This simple but totally flavorful shrimp avocado salad makes the perfect meal-prep meal for lunch or dinner thanks to pan-seared citrus-flavored shrimp, creamy avocado, and the crunch of sliced almonds.
I grew up with a mother who 99% of the time ordered two things when we ate out at finer dining establishments. It was like she didn’t even need to look at the menu, yet she always did and still does.
So when it’s my mom’s turn to answer the usual round of “What are you going to have?” questions because we all want to be 100% sure we’re ordering just the right thing on the menu, my husband and I always share a knowing grin when we hear her reply, “Oh, I think I’ll try the shrimp. Or maybe the scallops.”
My mom. She’s predictable that way. And to prove we share the same DNA, I unapologetically share her menu-choosing tendencies. Man, I LOVE shrimp!
That’s why when I made my friend Robyn’s Pan-Seared Citrus Shrimp I was totally stoked there were leftovers to be had, because that meant that I could repurpose the leftovers into a perfect weekday salad.
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
- Use smaller shrimp in this salad to ensure every forkful is packed with protein. Just remember that the smaller the shrimp, the faster they cook.
- If you don’t have enough leftover citrus sauce from the batch of shrimp, use quality olive oil and a generous squeeze of fresh lemon or orange to finish off this simple salad. There will be plenty of gusto from the shrimp to carry it through.
- Consider this avocado shrimp salad a blank canvas for your favorite salad fixings. I kept things light and breezy, but you can load it up with croutons, nuts and seeds, veggies, and more.
What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Citrus shrimp — The shrimp serves as the protein source, and the citrus sauce serves as the salad dressing.
- Greens — The greens in this shrimp and avocado salad could very well vary on your tastes and what you have available. Spring mix salad greens offer a neutral-flavored bite, arugula lends some peppery flavor, baby spinach leaves are earthy and tender, and romaine lettuce gives a substantial crunch.
- Extra virgin olive oil — Use regular olive oil, or buy a bottle of lemon-flavored olive oil for an extra dose of citrus flavor.
- Lemon juice — Can be swapped with freshly squeezed orange juice for a different flavor profile.
- Avocado — Press the top of the avocado (gently!) with your thumb. If it gives a little, it’s nice and ripe.
- Shallot — For a salad as simple as this, a little onion is always a favorite addition of mine. I used minced shallots this time around, but you could always use red onion or even green onion if that’s what you have on hand.
- Sliced almonds — I typically toast my almond slices to give them a little more oomph in flavor, but I was lazy so I just tossed them on naked. Guess what? They still tasted great.
How to Make Shrimp Avocado Salad
- Make the shrimp. The citrus shrimp can be made in under 30 minutes so if you haven’t made it for meal planning, or have leftovers in the fridge, it really doesn’t take much doing to cook up a fresh batch. A quickly-prepared protein is one of the essential parts of composing a salad like this.
- Prep the dressing. I had plenty of sauce left over after making the shrimp and because there’s no butter or cream in the sauce, it doesn’t coagulate into a gooey goop, but instead stays rather liquified when refrigerated, making it a perfect solution for creating a salad dressing. I drizzled a bit of olive oil on the greens and then mostly used the dressing I had to finish off my salads.
- Toss to combine. Add the avocado, almonds, and shallot to the shrimp and leafy greens and toss to coat everything in the dressing.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was DELICIOUS! I admit, I was skeptical because it seemed simple- not a lot of ingredients and nothing premade. The sauce from the citrus shrimp with some avocado oil was a perfect dressing this salad and the citrus shrimp will be in my meal rotation. Soooo yummy. Thank you for both recipes.
~Lisa Forbes, FoodieCrush reader
What to Serve With This Shrimp Avocado Salad
This shrimp salad could easily be served all on its own because it really does make a meal. But sometimes a little extra something is nice to nibble or slurp alongside.
- Tomato Gazpacho
- Potato Leek Soup
- Peach Bruschetta
- Grilled Veggie Sandwich
- Green Goddess Veggie Sandwich
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Citrus Shrimp and Avocado Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound medium Pan-Seared Citrus Shrimp , (I use 31/40 shrimp)
- 8 cups greens , (such as arugula, spinach, lettuce, or spring mix)
- Extra virgin olive oil (I prefer a fruity or lemon-flavored oil)
- Juice of ½ lemon or ½ orange
- 1 avocado , sliced or diced
- 1 shallot , minced
- 4 ounces sliced almonds , toasted
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the recipe for the Pan-Seared Citrus Shrimp, or gently warm the leftover shrimp. Or, if you prefer, serve the shrimp chilled.
- Toss the shrimp with the salad greens in a large bowl.
- Lightly drizzle with olive oil, and if desired, some of the sauce remaining from the shrimp with a generous squeeze of citrus, and toss lightly to coat.
