Open-face pita sandwiches with shrimp and bacon
These flavor-packed open-face sandwiches can be made in about 15 minutes — or about five minutes more if you’d like to use homemade mayo and don’t have any on hand. The mayo gets a pinch of curry powder, which deepens the flavor, and the sandwiches are topped with fresh dill, which marries beautifully with the shrimp, bacon and arugula.,
The beauty of this recipe is that you can use fresh raw shrimp, fresh cooked shrimp or frozen shrimp, shelled or unshelled. While homemade mayonnaise is delicious you could also use store-bought, preferably a brand containing no sugar. If you happen to have hot curry powder, use it. Otherwise normal curry powder is fine.
For best results assemble the sandwiches at the last minute. You can prepare the shrimp in curried mayo sauce ahead of time and refrigerate, but be sure to take it out of the fridge in time for it to warm up to room temperature.
The quantities below will make one open-face sandwich.
10-12 medium shrimp, fresh or frozen
2 tbsp. mayonnaise
pinch of curry powder or hot curry powder
little squeeze of lemon juice
pinch of salt
2 strips of bacon
1 tsp. olive oil
handful of arugula
1 pita
fresh dill
Steam the shrimp until pink. If they’re still in their shells, peel when cool.
If using homemade mayonnaise, make it now. Here’s a how-to video.
Set aside one-third of the mayo. Mix the remainder with the shrimp, curry powder, lemon juice and salt.
You can now pause the recipe if you like. Resume just before you’re ready to serve.
Cut the bacon in half horizontally. Fry in the olive oil until crispy. Drain on paper towels.
Halve the pita. Toast lightly. Spoon a little of the remaining mayo over one pita half and spread it around.
Now assemble the sandwich: first the bacon, then the arugula, then the shrimp. Top with snipped dill fronds.
Serve as is or with some tender leaves and halved cherry tomatoes alongside. Serves one.
