Shrimp Avocado Salad with Quinoa - This fresh, filling, and zesty salad is perfect as a light lunch or flavorful appetizer. Made with pan-fried shrimp, fresh vegetables, quinoa, and a homemade lemon and cilantro dressing, it’s naturally gluten-free and easy to make!
Grab a bowl of this Shrimp Avocado Salad with Quinoa for a light and refreshing lunch. Filled with fresh ingredients like wild caught shrimp, avocado, cucumber, tomatoes, and cooked quinoa, you’ll feel ready to conquer the rest of the day once you’re done.
This simple shrimp and avocado salad recipe uses easy ingredients. Plus, you can mix and match the flavors to keep the recipe flexible (while saving you a trip to the grocery store). It’s finished with a zesty homemade lemon dressing for a burst of flavor!
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What Shrimp Should I Use in This Recipe?
Try to use wild caught raw shrimp rather than farm raised for the absolute best flavor and texture. Fresh or frozen both work!
To prepare your shrimp for cooking, remove the outer shell and devein the shrimp first. Feel free to cook them with or without the tails - it’s up to you!
What You’ll Need to Make Shrimp Avocado Salad
The shrimp in this recipe is seasoned to perfection using fresh citrus and a handful of simple ingredients. Easily double everything on this list to serve a crowd. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter or avocado oil
- Wild caught raw shrimp
- Lemon juice
- Garlic
- Salt
This 4-ingredient homemade salad dressing is herby, zesty, and very light. It can be made days ahead of time so you can assemble your salad in a pinch. This is what you need:
- Cilantro
- Lemon juice
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Toppings for Shrimp Avocado Salad
You can add almost any toppings you like to this shrimp avocado recipe. Here’s what I suggest:
- Use romaine lettuce as a base. Swap it out for fresh spinach, iceberg lettuce, or leave it out entirely to create a shrimp ceviche.
- Avocado chunks
- Cherry tomatoes, red onion, and cucumbers for freshness
- Cooked quinoa for added protein
How to Cook Raw Shrimp on the Stove
Step 1: Start by tossing the thawed and prepared shrimp in the lime juice, garlic, and salt.
Step 2: Next, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and add in the shrimp.
Step 3: Cook the shrimp on both sides for 2 minutes, or until fully cooked and then remove the skillet from the heat.
How to Assemble Shrimp Avocado Salad
Step 1: Prepare your lemon dressing by mixing all of the ingredients in a small bowl or jar.
Step 2: Add your lettuce to a large bowl, and then add all of the toppings you desire. Finish with the warm shrimp and drizzle the dressing over top.
Step 3: Garnish the salad with extra cilantro and black pepper. Complete each serving with warm, cooked quinoa, and enjoy!
What to Serve with Shrimp Avocado Salad
A light and healthy avocado shrimp salad can be enjoyed as a light appetizer or lunch, or as a side dish. Here’s how I like it:
- As a light appetizer to enjoy before New York Strip Steak or a Creamy Chicken Alfredo for dinner.
- Next to my Avocado Corn Salsa.
- With fresh or grilled corn.
- As an appetizer to a Mexican feast.
- With my creamy avocado dressing.
Next to a slice of fresh bread.
Tips and Substitutions
- To thaw frozen raw shrimp, place the bag in a bath of cold water bath or by placing the bag in the fridge overnight (or up to 24 hours).
- Don’t overcrowd the shrimp in the pan. This ensures the shrimp is cooked evenly and doesn’t turn out gummy.
- Feel free to mix up the shrimp seasoning if you wish. Make it spicy or use garlic butter to help them taste extra savory.
- Use avocado oil in place of the unsalted butter to keep this recipe dairy-free.
- You can leave the shrimp out of the recipe to create a vegetarian-friendly salad.
Storing Leftovers
This salad is best enjoyed the day it’s made. If you do end up with leftovers, keep them stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It should stay fresh for up to 12 hours.
To save time, make the dressing up to 3 days ahead of time. Just keep it in a sealed jar or container in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble the salad.
More Easy Recipes
- Easy Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
- Cucumber Bites with Salmon
- Greek Cucumber Salad
- Shrimp Lettuce Wraps
- Cucumber Sandwiches
- Oven Baked Asparagus and Bacon Wraps
- Sweet Potato Quinoa Bowl (Video)
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📖 Recipe
Easy Shrimp Avocado Quinoa Salad (Quick Lunch or Dinner)
Ingredients
For Shrimp
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter avocado oil
- 1 lb shrimp jumbo wild-caught raw, peeled and deveined
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- salt & pepper to taste
For Salad
- 1 small romaine lettuce washed and chopped into bite size pieces
- 1 large avocado peeled, pitted, and chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- ½ medium English cucumber chopped
- ½ small red onion thinly sliced
- 3 cups quinoa cooked
For Dressing
- ¼ cup cilantro finely chopped, more for garnish
- 1 large lemon juiced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
How to Make Lemon Dressing
- In a mixing bowl, combine ¼ cup of finely chopped cilantro, juice from one large lemon, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Give it a good mix and set aside.
How to Cook Shrimp in the Skillet
- Combine 1 lb of raw shrimp with 1 teaspoon of chili powder, 3 garlic cloves salt and pepper to taste. Give it a good mix.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter or avocado oil in the skillet over medium/high heat. Once skillet gets hot add shrimp (don’t over crowd) and cook undisturbed for 2 minutes, flip on the other side and cook for 1-2 more minutes, or until shrimp is cooked thru.
- Careful not to over cook shrimp, cause it will taste rubbery and we don’t want that. Remove from the skillet, cover with foil paper and set aside.
How to Assemble Shrimp Salad
- Using a large bowl or dip dish combine, 1 chopped romaine lettuce1 large chopped avocado, 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, ½ of chopped cucumber, and ½ of chopped red onion.
- Add warm shrimp and drizzle dressing over the top.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and sprinkle black pepper over the top. Serve with warm quinoa. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Use fresh shrimp for the best flavor; peeled and deveined works best.
- Pan-sear the shrimp just until cooked—overcooking makes them rubbery.
- Ripe avocado is key for creamy texture; cut just before serving to prevent browning.
- Cook quinoa ahead of time and let it cool slightly for easier assembly.
- Toss the salad gently to keep avocado intact and maintain the fresh, vibrant look.
- Lemon-cilantro dressing can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for quick prep.
- Customize veggies—cucumber, cherry tomatoes, or bell peppers all work well.
- Perfect for meal prep: keep shrimp, quinoa, and dressing separate until ready to serve.
Nutrition
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Happy Cooking!
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