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FOR OFF-DRY (SLIGHTLY SWEET) BUBBLIES

ASIAN-INSPIRED SHRIMP SALAD

SERVES 4

3 cups dry white wine or water or a combination1 pound (about 16 to 20) large shrimp, peeled and deveined

VINAIGRETTE cup peanut or olive oil6 tablespoons fresh lime juiceGrated zest of 2 limes2 tablespoons brown sugar½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or diced jalapeño chile, or more to tasteSalt to taste

2 ripe papayas or mangos, or 1 cantaloupe6 cups assorted lettuces6 tablespoons torn fresh mint leaves6 tablespoons torn fresh basil leaves

In a saucepan, bring the wine to a simmer over medium heat. Add the shrimp and poach until they turn pink, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a bowl. Refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. Discard the poaching liquid.

For the vinaigrette: In a large bowl, whisk the peanut oil, lime juice, lime zest, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes to blend. Season to taste with additional red pepper flakes, if desired, and salt.

Peel, pit, and dice or slice the selected fruit. If using papayas, cut them in half and scoop out and discard the seeds. Dice or slice the flesh. If using a mango, cut off the flesh on either side of the central pit. With a sharp paring knife remove the peel and dice or slice the fruit. If tropical fruit is unavailable, you can substitute slices of cantaloupe.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the lettuces, mint, and basil.

Toss the shrimp with ¼ cup of the vinaigrette and marinate for 5 minutes.

Add half of the remaining vinaigrette to the bowl with the lettuces and herbs. Toss to coat, and divide among individual salad plates. Top with the shrimp and fruit. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette on top and serve.

VARIATION If you don't want to use fruit, you may substitute thinly sliced cucumbers, marinated for about 10 minutes in the vinaigrette before you assemble the salad.

A salad of tangy fruit and chewy shrimp dressed with a spicy, sweet, and tart vinaigrette makes for a nice, light beginning to a special meal. The shrimp can be poached the night before or earlier in the day. The fruit can be diced or sliced and the vinaigrette prepared hours ahead of serving time. Assemble the salad at the last minute. —Joyce

This is always a crowd-pleasing combination. I opt for slightly sweet wines here because of the mild heat and the sweetness of the fruit. The riper the fruit, the sweeter the wine should be, so ripe mangos require a slightly sweeter wine than most papayas and melons. But if you choose to substitute cucumbers for the fruit, you can go with quite a dry wine, though I would go with a New World bubbly rather than one from Europe. And, just as the sweetness of the fruit is important to your wine selection, so is the heat of the peppers. Sugar takes the edge off the heat, so the hotter the kick in your dressing, the more sweetness you may need to counterbalance it. Try preparing the dish a few times to find the balance that works best for you. —Evan

RECOMMENDED PRODUCERS

Off-Dry (Slightly Sweet) Bubblies

EVERYDAY	PREMIUM
Fontanafredda (Piedmont, Italy)	Ceretto (Piedmont, Italy)
Zonin (Piedmont, Italy)	Möet et Chandon (Champagne, France)
Michele Chiarlo (Piedmont, Italy)	Mumm Napa (Napa Valley, California)