Shrimp Avocado Salad

Worth cooking

• It is healthy. This recipe is packed with healthy ingredients, providing an abundant source of protein, fiber, and potassium. Additionally, it contains vitamins A and C along with iron. Your body will definitely appreciate all the nourishing components. It’s also an excellent dish to serve to your family.
• This recipe is very versatile. You can enjoy it as an entrée or pair it with other proteins to use it as a side dish or appetizer. It is also great for serving at parties if you double the recipe!
• It’s incredibly satisfying. This salad is packed with fresh flavors and an array of textures. The crisp cucumber, onions, the citrusy homemade dressing, and creamy avocado make for an unforgettable taste. The zestiness of the dressing is perfectly balanced, adding an extra layer of flavor that will leave you impressed.

Ingredients Needed

This recipe has many healthy ingredients. Here are a few of them and some notes about them:

• Avocado: The avocado is essential to this recipe. Its buttery, creamy essence is irresistible and offsets the tangy onions and zesty dressing. Make sure to chop the avocado into chunks so you can better appreciate it.
• Shrimp: The shrimp provides this recipe with wonderful flavor and makes it more satisfying overall. All you need is some salt and pepper to bring out its best qualities.
• Lettuce: You will need some lettuce. We used romaine, but feel free to use green leaf lettuce or another type you prefer. Crisp lettuce is better for this recipe than softer varieties like butter lettuce.
• Corn: Corn perfectly pairs with the avocado, tomatoes, and other ingredients here. For best results, cut corn from a freshly boiled cob. This gives you the most plump texture and fresh flavor.
• Cucumber: The light and refreshing qualities of cucumber really elevate this recipe. Just as with the other ingredients, make sure to use fresh cucumber and chop it into larger (but bite-sized) pieces.

You will also need some other ingredients, including the elements needed to make the salad dressing. You can find the additional ingredients and exact quantities in the recipe card below.

How it comes together

1. Season and cook the shrimp. Place oil in a skillet and heat on high heat for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and let it cook for 2 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside.
2. Place the remaining salad ingredients in a salad bowl.

3. Make the dressing. First, squeeze the citrus juice into a bowl and then add the other ingredients, mixing everything together with a fork.

4. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

5. Pour the dressing over the salad. Toss to combine, then serve.

Pantry notes

• Make it plant-based. If you wish, you don’t have to include shrimp or prawns! You can simply omit them or replace them with extra veggies to make the salad vegetarian or vegan. For a vegetarian option, you can also try hard-boiled eggs.
• Dressing: You can make the dressing creamy by adding a small amount of sour cream or mayonnaise to it.
• Mix-Ins: Feel free to experiment by adding other refreshing ingredients. Some ideas include radishes, basil, black beans, arugula, or even mango pieces.
• Chicken: Replace the shrimp with sliced cooked chicken breast if you’re not a fan of seafood.
• Corn: You can use canned corn or cook some frozen corn if you don’t have the fresh stuff.

Cook notes

• We seasoned the shrimp with a pinch of salt and some white pepper because white pepper is so tasty! However, you could also use West African Suya Spice on the shrimp. worth making again!
• Be careful when cooking the shrimp. They cook very quickly and can become rubbery. You can tell they are done when they are pink and opaque.
• It is important to use a ripe avocado. If the avocado is not yet ripe, it will have a funky taste and hard texture. On the other hand, an overly ripe avocado might be too mushy or brown in color. Therefore, it is best to choose an avocado that is in between, somewhat firm but not too hard or too soft.
• For a thoroughly chilled salad, don’t mix the shrimp with the other ingredients while it is still hot. Otherwise, it will warm up the other components.
• If you plan to make the salad ahead of time, hold off from adding the avocado and dressing. This will prevent the avocado from turning brown or getting too soft. For a fresher and more enjoyable salad, it’s recommended that you add these components just before serving.

• Yield: 4 servings
• Prep: 20 minutes
• Total: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound shrimp/prawns – about 1/4 kg, raw. peeled and deveined
• 1 head romaine lettuce or green leaf lettuce – chopped
• 2 ripe avocados – chopped
• 1 large roma tomato
• 1/4 small onion – chopped
• 1/2 large cucumber – chopped
• 2 freshly boiled corn on the cob – corn cut out from cob

For the shrimp

• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper/ black pepper
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Citrus dressing

• 1 lime
• 1/2 orange
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black/white pepper
• 4 sprigs cilantro or parsley – chopped

Method

1. Cook the shrimp. Season the shrimp with salt and white pepper. Place oil in a skillet and heat on high heat for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and let it cook for 2 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside.
2. Place lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, corn, corn, onion and shrimp in a salad bowl.
3. Make the dressing. Squeeze the juice out of the lime and lemon into a bowl. Add the cilantro or parsley, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Use a fork to mix everything together. Taste to ensure that the seasoning is according to taste. If you desire, add more salt and pepper.
4. Pour the dressing over the salad. Toss to combine then serve.