Mexican Shrimp Salad
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If you’re looking for a fresh and flavorful meal that’s packed with protein, this Mexican Shrimp Salad recipe is it! Juicy shrimp are seasoned to perfection, then layered over crisp lettuce, black beans, corn, avocado, and tomatoes, and finished with a creamy avocado cilantro dressing. It’s an easy recipe that comes together in just 20 minutes, making it perfect for quick weeknight dinners.
Why you’ll love this salad
- It’s easy to make! This is one of our go-to weeknight meals. It only takes 15-20 minutes to toss together, meaning that I can get dinner on the table quick!
- It has a delicious variety of flavors and textures! From the creamy avocado, to the zesty salad dressing, to the fajita seasoned shrimp, this salad is full of wonderful textures and the taste is amazing!
- It’s gluten free and dairy free, making it perfect for anyone with specific dietary needs.
Ingredients
Here I explain the best ingredients for this Mexican shrimp salad recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For the exact ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Romaine lettuce – you’ll need 8 cups of chopped lettuce for this salad, which should equal about 2 romaine hearts.
- Avocado lime dressing – sure you could use store-bought dressing, but I highly recommend spending 5 minutes to blend up my homemade dressing that’s creamy, zesty, and so delicious!
- Red onion
- Black beans
- Corn – kernels of corn, drained and rinsed from a can, add a sweet flavor to the salad. If you’d like to give the corn a smoky flavor and char on the outside, add 1 teaspoon olive oil to a cast iron skillet on the stove over high heat. Add the corn and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can also use grilled corn, removed from the cob.
- Roma tomato – this tomato is firm, with very little liquid and seeds inside, making it the perfect tomato to dice up and top this salad.
- Avocado
- Shrimp – for this recipe I used large shrimp labeled 31-40, this means that there are 31-40 shrimp per pound. You can also use medium or jumbo shrimp, but I would not recommend small or extra jumbo. The small cook up super quickly and might get overcooked. The extra jumbo are really too large to eat in one bite, which is what we’re going for in this recipe.
- Fajita seasoning – you can pick up a packet of seasoning at the grocery store, or make my homemade seasoning. Head to the post and read the comments, people love this spice blend and you probably already have all of the ingredients in your spice cabinet! It’s easy to make with pantry staples like cumin, salt, paprika, garlic powder, oregano, and chili powder.
- Lime juice – I always recommend fresh lime juice for the best flavor.
- Olive oil – you can also use another neutral-flavored oil, like avocado oil or vegetable oil.
Optional additions: for an added crunch, top the salad with tortilla strips. For a kick of spice, top it with a fresh minced jalapeno, or finish it with a drizzle of hot sauce.
Instructions
- Prepare the salad. Toss chopped romaine lettuce with avocado lime dressing in a large bowl. Divide the dressed lettuce between four serving bowls. Top each bowl of lettuce with diced red onion, black beans, corn, diced tomato, and diced avocado.
- Prepare the shrimp. Add peeled and deveined shrimp to a bowl with fajita seasoning and lime juice. Toss to coat the shrimp. Add olive oil to a large skillet (preferably cast iron) on the stove over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the seasoned shrimp to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp from the skillet and place it on top of the salad.
More salad recipes
Try these other popular salad recipes that are perfect for a filling lunch, or healthy weeknight meal!
Mexican Shrimp Salad
Fresh, flavorful and easy to make, this Mexican Shrimp Salad is ready in just 20 minutes! Made with juicy shrimp, avocado, corn, black beans and a zesty avocado lime dressing, it’s the perfect light dinner!
Ingredients
Salad
- 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce, approximately 2 romaine hearts
- ½ cup avocado lime dressing, click link for the recipe
- ½ cup red onion, finely diced
- ½ cup black beans, drained and rinsed from a can
- ½ cup corn, drained and rinsed from a can
- 1 roma tomato, diced
- 1 avocado, diced
Shrimp
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
- 2 tablespoons fajita seasoning, click link for the recipe
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
Prepare the salad.
- In a large bowl, toss chopped romaine lettuce with avocado lime dressing, until the lettuce is completely coated. Divide the dressed lettuce between four serving bowls.
- Top the dressed lettuce in each bowl with the diced red onion, black beans, corn, diced tomato, and diced avocado.
Prepare the shrimp.
- Add the shrimp to a large bowl with the fajita seasoning and lime juice. Toss until it’s fully coated on all sides.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add the seasoned shrimp to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes per side.
- Remove the shrimp from the skillet and place it on top of each of the salads.
Notes
- If the shrimp was frozen, make sure it’s fully thawed before starting this recipe. If it’s still partly frozen, run it under cold water in a colander until it’s fully defrosted, then pat it dry completely before seasoning the shrimp.
- You can also grill the shrimp if you prefer. I recommend skewering the seasoned shrimp before grilling so they don’t fall through the grill grates. Cook the shrimp skewers over medium-high heat on a grill for about 2 minutes per side.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 363kcal (18%)Carbohydrates 23g (8%)Protein 28g (56%)Fat 19g (29%)Saturated Fat 3g (15%)Polyunsaturated Fat 3gMonounsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 172mg (57%)Sodium 451mg (19%)Potassium 937mg (27%)Fiber 9g (36%)Sugar 4g (4%)Vitamin A 8666mg (173%)Vitamin C 20mg (24%)Calcium 113mg (11%)Iron 5mg (28%)
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