Grilled kale caesar salad with spicy shrimp

Spice things up this summer with this grilled kale caesar salad with spicy shrimp. Boring old kale gets a makeover in this flavorful and filling summer salad recipe.

I’ll be honest, cooking in the summer is probably my least favorite cooking season. I know, it sounds counterintuitive since summer is when all the fresh produce comes to life and there’s so much variety. But I also find my cooking methods become a lot less interesting in the summer. I pretty much only want to eat salads and grill food. This obviously isn’t the worst thing in the world, but when you’re a recipe developer, coming up with fresh, seasonal, summer meals becomes a little limited. I mean there’s only so many ways you can eat a salad…right?!

So I’ve taken it upon myself to keep things interesting this summer by combining my two favorite cooking methods: raw + grilled. Grilled salad! I think a lot of people have heard of grilled romaine, but did you know you can grill kale? I shared a grilled kale salad a couple of years ago but I wanted to share another variation of grilled kale caesar salad using my favorite greek yogurt caesar dressing. And to make this a meal (and since the grill was already on!) I topped it with spicy grilled shrimp. This meal comes together fairly quickly (if you pre-marinate the shrimp) and makes a boring old salad so much more interesting. So with that, let’s look at how we make it.

How to Grill Kale

Ever since I learned how to grill kale it’s pretty much the only way I eat it in the summer. It just makes it so much more interesting and you don’t need to expend energy massaging your kale. To make grilled kale:

Lay your individual kale stocks on a plate or baking sheet. Brush each piece with olive oil on both sides.

Bring your grill up to medium-high heat and place kale directly onto the grill. Cook for 1-2 minutes on one side and then flip and cook for 1 minute on the other. Keep top open and watch carefully. You want the kale to wilt slightly and get crispy around the edges but remove before it begins to burn.

The BEST Greek Yogurt Caesar Dressing

This is my go-to caesar dressing since it comes together so quickly and has the probiotic benefits of greek yogurt. Plus we always have greek yogurt in the house. Just combine the following in a blender:

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
1 tsp dijon mustard
juice, 1/2 lemon
pinch of salt + pepper
optional: 1/2 tsp anchovy paste

The anchovy paste is totally optional though it does make the recipe taste slightly more authentic. You will likely have some leftover dressing so just save it in the fridge for up to one week and use as a dressing or even dipping sauce for veggies.

Grilled Spicy Shrimp

This is our go-to protein recipe for the summer. We pretty much just throw grilled shrimp onto everything. The key is to make sure you marinate! From there it takes exactly 4 minutes to cook so it’s worth waiting to marinate! Here’s how to make this grilled spicy shrimp:

Combine shrimp with spices + olive oil in a large bowl. Let marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Once it’s marinated, string shrimp onto wood kebab sticks.

Grill should already be hot (medium-high) from when you grilled the kale so once kale is done just remove and add your shrimp. Cook for 2 minutes on each side. Do not overcook as it will make your shrimp taste rubbery. And that’s it! Just remove your shrimp from the kebab sticks and top onto salad.

Easy Swaps You Can Make

Trying to keep this vegetarian? Swap tofu for shrimp!
No kale? Replace with romaine for a more traditional caesar salad. Just cut your head of romaine into quarters and cook for slightly longer on the grill.
For a dairy-free version of this greek yogurt caesar dressing replace with plain mayo or a vegan yogurt.
No grill? Use an indoor grill pan or bake in the oven.
Add some croutons! Just bake 1-inch pieces of bread in the oven for 6-8 minutes at 350 degrees F.