This simple but totally flavorful shrimp avocado salad combines pan-seared citrus shrimp, creamy avocado, and the crunch of sliced almonds. It’s the perfect high-protein lunch or dinner salad that’s great for meal prep, too.
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“Loved the recipe! It was so easy to put together for unplanned dinner when I was feeling too lazy to cook.” -Shruti, FoodieCrush reader
This Might Be My Favorite Salad of All Time
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.
Enjoy!
PS. 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 lunch salad. There will be plenty of gusto from the shrimp to carry it through!
The Main Ingredients
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. 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Heidi’s Tip: 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.
How to Make Shrimp and Avocado Salad in 3 Steps
- Cook the citrus shrimp. The 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.
What to Serve With This Salad
This leafy shrimp and avocado 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.
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 citrus shrimp. Or, gently warm the leftover shrimp. You can also serve the shrimp chilled.
- Assemble the salad. 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 Easy Shrimp Salad Ideas
More Filling Lunch Salads
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Wilson
I get so frustrated when I cook. Sweat begins dripping from my brow and the panic sets in.
I literally just made this for my wife and it was the easiest cooking I’ve ever done; and it tastes great. Everyone loved it! And the shrimp recipe is not hard to find. It’s right there; one click away. Thank you for this easy, delicious recipe. Very refreshing
So glad it was a success!
Melissa S
Made this fir dinner and my husband, who is very discerning when it comes to cooking and eating, loved it!
Karen
Recipe was delicious and so easy to make! Thank you
Jessica
I’m annoyed that you felt the need to be critical and went out of your way to leave a comment about how you won’t be “researching” the citrus shrimp recipe. Then had the nerve to misspell “research!”Girl, how are you going to be loud AND wrong?! If you can’t read, just say that… LOL
Donna
It’s in the ingredient list. Click on the link.
Tiana
This was delicious and easy to make. I love the citrus shrimp and will be making this recipe more often. Thanks for sharing!
I’m glad you enjoyed!
Suzanne
Jeeez people the shrimp recipe is highlighted. Just click on it!
Wenjem
We love this salad. I am marinating the shrimp in the dressing for about an hour to see if it gives it even more yummy flavor. We live in Florida, and a cold salad like this for dinner is perfect! Thanks for a great recipe!
Shana
Absolutely delicious!! Just had it for dinner and plan to make it again soon! Thank you!
Lilian Maestas
Tried it and loved it. Used boiled shrimp.
Samantha Williams
This is really great. !!!!!
Jessica
Hey! Thanks so much for sharing such an amazing recipe! I have made it twice in less than a week. I just made it for my mother-in-law who loves it also. I love when healthy food also tastes good. I don’t know if anyone still does whole 30’s, but it’s totally whole 30 compliant. I always feel like I am being healthier when my meals are whole 30 compliant. Thanks again!
Renee Nigor
Can you just use this sauce as a dressing and add cooked shrimp to the salad without having to make all the ingredients hot first?
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
You could!
Rich
I’d love to know the macros on this one! It looks DELICIOUS!
Maynard Danielle
Made this for Memorial Day! It was a big hit! So yummy!
Janicca Covington
This was absolutely delicious and soooo easy to make! I was hoping to get he same a tad more creamy, but didn’t want to overlook the shrimp. But regardless of that, my family loved it! And that includes a 5 year old! Will definitely be in my rotation now.
Corinne
Thank you for a delicious recipe ! I made this specifically to make a green salad with it . So yummy !
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Great! Thanks for tryign this one!
Joan
The recipe was amazing; served it at a brunch with girlfriends and it was a hit. However it’s unfortunate that it appears you’ve been hacked, and have so many unrelated or downright ridiculous comments here. Some people just don’t have half a brain.
Thanks for a real comment Joan, I’m so glad you and your friends enjoyed it too :)
Sonia
Excellent! ♥️Que un
Catie
This was insanely good!!!! Eating it now and loving it!!!
Aureydis
This is so far the best salad I have ever had!!! The shrimp, avocado and the greens plus the juice of the limes (i forgot the oranges ) OMG I think I will eat it all summer. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! Forever grateful ❤️
Stacey
Yesss, orange can replace lime juice! Totally perfect. Thank you for wonderful recipe!
Shannon
This was so good! The only thing I changed was that I marinated the shrimp in the mixture overnight before cooking it. The flavor came out perfect!
McKell
This salad is SO delicious! My pregnant self LOVED IT. Now it will be something I crave! Thanks for sharing YUuuuMmmmm
Fresh Malina
I think eating more avocados will overwhelm the taste of shrimp.
Tabitha @ Tabitha Talks Food
I love how easy this recipe is! Pinning for later :-D