- Add the avocado, shallots and sliced almonds and then season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
More Salad Recipes with Shrimp
- Mediterranean Shrimp Salad
- Shrimp Macaroni Salad
- Shrimp and Goat Cheese Salad
- Seafood Cobb Salad
- Arugula Shrimp Salad
- Kale Quinoa Shrimp Salad
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JM
17-22 shrimp per persons’s salad seems like a lot. Is that right? 1 lb of medium shrimp is approximately 70-90 shrimp.
Shruti
Loved the recipe! It was so easy to put together for unplanned dinner when I was feeling lazy to cook.
I’m glad you enjoyed!
Anne
Oh my goodness, this was wonderful and so easy to make. My husband loved it. I can’t wait to try it with linguini. Thank you for sharing.
Hayley
Thank you for sharing with us, Anne! We’re so happy you and your husband enjoyed it!
Celsa Muniz
Hi, what protein can I use instead of shrimp? I am allergic to shrimp.
Thanks
Hayley
Hi Celsa! We would suggest using this recipe for for salmon: https://www.foodiecrush.com/best-grilled-salmon/ (We think it would accompany the salad well). Hhope this helps and that you enjoy! :)
kat
Did you try to make the citrus shrimp and avocado salad with caramelized shallot?
Hayley
Hi Kat! No, we don’t caramelize the shallot (it’s raw). We hope you enjoy the recipe!
Lilli Olvera
I am not a saad person, I only eat them a few times a year. But I love shrimp so this recipe intrigued me. I’m so glad I tried it, this salad was amazing!!! Wow I love it and will make it often! Thank you for the recipe!
Hayley
We’re so glad you gave it a try, Lilli! We appreciate you taking the time to rate and review the recipe and we’re glad it’s a keeper for you. :)
Angela Marian Silverwood
What is Kosher Salt, Heidi?
PS I’ve just subscribed….thanks!
Hayley
Awesome, thanks Angela! And kosher salt is a type of salt that contains sodium chloride but not iodine. Just note that not all kosher salts are the same. For example, if using Morton’s brand, it’s a lot more concentrated, so you’d actually want to cut the salt amount in half. We like using Diamond Crystal brand because we like the size and consistency of the salt crystal. Hope this helps!
Angela Marian Silverwood
Hello again, Heidi, I am not aware of the Morton or Diamond Crystal brands because, I take it, they are American brands, right? I am from New Zealand. I have table salt (fine) and Sea Salt (crystals) in the pantry. Can you tell me from this which is which?
Hello Angela from NZ! Yes, both are American brands. Look for Kosher salt in your area. If you can’t find that, sea salt would be closer than the fine table salt. If using table salt, add less since the crystals are finer and make food a lot saltier.
RICHARD
Hi Heidi,
Your recipe ingredients show “juice of 1/2 lemon or 1/2 orange”, but nowhere in the instructions does it specifically show when to add this juice. Could you clarify please. Thank you
Hayley
Hi there Richard—it’s in step 3: Lightly drizzle with olive oil, and if desired, some of the sauce remaining from the shrimp with a generous squeeze of citrus, and toss lightly to coat.
We hope you enjoy!
Diana
This was delicious, easy and pretty. Everyone loved it
Thank you Diana! I’m glad it was a success!
Deeana Grisham
This was freaking delicious. I ate the entire bowl of salad.
Happy to hear you enjoyed it Deeana!
Lisa Forbes
This was DELICIOUS! I admit, I was skeptical because it seemed simple- not a lot of ingredients and nothing premade. The sauce from the citrus shrimp with some avocado oil was a perfect dressing this salad and the citrus shrimp will be in my meal rotation. Soooo yummy. Thank you for both recipes
Happy to hear it Lisa!
Debbie
Can you cook the shrimp without the tails?
Hayley
You certainly can! We like leaving the tails because the impart more flavor, but that’s totally optional. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Lisa Kelly
Looks delicious
Sarah
I used this recipe as the basis to cook some shrimp in a hurry as well as get an idea of what to put in it to make a salad. I used far less orange juice since I didn’t have time to cook it down. I used the extra sauce as a salad dressing and the flavors were so delicious! I’m definitely saving this recipe and making it again. It took less than 10 minutes to have my lunch ready to go! Thank you so much for sharing.
Happy to hear it was a success Sarah!
Nina
HI Heidi!
recipe looks great! I am having a dinner party and plan on making this along with steaks and chicken. do you think this recipe could be tossed with orzo to incorporate a starch into the dinner menu?
Thank you!
Hayley
Hi Nina! Sorry for the delayed reply! Yes, orzo would be a yummy addition to this for sure!
Jonna
This was delicious! Made as written! Will be making again!
I’m glad you enjoyed Jonna!
Christi
I made this salad woth a couple variations…Added fresh garlic and pepper while making the citrus shrimp. I didnt have any shallots on hand so I used thin sliced red onions in place of that. Skipped the nuts just as our preference. Perfectly ripe avacado was perfect in this dish as was arugula lettuce. Very refreshing and light meal that was full of flavor!
I’m glad you enjoyed it Christi!
Carlee
This recipe was absolutely delicious! My husband said it was better than anything we could have gotten at a restaurant. Will definitely make this again.
I’m glad you both enjoyed it!