This light, fresh, and zesty Citrus Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Salad makes for an outstanding summer meal. Top it off with the easy citrus vinaigrette for bright and tangy flavors!
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Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Salad Recipe
You’re going to love this light and tasty summer salad! It’s:
- Made with a handful of fresh ingredients.
- Naturally gluten-free.
- The best side dish for steak kebabs.
- Perfect for summer!
The sun is shining and the pool is glistening. All we need is a refreshing and flavorful meal to pair with the perfect summer weather!
Whether you’re craving a light and healthy lunch or a flavorful side dish, this Citrus Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Salad is the answer. Made with zesty marinated shrimp, avocado, corn, greens, and an easy citrus vinaigrette, the entire meal is easy to put together and a great excuse to fire up the grill.
I love grilling shrimp in the summertime for salad, tacos, and surf and turf. What helps this salad stand out from the crowd is the simple, savory, and zesty marinade. The shrimp marinade not only adds bright flavors but gives you some time to prep the rest of the salad (or to sip on a Grapefruit Vodka Tonic).
Ingredients you’ll need for Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Salad
- Shrimp – Frozen, peeled, and deveined jumbo shrimp is your best bet for a quick and easy recipe. To thaw frozen shrimp, either leave it for a few hours in the fridge or place the bag in a bowl of cold water.
- Shrimp marinade – This super simple marinade is made from fresh garlic, oil, salt, and lime zest. Letting the shrimp sit in the marinade for a few minutes is all it takes to infuse bright and zesty flavors into each bite.
- Greens – For the salad! My favorites are arugula, spinach, or a spring mix.
- Salad toppings – This Southwestern salad is its tastiest when it’s loaded with avocado, corn (I like frozen roasted corn from Trader Joes), shallots, and almonds.
- Citrus vinaigrette – Dress this salad in the simple oil and citrus vinaigrette to round out all of the flavors. Both lemon and orange juice work!
How to make a grilled shrimp corn salad
- Prepare the shrimp: Once the shrimp has thawed, rinse it well under water and dry it with paper towels.
- Marinate the shrimp: Toss the dried shrimp in a bowl with the oil, salt, garlic, and lime zest. While it’s marinating, place your salad greens in a bowl and whisk the dressing ingredients together.
- Grill the shrimp: Add the shrimp to the skewers, then place them on the grill. When they’re done cooking, toss the shrimp in the lime juice and place them on top of the salad greens.
- Assemble the salad: Finish the salad by adding the toppings to the bowl with the shrimp and greens. Season it with some salt before tossing it all together with the vinaigrette.
Tips and substitutions
- If using bamboo skewers, let them soak in a bowl of water for 30 minutes before grilling. This will keep them from burning.
- For deeper flavors, grill ears of corn until they’re lightly charred and shave the kernels off and into the salad.
- Want to add some spice? Add ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon of chili powder or cayenne to the marinade.
- Add more toppings! Baked chicken breast, black beans, sliced radishes, cilantro, and cherry tomatoes would be delicious additions.
- For sweeter flavors, dress the salad in my Honey Mustard Vinaigrette instead.
- Forget the salad! The zesty lime shrimp would also be delicious in tacos with cabbage slaw.
Can Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Salad be made ahead of time?
You can make the shrimp and salad up to 3 days ahead of time. Just keep the salad, shrimp, avocado, and dressing in separate airtight containers in the fridge so everything can stay as fresh as possible. When it’s time to eat, assemble the salad with the avocado and shrimp, add some dressing, and enjoy!
More light and fresh summer salads
Did you try this Citrus Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Salad? Let me know what you think! Leave a comment and don’t forget to take a picture, tag it with #lenaskitchenblog on Instagram. I love seeing what you come up with!
Citrus Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Salad
Ingredients
Grilled Shrimp
- 12 jumbo shrimp, peeled & deveined
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
- 1 small lime, zested and 1/2 juiced
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
Salad
- 4 cups greens, such as arugula, spinach, or spring mix
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ lemon, juiced, or use ½ orange
- 1 avocado, sliced or cubed
- 1 cup corn, defrosted (I like frozen roasted corn from Trader Joes)
- 1 small shallot, finely shaved and rinsed in cold water
- 2 tbsp slivered almonds, toasted
- ½ tsp kosher salt, more to taste if needed
Instructions
- Preheat grill to 450ºF.
- Thaw out the shrimp. Rinse the shrimp with water and pat dry with paper towels. Peel and devein the shrimp if they aren’t already or leave the tails on if you prefer. Add the shrimp to a bowl and toss with the olive oil, salt, garlic, and the zest of 1 small lime. Let it marinate for 5 minutes or until the grill heats up.
- Put the marinated shrimp on skewers and grill for 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and toss in a bowl with 1/2 lime juice. (If using wooden skewers, soak for 20 mins in cold water to prevent burning.)
- Place the salad greens in a large bowl. Add the shrimp on top. Mix the olive oil with a generous squeeze of citrus and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. Toss lightly to coat the shrimp and greens.
- In the same bowl, add the avocado, shallots, corn, and toasted almonds, toss gently to combine everything together. Serve right away.
Diane O'Halloran
I thought this was yummy. I made as stated and grilled fresh corn before I shucked it for the recipe. I used a spring mix for greens and will definitely make this again. It was a lovely summer salad.
lena gladstone
So happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe Diane.
Katie
Yum! So easy to put together, but the flavors were so fresh and bright. I used romaine (because that’s what I had) and it turned out great! The corn was a great addition. Thank you Lena!
lena
That’s so great to hear, thank you!
Olga Yablonsky
My whole family is on keto right now, I’ll be making this recepie this weekend. BTW love all of your recepies so far. Thank you so much for your hard work
lena
Yes!! So happy you are loving this recipe! Thank you!