Shrimp Avocado Salad

Ingredients Used for the Shrimp:

• Shrimp – You’ll need one pound of extra large RAW shrimp. I always buy the peeled and deveined shrimp for ease. Tails on is always a good idea because they are nice if you serve shrimp as an appetizer or put them on an outdoor grill.
• Seasonings – I went with garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. You could use whatever you like, maybe even a spicy combo using red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper. Do you!
• Olive Oil – Used to sauté the shrimp. You could also use a neutral oil like canola or avocado oil.

How to Cook Shrimp on the Stovetop:

1. Prep shrimp. Peel the tail from the shrimp and trim anything that looks weird off of them. I always make sure there is no vein left in them (cuz it grosses me out). 😀
2. Measure seasonings. Measure out seasonings and sprinkle all over the shrimp.
3. Cook shrimp. Heat a large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat and add olive oil (or oil of your choice). Add shrimp (you may need to do this in batches to avoid overcrowding) and cook until the shrimp are no longer gray in color. This will take about 1-2 minutes per side. Flip them after you get a nice color on the first side and continue cooking until they are done. Be careful to avoid over-cooking them because they will turn rubbery in texture.

How to Cook Corn on the Stovetop

This is the easiest way to cook corn and get some nice browning as well. No need to boil.

1. Heat up a cast iron skillet to medium-high heat on the stovetop.
2. Add olive oil. For this recipe, I used the leftover oils and seasonings from the shrimp.
3. Place corn in the pan and cook until you get some browning on all sides. Don’t overcook the corn. You want some bite left. No mushy corn kernels allowed!
4. When cooled slightly, use a knife to cut the kernels off of the cobs.
5. Add seasonings if you wish (but not required). I usually add a quick sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Other Salad Ingredients

• Salad Greens – Use your favorite salad greens. I usually rotate what I use, and often go with a combo of red and green lettuce, spinach leaves, kale, and my new favorite greens – bib lettuce! As seen in these pictures, I used arugula this time.
• Avocado – Use 1-2 large avocados, sliced thin. We LOVE our avocado on EVERYTHING!
• Cherry Tomatoes – Just slice them in half. If you can get your hands on fresh garden cherry tomatoes, use those!
• Feta Cheese – Use crumbled feta. I often buy flavored feta, like sun-dried tomato.
• Red Onions – You can add sliced red onions, or try my Quick Pickled Red Onions!

Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Ingredients

This is the same dressing that I use in my Summer Pasta Salad, which I highly recommend! Light and easy for summertime living.

• Olive Oil – Try to use extra-virgin olive oil. I usually use a “smooth” version for salad dressings.
• Lemon – Use one large lemon and freshly squeeze it. If it’s not a juicy lemon, use more!
• Honey – Just two teaspoons are required but use more if you like a sweeter dressing.
• Seasonings – A simple combo of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

To make the dressing, simply combine all ingredients in a mason jar, and shake shake shake! Make sure the honey isn’t stuck to the bottom of the jar!

Other Salad Dressings

If you aren’t a huge lemon dressing fan, feel free to try some of my other salad dressings.

• Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Light Honey Mustard Dressing
• Creamy Avocado Dressing

Recipe Tips

• Use your favorite greens in this recipe. The base (or greens) are important, so make sure you use what you prefer. I actually love a combo of greens best!
• The temp of the ingredients matters. If you like your toppings warm, then make sure you grill the shrimp and corn right before meal time. If you don’t care or prefer cold, then you can prep everything (except the avocado) beforehand, and just add the dressing at mealtime.
• Use good avocados. Make sure you use perfectly ripe avocados. Slice them right before serving this salad.
• When to add the dressing. If you are serving four people, go ahead and add the dressing to the entire salad. If not, then add a little to one salad at a time.

How to Store Avocados (so they are ready to eat)

• If your avocados are hard, store them on the counter until they just start to have a little give. Then place them in the refrigerator.
• If your avocados are ripe (just a little give when pressing them with your thumb), then store them in the refrigerator until ready to use them.
• You can keep ripe avocados in the refrigerator for several days (3-5, depending) before they go bad.
• If you have a bunch of avocados that are ready to eat at the same time, then make up a batch of my BEST Chunky Guacamole or my Cowboy Caviar with Avocado! So yummy with Swirl Margaritas!

Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)

• Cast Iron Skillet
• Global 7-inch Knife
• Non-Slip Cutting Board