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Home » Recipes » Course » Salads

Updated Apr 1, 2025 · This post may contain affiliate links ·

Shrimp and Avocado Salad

This shrimp and avocado salad is the definition of fresh-Mex; crunchy vegetables are tossed with crisp romaine, briny shrimp, smoky blistered corn, and a bright, creamy Tex-Mex-inspired cilantro-avocado dressing to make a bright and delicious main dish salad recipe.

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shrimp and avocado salad is featured topped with blistered corn, queso fresco, and pickled onions.

There’s something magical about a salad that hits all the notes—bright, fresh, creamy, a little crunchy, and totally satisfying. This shrimp and avocado salad does exactly that. It was inspired by my favorite salad at a restaurant about three hours from where I live: Cowiche Canyon Kitchen in Yakima, Washington. If you are ever in the neighborhood, please stop in! I wish I could get there more often.

This is the kind of salad you’ll crave when you want something hearty but healthy, colorful but easy to throw together, and packed with the perfect mix of textures. If you have the time and the inclination, I recommend whipping up a batch of spicy pickled onions as a topping. I only left them out because they are a little fussy for your average weeknight meal.

Why You’ll Love This Shrimp and Avocado Salad Recipe

Finishing touches make it shine: Creamy, lime-y cilantro-avocado salad dressing and crunchy red onions tie it all together. If you have the time, pickled red onions take it over the top!

Packed with protein and fiber: Between the shrimp, black beans, and all those veggies, this is a seafood salad that will actually keep you full with 30 grams of protein and 13 grams of fiber while keeping the calories under 600. It's a filling high-protein main dish salad recipe with nothing needed on the side.

Zesty Tex-Mex vibes: Lime, cilantro, smoky corn, queso fresco, and sweet bell peppers—this salad doesn’t hold back on bold Southwest flavors.

Ingredients and substitutions

For the salad:

Shrimp and avocado salad ingredients include large shrimp, avocado, corn, queso fresco, kosher salt, olive oil, roasted pepitas, fresh lime juice, red onion, romaine lettuce, black beans, and red bell pepper.
  • Corn on the cob - Fresh corn is so sweet and crunchy in this salad and I do recommend using it if you can. See the recipe notes for how to substitute frozen corn.
  • Large shrimp (16-20 per pound) - I buy mine frozen, already peeled and deveined, and defrost in a colander under cool running water just before cooking.
  • Kosher salt - I use kosher salt to test my recipes unless otherwise noted.
  • Romaine lettuce - Buy pre-washed romaine for easier prep.
  • Red bell peppers - Yellow or orange peppers will work too (not green).
  • Avocados - You'll need two avocados between the salad and the dressing.
  • Black beans - The beans really contribute to the high-protein and fiber content in this recipe. Pinto beans are a good substitute.
  • Queso fresco - Cotija is another crumbly Mexican cheese; it has a much stronger, earthier flavor but will also work in this salad.
  • Red onion - Or make up a batch of my spicy pickled onions.
  • Roasted pepitas - The pepitas add a bit of crunch to jazz up the texture of the salad. Tortilla strips or broken tortilla chips are also delicious.

For the cilantro-avocado dressing

Ingredients for cilantro avocado dressing include salt, a clove of garlic, half an avocado, fresh cilantro, Greek yogurt, lime juice, and olive oil

Note: Bolthouse Farms Cilantro Avocado Yogurt dressing works as well.

  • Greek yogurt - I use 2%, but feel free to use whatever fat content you like. My favorite brand is Fage.
  • Avocado - Choose an avocado with tough, bumpy skin that feels uniformly soft but not squishy.
  • Lime juice - Fresh lime juice is essential here! Fresh lemon juice or red wine vinegar are better substitutes for lime than jarred lime juice.
  • Extra virgin olive oil - I use Graza's "Sizzle" EVOO for this recipe.
  • Cilantro - Wash it well and take off the thicker bottom part of the stems. There's no need to pull off all the leaves.
  • Fresh garlic - You can also substitute ½ teaspoon of granulated garlic.
  • Water - This dressing can take quite a bit of water before you need to add more salt, but be sure to taste and adjust your seasoning if you've added more than a couple of tablespoons.
  • Fine sea salt - I use fine sea salt in all of my dressing recipes.

