Reviewed: Aug. 10, 2012

This was tasty -- made it for a potluck, where I was looking for something that wasn't Yet Another Pasta Salad. I'm giving it 3 stars, but it could get to 4 with a little tweaking. I followed the recipe pretty closely, though I was a little loose and sloppy with measurements. I felt the thyme was a little overly present, and the onions could have been rather more present. The lemon juice / olive oil dressing is mild but nicely balanced, but in general I felt like I was just wanting a little *more* of something, and the sweetness of the barley was a little pushy. Possibly a little garlic? Or replace the green onions with shallots? Or leeks? I'm also thinking a little bit of a tart crumbly cheese -- like a feta or sour goat cheese, or something in that world -- might be a nice addition. If you haven't cooked with barley before -- I'd only done so once -- be aware that barley is a VERY sweet grain, even sweeter than wheat. So feel free to use strongly flavored savory elements with it to balance out the sweetness.

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10 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Elizabeth

Cooking Level: Beginning

Home Town: Lakeland, Florida, USA

Living In: Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA

Reviewed: Apr. 24, 2012

only used 1/3 cup lemon juice and no shrimp and it turned out fantastic!!

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1 user found this review helpful

Reviewer:

beck_bear

Reviewed: Jul. 28, 2010

I really enjoyed this salad. I made a few minor changes - I leftout the raw peppers since they bother me and added edamame and diced tomatoes and some red pepper flakes. I used some frozen roasted corn that I got at Trader Joe's and also added in some roasted garlic I had made.

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9 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

LindaT

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: San Jose, California, USA

Reviewed: Jul. 15, 2010

Excellent! Very fresh tasting. I added lots of fresh parsley at the end and we all LOVED it here. My son and I are big shrimp fans and I'm always on the lookout for tasty recipes so thanks!

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7 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

crazydoglady

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Jul. 13, 2010

I made only a few small changes, I used half the amount of corn called for and half the amount of green onions and upped the lemon juice in the dressing slightly due to personal tastes. My husband and I loved it.

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7 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Sarah-May

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Christopher Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada

Reviewed: Nov. 1, 2008

I wasn't quite sure if this was supposed to be served hot or cold. I rinsed the barley in cold water before I tossed in the other ingredients. I added some fresh lemon thyme. I liked the taste and texture, but it didn't go over well with the husband and kids.

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5 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

LAMBBELLA

Reviewed: May 17, 2008

This recipe is quite tasty. I used "veggie shrimp" that I bought at Whole Foods because I'm a vegetarian. I added a hint of sugar, although it's just as tasty without. This is a light and healthy meal, side, or snack for a hot summer day.

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4 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

bluebird

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: West Hollywood, California, USA

Reviewed: Apr. 17, 2008

There's too much carbo's in the receipe for Diabetics like me.

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6 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

grace

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Kearney, Nebraska, USA

Reviewed: Aug. 9, 2005

This salad was excellent. I made it because it sounded very healthy and tasty. I did not use quite as much barley as the recipe states. I used 3/4 c. barley and prepared it as directed on the box. The rest of it I did just as the recipe says, but at the end I thought it needed a little something so I added about 1 teaspoon of Lawry's Season Salt. It seemed to bring out the other flavors even more. I made this for a family picnic and everyone seemed to like it. The lemon gives it a nice tangy flavor, perfect for a hot day.

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31 users found this review helpful