Warm Spinach Salad with Cannellini Beans and Shrimp

• Recipe by Melissa Rubel

The combination of sweet shrimp and meaty little cannellini beans here transforms a simple warm spinach salad.

Ingredients

1. 1/2 pound baby spinach (7 cups)
2. 3 slices of bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
3. 1 pound shelled and deveined large shrimp
4. Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
5. One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
6. 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
7. 1 small shallot, minced
8. 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
9. 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Directions

1. Spread the spinach on a large platter. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp, about 4 minutes. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and cook it with the bacon over moderately high heat until just white throughout, about 4 minutes. Add the beans, season with salt and pepper and toss until heated through, about 1 minute. Scrape the shrimp and beans onto the bed of spinach.
2. In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the shallot and cook over moderately low heat until softened, about 1 minute. Add the mustard to the skillet and whisk in the red wine vinegar, then whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Season the dressing with salt and pepper, pour it over the salad and serve.