramps left. Before long, their short season had ended.

You'll be relieved to hear that I am NOT missing out on garlic scapes.

While ramps are their own kind of plant and are usually foraged wild (hence their limited availability), garlic scapes are the flowering stalks of garlic plants that farmers cut off so the plant's energy can be fully devoted to the bulb forming below. Garlic scapes are cool looking (see evidence above) and I like their name: it sounds like they've been trying to escape from the head of garlic, which is pretty much what they actually do.

Garlic scapes are milder than regular garlic with some fresher, grassier notes to their flavor--kind of like a cross between garlic, scallions, and chives. Here I used them to make a green goddess dressing with some fresh herbs and Primal Kitchen's avocado oil mayo, which I just tried for the first time. I'm not a mayo person at all so I don't foresee myself ever eating it straight up, but once some other flavors are mixed in to create a dressing or aioli, I can usually hop on board. (If you haven't seen garlic scapes at your local market, don't worry. You can substitute scallions and a clove of regular old garlic.)

I should probably also tell you about the main part of the meal: the quick-roasted shrimp and asparagus. This dinner is FAST. It's part of a new series I'm starting here on A Calculated Whisk, in which I'll share squeaky-clean, Whole30-compliant paleo dinners that can be made in just 30 minutes. I'll share a new one every Monday and I'm calling it #30MinuteMondays.

Anyway, I love how roasting shrimp and asparagus brings out the best in both their flavors, AND I love how you can even roast them together on one big sheet pan. If your asparagus is thin enough, the whole shebang only needs to roast for 10 minutes (see note below about a head start for your asparagus if it's a little thicker).

There's a fork in this picture, but once I sat down to eat I didn't even even use it, and my fiancé didn't need one either. We just picked up the shrimp and asparagus and dipped them into the dressing, and a good time was had by all.

Next time you're looking for a super quick meal that's still healthy and tasty, I hope you'll give this one a whirl. Also, if you have any suggestions for future #30MinuteMondays recipes (ingredients, cooking styles, cuisines, etc. you'd like to see), let me know in the comments!

Roasted Shrimp and Asparagus with Green Goddess Dressing
Yield: 3-4 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients:

For the roasted shrimp and asparagus:

1 bunch skinny asparagus spears, trimmed*
1 pound raw shrimp (31-40 count), peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For the green goddess dressing:

5 garlic scapes, trimmed and roughly chopped (or substitute 5 scallions plus 1 clove of garlic)
1/2 cup lightly packed fresh basil and/or cilantro
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I recommend Primal Kitchen avocado oil mayo or homemade paleo mayo)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, or more as needed

*This recipe is easiest with skinny asparagus (pencil-thin or a little bigger) because it will cook in the same amount of time as the shrimp, but I couldn't find any at the store this time. If your asparagus is thicker like the spears you see here, give it a head start by roasting it for five minutes before adding the shrimp to the pan and roasting for 10 minutes more.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Arrange the shrimp and asparagus in a single layer on a large baking sheet (or divide between two smaller baking sheets). Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, tossing with a spatula to coat everything evenly.

Roast for about ten minutes, until the asparagus is tender and browned in spots and the shrimp are opaque and cooked through. (I don't bother flipping halfway through or anything like that!)

While the shrimp and asparagus roast, make the green goddess dressing. Add the garlic scapes, herbs, vinegar, mayonnaise, and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. With the processor running, add the olive oil in a steady stream, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice. If you'd like a thinner sauce, add up to a few tablespoons of water in the same manner.

Serve the shrimp and asparagus hot, with the green goddess dressing dolloped on top or on the side for dipping.

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