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Mediterranean Shrimp + Pita Bowl

Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Low Carb/Paleo
  • Pescatarian
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Why we love it:

This is my favorite kind of “salad” - light on lettuce, heavy on a rainbow of textured and flavorful toppings with an additive creamy sauce to pull it all together.
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup Bulgur Wheat
  • 2 cups Water
  • 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt (divided)
  • 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (divided)
  • 1 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar
  • Pita (3 pieces)
  • 1 Tablespoon Ground Sumac (divided)
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
  • 1⁄2 Red Onion
  • 1 pound Shrimp (peeled, deveined - large size, or whatever you prefer)
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon Black Pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
  • 3⁄4 head Romaine Lettuce
  • 1 bunch Fresh Parsley (flat leaf, aka Italian parsley)
  • 1 pint Cherry Tomatoes
  • 1 Cucumber
  • 3 Tablespoons Tahini
  • 1 teaspoon Honey
  • 1 Lemon (zest and juice, divided)
  • 11⁄2 cups Plain Greek Yogurt
  • 1 Tablespoon White Sesame Seeds

Cooking Instructions

  • 1. HEAT THE OVEN TO 425 DEGREES
  • 2. BULGUR

    Combine the bulgur, water, and 1 teaspoon of salt together in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a steady simmer and stir well. Simmer for about 5 - 6 minutes then stir and cover. Cook for another 5 - 6 minutes until most of the water is absorbed and the bulgur is looking fluffy. Stir, turn off the heat, and cover for about 5 - 10 minutes until ready to serve. Before serving, stir in about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and the balsamic vinegar. Add more salt to taste.

  • 3. PITA

    Slice the pita into wedges - you can keep the 2 sides of the pocket connected for extra crunchy chips. Put on a baking sheet and toss with a generous drizzle of olive oil (about 1 - 2 Tablespoons), 1 teaspoon of salt, about ½ of the sumac and all of the dried oregano. Spread in an even layer on the pan.

  • 4. ONION

    Slice the red onion into half-moon or thin strips and pile on the sheet pan but move the pita away from touching the onions.

    Place the pan in the oven on the lowest rack and bake for about 12 minutes, tossing the chips occasionally so they cook evenly. Remove and let cool when the chips are very golden and uniformly crunchy.

  • 5. SHRIMP

    Defrost shrimp and pat dry. Toss with a pinch of salt and pepper and the remaining sumac.
    In a large flat pan, melt butter. Add shrimp in one layer (do 2 batches rather than crowding) and sear for about 3 minutes or until the first side is pink and golden browned. Flip and cook the other side for 1 minutes or until shrimp are cooked through. Remove and set to the side. Repeat with remaining shrimp if necessary.

  • 6. VEGGIES

    Chop lettuce. Chop the whole bunch of parsley and toss with the lettuce. Halve tomatoes, dice cucumber.

  • 7. SAUCE

    In a small bowl, stir together the tahini and the honey until it’s a little bit softer in consistency. Stir in the zest of the lemon and most of the juice. Stir in the yogurt and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.

    Squeeze the rest of the lemon juice over the cooked shrimp.

  • 8. SERVING

    Plate the lettuce and bulgur in large bowls. Top with piles of the tomatoes, cucumbers, pita, onion, and shrimp. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the top. Serve with sauce on the side and drizzled over the top to taste.

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Substitutions

  • GLUTEN FREE:
    use quinoa or rice for bulgur
  • DAIRY FREE:
    use almond or coconut yogurt for the yogurt in the sauce
  • SHRIMP:
    smoked salmon, seared and flaked salmon - or sear chicken or use leftover roasted chicken shredded. No reason thinly sliced steak or pork chops wouldn’t work as well
  • BULGUR:
    use something you have, no need to buy this especially if you don’t prefer. Quinoa, rice, brown rice, lentils (even canned lentils!), orzo or couscous work well too
  • TAHINI:
    use ½ as much peanut butter or almond butter, go light on the honey at first because nut butters are sweeter - sunflower seed butter would be great too
  • VEGGIES:
    be creative! Sub in and out to meet your needs and shop from your fridge

Kid Friendly Version

How to Tweak This Recipe for Kids:

  • Deconstruction is your friend here! Just serve the salad with things they like and select a few items that might be new. Play with assembly to be friendly but try one new thing

For Toddlers

  • Separate ingredients into those they can eat, and cut up the others to the appropriate size

For Choosy Eaters

  • Make some pita plain and serve with a dip they like - might even be peanut butter or cheese
  • If shrimp won’t happen, you can use leftover chicken or deli slices, or try a fried/scrambled egg

Prep Ahead & Use It Up

  1. Cook the bulgur. Either warm slightly or serve it cold on the final dish
  2. Stir together the sauce
  3. Can make pita up to 1 day ahead and store in an airtight container
Rate this recipe:
4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 54 votes, average: 4.75 out of 54 votes, average: 4.75 out of 54 votes, average: 4.75 out of 54 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5 (4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5)
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