Love a main dish salad recipe? We've got more!

  • Cobb Salad With Salmon and Everything But the Bagel Dressing
  • BLT Kale Caesar Salad
  • Farro and Arugula Salad With Sweet Potatoes and Pomegranate
The flesh of an avocado is scooped out of the peel with a spoon.
A half lime is squeezed into a smoothie blender cup filled with cilantro and avocado.
Cilantro avocado salad dressing is poured from a smoothie blender jar into a mason jar.

Tips and tricks for the perfect shrimp and avocado salad

Don't overcook your shrimp. Shrimp turns dry and chewy when it's overcooked. 2-3 minutes per side is all that is needed to cook shrimp to perfection.

Blister your corn, but don't cook it all the way through. You want to maintain a crispy crunch to add to the collection of textures in this salad. I cover blistering corn in more depth in this recipe for Roasted Hatch Chile Guacamole.

Cool your shrimp and corn off quickly. Place a large plate or platter in the freezer before you start cooking. Once the shrimp and corn are cooked, give them a couple of minutes to cool so they aren't piping hot, then take the plate out of the freezer and spread them out on it. Give them a toss on the cold plate and then place it in the refrigerator. They should be cool in no more than 15-20 minutes.

Shrimp and avocado salad is shown in a bowl dressed with cilantro avocado dressing. Salad tossers sit next to the bowl.

Storing leftovers

This dressing contains raw garlic and olive oil, which together have the unfortunate tendency to harbor botulism if they are stored too long. It's important to refrigerate any unused portion of this dressing as soon as possible, and use it within three days. If you know you would like to keep it for longer (4-5 days maximum), use granulated garlic instead of a raw garlic clove. 

Cooked shrimp will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. If you made your shrimp or your dressing ahead of time, it's important to factor this time into how long you keep any leftover salad.

Did you make this recipe?

Let me know with a comment and a rating below. Your feedback helps me become better at developing and sharing recipes that help my readers make healthier choices. If you loved this shrimp and avocado salad recipe, please consider sharing it on your favorite social media platform, recipe sharing site, or saving it on Pinterest.

Shrimp and avocado salad in a bowl accompanied by a jar of cilantro avocado dressing and pickled onions.
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5 from 3 votes

Shrimp and Avocado Salad

A bright, crunchy, high-protein main dish salad featuring briny shrimp, pickled onions, and a creamy Tex-Mex-inspired cilantro-avocado salad dressing.
Prevent your screen from going dark
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time30 minutes mins
Total Time40 minutes mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 520.3kcal
Author: Parsley & Parm

Equipment

  • Knife and cutting board
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Blender - stand blender, stick blender, or smoothie blender
  • Cast iron pan - or other skillet (not nonstick)
  • Strainer
  • Salad bowl and salad servers

Ingredients

Cilantro-Avocado Salad Dressing:

  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt - I use 2% milkfat; use whatever fat level you prefer
  • ½ medium avocado
  • ½ lime, juiced
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup cilantro - packed
  • 1 clove garlic - or ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt - plus more to taste
  • ⅓ cup cold water - plus more to adjust consistency

Salad:

  • 2 cobs of corn - shucked
  • 1 pound large shrimp (16-20 per pound) - peeled and deveined
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 5 cups romaine lettuce - washed and chopped
  • 1 cup bell peppers - julienned
  • 1½ avocados - peeled and chopped into chunks
  • ¾ cup black beans - drained and rinsed
  • ⅓ cup queso fresco - crumbled
  • ⅓ cup thin sliced onions - or spicy quick pickled onions
  • ⅓ cup roasted pepitas - or tortilla strips

Instructions

Make the Cilantro-Avocado Salad Dressing (10 minutes):

  • Add the yogurt, avocado, juice from ½ lime, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, and salt to a blender (smoothie blenders work great for this). Blend until smooth.
    ½ cup plain Greek yogurt, ½ medium avocado, ½ lime, juiced, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, ½ cup cilantro, 1 clove garlic, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, ⅓ cup cold water
  • If the dressing seems too thick, add cold water by the tablespoon until it reaches a pourable consistency. Taste the dressing and add another pinch of salt if needed.

