Zululand Queen baby pineapples are super sweet with an edible core. Their compact size makes them perfect for a single serving of pineapple shrimp salad. This recipe is paleo, gluten free, and dairy free.

Paleo Pineapple Shrimp salad is a festive summer dish that uses the pineapple as a pretty serving dish | TastingPage.com #paleo #pineapple #salad #glutenfree #dairyfree

You know how they say good things come in small packages? I wondered if that applied to the food world.

Ok, there's caviar and shaved truffles, but what about in the world of "regular" food likes fruits and vegetables?

Does smaller mean less flavor and taste?

I recently learned the answer is a resounding no when it comes to a tiny little pineapple from South Africa that served as the vessel for today's pineapple shrimp salad.

The Zululand Queen baby pineapple is special in so many ways, above and beyond the super cool name.

First, it's adorable with its miniature size. It's super cute, but not just another pretty face.

The flesh is sweet and you can actually eat straight through the core. Yes, an edible core. Cute, tasty and practical. This is quite the super fruit, and of course still packed full of great Vitamin C.

The smaller cavity makes it a perfect vessel for holding a refreshing shrimp salad.

I scooped out the fruit, chopped, and juiced some of it to mix with shrimp and cilantro, lime, and avocados.

I played up the Mexican twist by adding some heat with a jalapeno.

You can also keep it vegan by omitting the shrimp and just using it as a salsa.

So many uses and proof that good things come in small packages, even in the food world.

Pineapple Shrimp Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 Zululand Queen baby pineapples (or you can use 1 large pineapple)
1 small English cucumber - diced
1/2 jalapeno (or to taste) - stem and seeds removed, finely chopped
1 avocado - peeled, cored and cubed
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 teaspoon of Sriracha
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, de-stemmed, and chopped
1 pound cooked shrimp
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cut the pineapples down the middle. Take a paring knife and cut around the perimeter of the inside of the pineapple. Score the interior flesh into 4 blocks and then scoop out the inside.
Take 1/4 cup of the pineapple flesh and muddle it (or use a mortar and pestle), creating a liquid juice. Chop the remaining pineapple flesh into small cubes.
Add the shrimp, cucumber, jalapeno, avocado, lime, cilantro and Sriracha to the pineapple and mix. Season with salt and pepper. The flavors will develop the longer you let it sit, but the lime juice will also continue to "cook" the shrimp so don't leave in the refrigerator more than a day.
Scoop the mix back into the hollowed out pineapples and serve.

Frieda's provided me with the Zululand Queen baby pineapples for recipe testing, but as always, all opinions are always my own.