Spicy Shrimp and Cucumber Salad with Mint, Lemon, and Cumin

Spicy Shrimp and Cucumber Salad with Mint, Lemon, and Cumin
(Makes about 4 servings, recipe adapted from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger.)

Ingredients:
1 lb. shrimp in the shell (frozen shrimp are fine; I used 36-40 per pound size shrimp)
1 tsp. fish rub (optional, to season water when cooking shrimp)
1/2 tsp. hot pepper flakes (optional, to season water when cooking shrimp)
2 cup diced cucumber (about 3 mini cucumbers)
1/2 cup packed mint leaves
3 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/2 - 1 tsp. ground cumin (try half teaspoon, then taste to see if you want more)
1/4-1/2 tsp. Sriracha sauce (or use your favorite hot sauce, add to taste)
1/2 tsp. Vege-Sal (use a little less if using regular salt)
several grinds black pepper
3 T extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

If using frozen shrimp, thaw overnight, then drain. Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil, stir in fish rub and hot pepper flakes if using, then add shrimp and let boil exactly 3 minutes (use a timer.) After 3 minutes, drain shrimp quickly, plunge into a bowl of ice water, then pour into a colander placed in the sink and let the shrimp drain well while you prep other ingredients.

Cut end off cucumbers and peel if the skin is thick. (If there are very many seeds, I would scrape out the seeds with a spoon before I diced the cucumbers.) Dice cucumbers into 1/2 inch pieces and place in medium-sized salad bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, cumin, Sriracha sauce, Vege-sal or salt, and black pepper. Then whisk in olive oil. (Start with smaller amount of cumin and Sriracha and add to taste.) Coarsely chop mint using a chef's knife and stir into dressing. (Next time I make this, I'd chop the mint in larger pieces than is shown in these photos, but chop it as big or small as you prefer.)

Check shrimp to be sure they have drained well enough to be quite dry, and pat dry with paper towels if needed. Pull off shells, including pulling off tail section, and put each shelled shrimp into salad bowl with the cucumbers as you peel it. When all shrimp are peeled and gently combined with cucumbers, stir in lemon-mint dressing, taste to see if you want to add a bit more salt, ground black pepper, or Sriracha (that would be Lydia, adding more Sriracha.)

The salad can be served immediately but it's best when chilled for a few hours before serving. This will keep in the fridge for a day or two.