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.
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:
- 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
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.
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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.
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.
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Shrimp and Avocado Salad
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
- 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.
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Nutrition*
*All nutritional values are estimates only. They are calculated by an online resource.
Marie says
A bright and delicious salad full of all kinds of Southwestern goodness. Don't miss the pickled onions if you have the time!