Refreshing Lime Shrimp & Avocado Salad - No Mayo!
This delicious and refreshing salad is a breeze to prepare - you’re about 10 minutes away from flavor heaven. This salad is made of wonderfully fresh ingredients, and is perfect for a warm weather meal. Enjoy it as an appetizer, or served in toasted tortilla bowls or in lettuce wraps for a light lunch. It’s easily adaptable for your families’ taste; you can add a dash or two of hot sauce for a little kick :)
I’m also really excited because I’ve got a new camera. I’m now shooting with a Sony A6000, a mirrorless camera that has been so fun to play around with. Shooting today’s recipe was a new experience, as I usually shoot all my recipes with my iPhone :) Let me know what you think of the pix! :)
What You Need:
1 lb Jumbo Shrimp, cooked (I used 21-25 ct, which means that there are about 21-25 pieces of shrimp per pound. Smaller shrimp are usually 35-40 ct.)
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1-2 fresh avocado, depending on your preference
1 jalapeño
½ red onion
1 medium tomato
Juice of 3 limes
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp EVOO
Optional: dash or two of hot sauce or Sriracha
What To Do:
This dish is so easy! Simply chop everything up, toss, chill, & serve! ;) But in case you were looking for a little more direction…
- If your shrimp are previously frozen, throw them in a large bowl and cover them with cold water in order to thaw them out.
- Once they are thawed, pinch the ends of tails and squeeze the shell off. Use a paper towel to pat dry the shrimp, and place them aside.
- Roughly chop the shrimp into bite-sized pieces. I chopped each Jumbo Shrimp into 4 pieces.
- Finely dice the red onion and jalapeño. If you like a little heat in your food, keep some of the jalapeño seeds to mix into the salad.
- Place the diced red onion and jalapeño into a mixing bowl, and squeeze the juice of 3 limes over it. Allow this mixture to sit and marinade for a few minutes, as the lime juice will help mellow out the onion. Drizzle a tsp of olive oil into the mixture, and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Dice the tomato and add it to the bowl. When dicing the avocado, I tend to leave the avocado in slightly larger chunks, as they will get broken down a bit during the mixing. The avocado really coats the shrimp with its creamy goodness, so feel free to use another avocado if you wish.
- I didn’t include this in the ingredients list because it’s totally a personal taste thing, but I added a handful of diced cucumber, simply to add a little crunch. It’s nice to add some variety in texture when preparing a dish like this - think of it as the celery or grapes in a chicken salad!
- Before dumping the diced avocado in the mixture, season each halve with salt and pepper. Mix the avocado, cilantro, and shrimp into the bowl, gently tossing it with a spoon. If you’re adding hot sauce, now’s the time! Be sure to check your salad for seasoning, and adjust salt and pepper to taste. That’s it! This salad is wonderful when chilled; I threw the bowl into the fridge for a bit before enjoying it in the garden.
The zesty lime juice really brings this shrimp salad to life. Creamy avocado brings all the ingredients together and replaces heavy mayonnaise. The slight heat from the jalapeño brings a nice intensity to such a fresh dish.
This salad is definitely worth a try - it’s light but satisfying, and best of all, it’s #GlutenFree and #Paleo! :)