Cook the corn and the shrimp (10-15 minutes)

  • Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat until very hot, 3-5 minutes.
  • Add the corn cobs to the dry skillet and cook, turning every couple of minutes, until blistered all over. Your goal here is not to cook the corn all the way through, you still want it to be crunchy.
    2 cobs of corn
  • Set the pan back over medium heat and add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Toss the shrimp with the salt and add to the skillet, in batches if needed. Cook for 3 minutes, then flip over and cook another 2-3 minutes, or until the shrimp turn opaque and slightly pink or orange in color. Cook time may vary depending on the size of your shrimp. Remove the shrimp to a plate to cool.
    1 pound large shrimp (16-20 per pound), ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Assemble the salad (10-15 minutes)

  • Add the chopped romaine, bell peppers, chopped avocado, black beans, queso fresco, and onions (or pickled onions, if using). Pour in half the dressing and toss. Top with pepitas and give the salad one more quick toss just before serving.
    5 cups romaine lettuce, 1 cup bell peppers, 1½ avocados, ¾ cup black beans, ⅓ cup queso fresco, ⅓ cup roasted pepitas, ⅓ cup thin sliced onions

Notes

1 cup of frozen corn can be substituted for corn on the cob. To blister frozen corn, coat the bottom of your cast iron pan very lightly with oil and preheat to very hot. Add the corn, spread out in a single layer, and allow to cook until browned on the bottom side. Then stir-fry for another minute or two until cooked through. Remove to a plate to cool.
This recipe begs to be meal prepped!
  • All of the vegetables except the avocado can also be prepped up to 3 days in advance (including the corn).
  • The shrimp can be cooked 2-3 days in advance.
  • The dressing can be made up to three days ahead.
Keep all of the prepped ingredients in the refrigerator in separate sealed containers until ready to serve.
If you don't have a cast iron pan to blister the corn: You can use any heavy-bottomed skillet that is not non-stick. Instead of adding the corn to a dry skillet, add a very thin coat of neutral oil as the skillet heats up. It should barely coat the bottom and not be able to splatter when you add the corn.
Important handling notes: Because this dressing has raw garlic in it, I recommend tossing it after three days. If you made the dressing ahead, factor this time in to how long you keep any leftovers. Cooked shrimp will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.  If you made your shrimp or your dressing ahead of time, it's important to factor this time into how long you keep any leftover salad.
 

Need more servings?

To adjust a recipe for more or fewer servings, hover your cursor over the number servings on the recipe card. This will bring up a slider that you can move to the number of servings you want to make.

Nutrition*

Calories: 520.3kcal | Carbohydrates: 34.6g | Protein: 30.7g | Fat: 31.8g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17.4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 151.5mg | Sodium: 1213.1mg | Potassium: 1203.3mg | Fiber: 13.4g | Sugar: 7.9g | Vitamin A: 6956.6IU | Vitamin C: 66.2mg | Calcium: 207.2mg | Iron: 3.4mg

*All nutritional values are estimates only. They are calculated by an online resource.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    5 from 3 votes

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Tisha says

    May 08, 2025 at 4:16 pm

    5 stars
    This salad is perfect! Great light lunch to have!

    Reply
  2. Nicole Kendrick says

    May 06, 2025 at 12:18 pm

    5 stars
    I absolutely love this! The flavors work so well together, and the cilantor avocado dressing really takes it to another level.

    Reply
  3. Nora says

    May 06, 2025 at 11:41 am

    5 stars
    This Shrimp and Avocado Salad is bursting with flavor and texture—so fresh and satisfying! The smoky corn and creamy cilantro-avocado dressing take it to the next level, and the shrimp adds the perfect touch of protein. It’s everything I want in a main dish salad—vibrant, filling, and seriously delicious!

    Reply
  4. Marie says

    March 22, 2025 at 3:44 pm

    A bright and delicious salad full of all kinds of Southwestern goodness. Don't miss the pickled onions if you have the time!

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Lisa!

I’m a midlife foodie on a mission to eat healthier—without giving up the foods I love.

Parsley & Parm is all about big flavor, fresh vegetables, olive oil, whole grains, and healthy proteins…with zero diet vibes.

I believe healthy eating should be about what you do eat—not what you can’t. Guidelines replace rules. Balance beats restriction. And fresh, seasonal veggies always steal the show.

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