This Shrimp Salad with Avocados is full of fresh flavors! It’s light and refreshing, and sure to be your new favorite summer salad!
My Favorite Shrimp Salad Recipe with Avocados
This salad is seriously like nothing you’ve ever had before. I can say that with 100% full confidence. Maybe you’ve had a creamy shrimp salad before. Maybe you’ve had a yummy green salad topped with fresh shrimp before.
But I know – I just know – you’ve never had a creamy green salad with avocados, topped with fresh shrimp, that also has a pop of flavor brought to you by bite-size sections of fresh grapefruit!
I’m right, right? So, are you ready for this crazy good unexpected flavor combo? If so, you’ve GOT to try this Shrimp salad.
Recipe Ingredients
I see you side-eying me about this long ingredient list. Don’t worry. I promise it’s easy and so worth it. Here’s everything you’ll need:
For the Shrimp
- olive oil
- medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- salt and fresh ground black pepper
For the Salad
- salad greens (I like to use Spring Mix)
- avocado, sliced or diced
- grapefruit, peeled and sectioned (you can also use canned or jarred grapefruit sections)
For the Dressing
- garlic
- fresh lemon juice and lemon zest
- salt and fresh ground black pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
- dijon mustard, optional
How to Make Shrimp Salad
There are three steps to getting this salad together. First, we’ll cook up the shrimp, then we’ll assemble the green salad, and last, we’ll top it all with our slightly sweet but tart salad dressing.
How to Cook the Shrimp
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Season the shrimp with salt and pepper.
- Transfer the shrimp to the skillet and cook them for about 2 minutes per side, or until the shrimp is completely opaque and pink.
- Remove the shrimp from the pan and set them aside for 5 minutes.
How to Make the Salad
- In a large salad bowl toss the salad greens.
- Add the avocado slices and grapefruit to the salad. Then, top it with the cooked shrimp and set it aside.
How to Make the Salad Dressing
- In a mixing bowl combine the garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Whisk everything to combine.
- Then, whisk in the olive oil. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your taste.
- Drizzle the salad dressing over the salad.
- Toss gently to coat. Serve.
Tips for the Best Shrimp Salad
Follow these tips for the most refreshing summer salad:
- If you are serving this at a party or for a large crowd, simply double or triple the recipe.
- For this salad, I recommend using peeled and deveined shrimp and removing the tail. You want to be able to pop each shrimp into your mouth right along with a large bite of salad.
- If you don’t have or can’t enjoy grapefruit, you could use mandarin oranges in place of the grapefruit sections.
- This salad is best served fresh. I wouldn’t recommend storing the leftovers for later or making it ahead of time.
- You could cook the shrimp and make the dressing ahead of time and combine the salad at a later time.
Serving Suggestions
- This salad is perfect to serve as an appetizer or for a light meal. If you’re serving it as an app, I really like to serve it alongside a fresh summery flatbread pizza, with pita chips and a dip, or just this simple homemade flatbread!
- You could add some sides to your meal like grilled fresh veggies or corn on the cob.
- To make this shrimp salad a bit more hearty, I love to serve it with tortilla chips or on top of a warm tortilla or tostada!
Shrimp Salad with Avocado
Ingredients
For the Shrimp
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
For the Salad
- 8 to 10 cups salad greens, I like to use Spring Mix
- 1 avocado, sliced or diced
- 1 grapefruit, peeled and sectioned (you can also use canned or jarred grapefruit sections, drained)
For the Dressing
- 1 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, optional
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Season shrimp with salt and pepper.
- Transfer the shrimp to the skillet and cook for about 2 minutes per side, or until shrimp is completely opaque and pink.
- Remove shrimp from pan and set aside for several minutes, or until cooled.
- In a large salad bowl toss the shrimp with the salad greens.
- Add the avocado slices and grapefruit to the salad. Set aside.
Make the Dressing
- In a mixing bowl combine garlic, lemon juice, mustard (if using), lemon zest, salt, and pepper; whisk to combine.
- Whisk in the olive oil; taste and adjust to your taste. If consistency is too thick, add a little more olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Drizzle salad dressing over the salad.
- Toss gently to coat.
- Serve.
16 Comments
Beth
Jun 23, 2020 at 7:15 pmMy daughter and I love shrimp! She’ll be so excited to try this! Can’t wait to make this! Thanks!
Katerina Petrovska
Jun 23, 2020 at 7:29 pmThat’s great! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂 Thank YOU!
Vikki
Jun 24, 2020 at 6:03 amHuge shrimp fan here, can’t wait to try this recipe — looks so delicious!
Katerina Petrovska
Jun 24, 2020 at 5:54 pmI hope you enjoy it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Cathy
Jun 24, 2020 at 12:52 pmThis is completely my kind of salad! SO perfect for summer!
Katerina Petrovska
Jun 24, 2020 at 5:53 pmI hope you enjoy it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Toni
Jun 24, 2020 at 1:36 pmI love how flavorful this is! Perfect for any night of the week!
Katerina Petrovska
Jun 24, 2020 at 5:52 pmThank YOU! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Kevin
Jun 24, 2020 at 4:23 pmThis salad looks so refreshing! I cannot wait to make it!
Katerina Petrovska
Jun 24, 2020 at 5:52 pmI hope you enjoy it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Catalina
Jun 25, 2020 at 2:28 pmWhat a great idea to use avocados in a shrimp salad! So yummy!
Katerina Petrovska
Jun 26, 2020 at 3:29 pmThank YOU! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Fran
Aug 8, 2021 at 1:18 pmCant have grapefruit. Any other suggestions?
Katerina
Aug 9, 2021 at 8:16 amHow about oranges? The flavor profile won’t be the same, but an oranges and shrimp salad is also delicious.
Christina J
Jun 18, 2023 at 9:17 amSo fast, easy and delicious. Perfect for low spoon days. I’ll definitely be making this again. Thank you!
Katerina Petrovska
Jun 21, 2023 at 2:09 pmThat’s great! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