Stuck in a salad rut? Make this Mexican-inspired Shrimp Salad with Avocado Dressing! Herb marinated broiled shrimps on a bed of healthy veggies, black beans, corn and a creamy avocado dressing on top. Serve this high-protein salad with corn chips for the real Latin fiesta feel!
A shrimp salad with avocado dressing recipe that is a cross between a nachos and a salad. A nachos salad with beans, tomatoes, corn, spinach, avocados, and scallions are tossed in a tangy yet creamy avocado dressing and topped with garlic cilantro broiled shrimps—all served with a crunch of blue corn chips. Salad for dinner never got easier.
Why this Shrimp Salad should be part of your Salad Routine!Â
This easy Mexican Shrimp Salad with Avocado Dressing is a really quick dinner recipe that never fails to satisfy any Mexican food lover.
It’s light and fresh, comes together in minutes, fills you up and has a good boost of nutritional value! It’s my idea of a perfect salad for dinner.
The shrimp is bursting with the flavors of garlic, lime, and cilantro and cooked to perfection using my easy broiling method.
The avocado dressing is naturally creamy from pureeing the avocados and all it needs is a bunch of flavors. I add cilantro, scallions, sour cream, and olive oil and I thin it out with a little water so it reaches a good pourable consistency.
How to make Shrimp Salad with Avocado Dressing:Â
First, the shrimps are peeled and deveined. I leave the tails on just as a personal preference. Next, we toss them in a garlic-lime-cilantro-parsley-olive oil mixture, let them marinate for 15 minutes and broil them in a really hot oven for 3 to 5 minutes.
I have to say that broiling is absolutely the easiest way to cook fish and any seafood.
All you’ll do is set your oven on broil, wait for a while (it needs to get super hot), place your oven rack at the topmost level in the oven, and leave it in there for a few minutes depending on the type and size of your shrimps or fish.
While your shrimps are broiling, make the avocado dressing. Place all the ingredients (minus the water) in a small food processor and puree until the mixture is smooth. Add the water depending on your desired thickness and blend the dressing again.
I love to toss the shrimp with some of my homemade avocado dressing and arrange them along with some extra avocado slices on top of my bed of veggies. Then, I drizzle extra avocado dressing on top.
On the side, I wedge in some nacho chips and you can use them to scoop some salad up or just munch on them on their own.
This shrimp salad with avocado dressing happens to be naturally gluten-free so if you’re following a gluten-free diet or have friends who are—this is a perfect salad to make.
Tips for success:Â
- Remove the shrimps from the oven when they have turned pink and opaque. Do not overcook your shrimps at all as they turn gummy very quickly.
- I use blue corn chips for an extra crunch but the chips are totally optional – so are the veggies. I’ve used spinach, chopped tomatoes, canned black beans, cooked corn, avocados, and scallions but you can go for whatever you want.
- You can make a double batch of avocado dressing and serve it with another salad, baked potatoes or as a nacho dip over the next days.
Shrimp Salad With Avocado Dressing
Stuck in a salad rut? Make this Mexican inspired Shrimp Salad made with herb marinated broiled shrimps on a bed of healthy veggies, black beans, corn and a creamy avocado dressing on top. Serve with corn chips for the real Latin fiesta feel!
Ingredients
For the shrimps:
- 2 lbs fresh or frozen shrimps thawed and uncooked
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 lime juiced
- 1/4 cup cilantro and parsley minced
- 1 pinch chili flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the dressing:
- 1 small avocado
- 1 tablespoon minced scallions
- 1 tablespoon minced cilantro
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 lime juiced
- 1 tablespoon sour cream (optional, omit for vegan)
- 2 tablespoons water (more or less depending on the consistency of your choice)
For the salad:
- 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
- 1 large tomato diced
- 1/2 cup canned black beans
- 1/2 cup cooked corn kernels
- 2 scallions roughly chopped
- 1 small avocado sliced
- Blue corn chips for serving
Instructions
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Preheat your broiler to its highest setting and place an oven rack on the top level of your oven so it’s about 6 to 8 inches away from the heating element of the oven.
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Toss the shrimps with all the remaining ingredients and place them on a baking sheet in one layer. Let the shrimps marinate for about 15 minutes while the oven is heating up.
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In the meantime, make the avocado dressing. Place all the ingredients ( minus the water) in a small food processor (or use an immersion blender) and puree until the mixture is smooth. Add the water depending on your desired thickness and blend the dressing again.
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To broil the shrimps, place the baking sheet with the marinated shrimps on the top rack and let the shrimps cook for about 3-5 minutes (depending on the size). Remove them from the oven when the shrimps have turned pink and opaque. Do not overcook your shrimps at all as they turn gummy.
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While the shrimps are cooling down, arrange the salad ingredients, toss them with some avocado dressing then arrange the shrimps on top, some extra avocado slices and drive extra dressing, and serve with corn chips.
Recipe Notes
- Remove the shrimps from the oven when they have turned pink and opaque. Do not overcook your shrimps at all as they turn gummy very quickly.
- I use blue corn chips for an extra crunch but the chips are totally optional - so are the veggies. I’ve used spinach, chopped tomatoes, canned black beans, cooked corn, avocados, and scallions but you can go for whatever you want.
- You can make a double batch of avocado dressing and serve it with another salad, baked potatoes or as a nacho dip over the next days.
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert
This couldn’t look any more perfect! This is seriously making me hungry!
Mahy
hahaha Thanks Erin!!
Melanie Bauer
Looks fabulous! I love everything about this recipe, so festive and flavorful!
Mahy
So easy too!!
Catalina
Healthy and delicious! My type of lunch! Looks great!
Mahy
Thanks Catalina!
Allyson Zea
It’s creamy avocado dressing on that delicious shrimp, makes the salad looks so amazing!
Mahy
It really does Allyson!
Jamielyn
Yum! Looks so fresh and delicious!
Mahy
Thanks Jamielyn!
Allison
That dressing sounds amazing! So much flavor – I can’t wait to try it!
Mahy
Hope you make it soon!
Demeter
That avocado dressing sounds amazing! Such a great change from the regular routine.
Mahy
It really is Demeter!
Rasha Katabi
I made this for lunch in the garden over the long weekend.. It was a hit with the kids and their parents!! Amazingly tasty and fresh!
Love it!!!!, Thank you Mahy!
Mahy
Oh how great! Thank you Rasha for making this and so happy you all enjoyed it:)
Mahy
Hey Nikki! Hope you make this soon and let me know how you enjoy it!:)
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life
Yum! I make a very similar dressing but never used it with shrimp salad! And I absolutely love salads like this! Pinning and sharing! If you have a free moment, I would love it if you shared it with us at our #FoodieFriDIY party…we go live on Thursday nights at 9 pm EST.
Mahy
Thanks Michelle! I absolutely love salads too and I would love to share it on FoodieFriDIY party!
Thanks again:)