Shrimp Avocado Salad is a quick and easy Mediterranean-style recipe that makes a great side salad, lunch, or light dinner. It's a perfect Summer salad to share at picnics, potlucks, and BBQ parties. This recipe is ideal for dressing up pre-cooked shrimp - which means no cooking is required on your part! It's healthy, low-carb, low in calories, gluten-free, dairy-free, high in protein, and high in fiber.
Shrimp avocado salad - a family favorite
I love making salads that include protein. This shrimp avocado salad is healthy, filling, satisfying, and light. It's a well-balanced meal that combines veggies (avocado and arugula), protein (shrimp), a small amount of your favorite fruit (I used mango), and nuts (I used pine nuts). It's super-versatile and flexible, and you can use a wide variety of ingredients and substitutions (see more on that below the recipe card). I've made it so many times this Summer because it definitely became one of my family's most requested salads! This recipe is a great way to dress up and give so much flavor to the store-bought pre-cooked shrimp. Or cook raw shrimp from scratch using one of my recipes: shrimp scampi with capers or cilantro-lime shrimp
Crowd-pleasing Summer salad
This light and refreshing salad takes under 20 minutes to make, which is great for busy weeknights. You only need 6 main ingredients - shrimp, avocado, spinach, mango, pine nuts, and red onions. The salad dressing is made with only 3 ingredients (honey, lime juice, and olive oil). Shrimp avocado salad also makes a stunning presentation - perfect for sharing with the crowd! Bring this Summer salad to picnics, potlucks, barbecue parties, and other outdoor Summer festivities. Or, serve it indoors for those special occasions when you want to impress your guests without spending too much time in the kitchen.
Is it a healthy salad?
- Packed with nutrients. Shrimp avocado salad combines so many good-for-you ingredients. It's highly nutritious, packed with fiber and protein, and low in calories. It's gluten-free and dairy-free. It's also pescatarian - perfect for vegetarians who incorporate seafood into their diets. It will make a delicious healthy addition to the list of your family's favorites.
- Shrimp is naturally low in carbs and rich in protein. It's low-fat but the fat that it does provide is a good kind of fat (beneficial omega-3 fatty acids).
- Avocado is packed with healthy fats and is a great source of vitamins B6, C, E, and K. It also provides folate, magnesium, potassium, and copper.
- Mango is an excellent source of vitamin C.
- Arugula is rich in Vitamins A, C, and K, and is a great source of calcium, potassium, and folate.
Shrimp Avocado Salad
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1 lime (freshly squeezed lime juice)
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons honey
- salt and pepper to taste
Salad
Instructions
- In a mason jar, combine together lime juice, olive oil, and honey. Whisk with the fork until emulsified. Or, close with the lid and shake to combine.
- In a medium, deep bowl, toss half of the salad dressing with the cooked shrimp.
- In a large serving bowl, combine arugula, diced mango, diced avocado, and red onions.
- Drizzle with the remaining salad dressing (you don't have to use the whole amount) and toss to combine. Top with shrimp. Top with pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Notes
-
Heat a large, high-sided, skillet until hot on medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil - it should run easily but not sizzle or burn. Add 1 pound of raw shrimp (peeled, deveined, tails off) without overcrowding. You might have to cook it in 2 batches. Sprinkle shrimp with seasonings to taste (Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper).
-
Cook shrimp, flipping it once or twice, on medium heat, about 3-4 minutes total, until pink in color. Do not overcook.
-
Remove shrimp from the skillet.
- For a more detailed recipe on how to cook raw shrimp, refer to this recipe: shrimp scampi.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread pine nuts on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast in the oven for about 5 minutes until they turn a rich golden color.
- Watch the nuts at all times as they burn really quickly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Substitutions and variations
- Seafood. This recipe works great with shrimp, scallops, cooked lobster meat, and lump crab meat.
- Greens. I used arugula which adds a nice, peppery flavor. You can also add baby spinach, mixed greens, or butter lettuce.
- Onions. I used red onions. Finely chopped green onions work, too.
- Fruit. You have so many choices here. My personal preference is any type of orange color fruit because it adds such a nice vibrance to this shrimp avocado salad. I recommend mango, peaches, nectarines, and apricots. You can also add citrus fruit which will pair well with shrimp, such as oranges, mandarine oranges, or grapefruit.
- Salad dressing. The simple salad dressing is made with only 3 ingredients (honey, lime juice, and olive oil). You can also use maple syrup and lemon juice.
Tips for Success
- Use pre-cooked shrimp. It saves so much time, and this avocado salad is just a great way to dress up the store-bought pre-cooked shrimp.
- Any size of shrimp works. I do prefer to use large, but this is a great recipe to use up smaller cooked shrimp!
- Cook shrimp from scratch. If you have raw shrimp, simply cook it on the stovetop. Here is a nice, light recipe for cilantro-lime shrimp.
- Freshly squeezed lime juice is a must! It's so much better than the bottled kind!
- Note about mango. The mango should be ripe but not overly ripe and mushy. When buying mango it should have a little give when you press the skin gently. It should not be overly soft. The color should be orange or yellow for at least one-fourth of the fruit's skin. Always peel mangoes.
How to tell if an avocado is ripe?
- A ripe avocado should have a little give when gently pressed. It should not be overly soft - nobody likes over-ripe avocados that turn into mush.
- An unripe avocado will have no give and will feel almost like a rock when lightly pressed. It will be really hard to cut it and remove the pit.
Make-ahead tips
- If making ahead, don't slice the avocado until ready to serve as it will brown.
- Also, add salad dressing last moment to keep everything fresh and not wilted.
Storage Tips
- The shrimp avocado salad can be refrigerated for 2 days. It's best to refrigerate the salad and the dressing separately.
More shrimp recipes
- Garlic Butter Shrimp
- Shrimp Scampi with Capers
- Cilantro-Lime Shrimp
- Honey-Mustard Shrimp
- Lemon Shrimp Orzo
- Cilantro-Lime and Black Bean Rice Shrimp
Other healthy salads you might like
- Apple Spinach Salad
- Holiday Salad with Spinach, Mandarin Oranges, Pecans, Cranberries, Goat Cheese, and Honey-Mustard Lime Vinaigrette
- Peach Blueberry Spinach Salad
- Berry Spinach Salad with Blueberries, Raspberries, and Balsamic Dressing
- Strawberry Spinach Salad with Feta cheese, Pecans, and Balsamic Dressing
Such a lovely colors and appetizing meal! Subbed sliced almonds for pine nuts due to pine allergies--- turned out great! Quickly made. Complements from my super healthy daughter.
So happy you made this and loved it, Beth.