Spinach, apple, and shrimp salad

A favorite place of ours to visit when I am with my parents in France is called Fred’s. It is run by Fred – predictably – a moody, yet friendly chef and fisherman who is always dressed in a red knit cap and white wellingtons.

Fred always has the freshest fish for you to pick out, but it’s the entrées (appetizers, in French) where he tends to get more creative. I’ve had this salad a few times, and it’s the perfect crisp balance of the sweetness of the shrimp and the zing of the apple and the radicchio that always wins me over.

Every ingredient really complements the other, with nothing overpowering.

Spinach, apple, and shrimp salad

(serves two)

You’ll need:

• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1/3 head of radicchio
• 10-12 shrimp, cooked and halved (deveined, of course, but you can keep the tails on, if you want)
• 1 apple (I used a mac but pretty much every crisp and sweeter variety would be great here)
• juice of half a lemon
• olive oil
• salt, pink peppercorns

1. Shred the radicchio and peel and cube the apple.

2. Mix spinach, apple, and radicchio strips and place on a plate. Add the shrimp and toss together.

3. Dress simply with lemon juice and a little bit of olive oil. Crush the pink peppercorns in your hand and sprinkle on top of the salad, along with a pinch of salt.