Shrimp Avocado Salad Recipe
We could live off this Shrimp Avocado Salad. It tastes crazy good! It’s also really pretty served as a chopped salad. Put it on the table and watch everyone’s eyes light up. This shrimp salad has all of the best flavors of summer.
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This shrimp salad is loaded with avocado, cucumbers, tomatoes and corn all over a bed of bright romaine. It’s so fresh and extremely satisfying with a light and easy cilantro dressing. Trust me; your first thought won’t be, “oh this is such a healthy salad.”
You’ll just sit there chewing with a big goofy grin on your face and run for a refill before you’ve even finished your bowl.
Note: Freshly boiled corn or grilled corn makes all the difference in this salad. Use canned in winter but fresh is best and adds a sweet burst of flavor. If you aren’t into shrimp, this salad is still amazing served vegetarian.
Ingredients for Shrimp Avocado Salad:
1/2 lb (3 to 4 medium) Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 English cucumber or 3 smaller garden cucumbers, sliced
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced
1 cup corn kernels (from 2 fresh cobs or canned drained corn)
1 medium romaine lettuce (5 to 6 cups chopped)
For the Cajun Shrimp:
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 lb large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp cajun spice
2 cloves garlic, pressed
Pinch of salt
For the Zesty Cilantro Lemon Dressing:
3 Tbsp olive oil (mild or extra virgin)
Juice of 1 large lemon (about 3 Tbsp) (it’s ok to sub lime juice)
1/2 bunch cilantro, (1/2 cup chopped)
1 tsp sea salt or 3/4 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
How to Make Shrimp Avocado Salad:
1. Place shrimp in a medium bowl, sprinkle with 1 tsp cajun spice, 2 pressed garlic cloves and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine.
2. Heat a large non-stick pan over medium high heat. Swirl in 2 Tbsp butter. Once butter stops sizzling, add shrimp in a single layer and sauté about 2 minutes without disturbing. Flip shrimp over and sauté another minute or just until fully cooked through. Don’t overcook shrimp or they can become rubbery. Remove to a plate and set aside to cool.
3. Chop, rinse and spin dry your romaine lettuce. Line the bottom of a large salad platter/bowl with 5 to 6 cups of chopped romaine lettuce. Add remaining ingredients in rows over the top of your romaine: chopped tomatoes, sliced red onion, sliced cucumber, cajun shrimp, avocado and boiled or grilled corn.
Yum Yum! Everything about this shrimp salad is good!
4. To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together 3 Tbsp olive oil, 3 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, 1 tsp sea salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper.
Drizzle dressing over the shrimp avocado salad then toss to combine and serve.
More Avocado Recipes to Fall in Love with:
If you enjoyed this salad, you must be an avocado fan (or shrimp or both!!), you will love these avocado recipes.
- Avocado Shrimp Salsa (major reader and personal favorite!)
- Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad (a classic improved with avocado)
- Avocado Chicken Salad (currently our #1 recipe)
Shrimp Avocado Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the Chopped Salad:
- 1/2 lb 3 to 4 medium Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 English cucumber or 3 smaller garden cucumbers, sliced
- 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced
- 1 cup corn kernels, from 2 fresh cobs or canned drained corn
- 1 medium romaine lettuce, 5 to 6 cups chopped
For the Cajun Shrimp:
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 lb large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tsp cajun spice
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- Pinch salt
For the Zesty Cilantro Lemon Dressing:
- 3 Tbsp olive oil, mild or extra virgin
- Juice of 1 large lemon, about 3 Tbsp (it's ok to sub lime juice)
- 1/2 bunch cilantro, (1/2 cup chopped)
- 1 tsp sea salt or 3/4 tsp table salt
- 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
-
Place shrimp medium bowl, sprinkle with 1 tsp cajun spice, 2 pressed garlic cloves and a pinch of salt and stir to combine.
-
Heat large non-stick pan over medium high heat. Swirl in 2 Tbsp butter. Once butter stops sizzling, add shrimp in a single layer and sauté about 2 min without disturbing. Flip shrimp over and sauté another minute or just until cooked through. Don't overcook shrimp or they can become rubbery. Remove to a plate and set aside to cool.
-
Chop, rinse and spin dry romaine lettuce. Line the bottom of a large salad platter/bowl with 5 to 6 cups of chopped romaine lettuce. Add remaining salad ingredients and shrimp in rows on top of romaine.
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To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. Drizzle dressing over the salad then toss to combine and serve.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
We are completely and utterly in love with this salad. Try it and you’ll make it again and again! 😉
Q: What’s your favorite summer time salad?
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
I’m getting ready to make this salad & I wonder if it will keep for another meal.
Thank you!!!!
I have made this salad several times. It is definitely one of my favorites. Some nutrition facts would be great!
Thank you for sharing that with us, Stephanie. We don’t have all the nutrition facts yet for our old recipes but we are adding them in the new ones.
Natasha, What is a “pressed” garlic clove. I know minced and smashed, but not pressed. Love your recipes. Thank you.
Hi Jovan, you can mince, but I press it through a garlic press.
Hi Natasha, my sister and I made this recipe today for dinner. We loved it and so did our family! Definitely one of the best salad recipes we’ve made so far. Thanks for the recipe Natasha! We substituted the Roma tomatoes with chickpeas.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
My husband and I are on a calorie reduced diet and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find anything delicious to cook. I was wrong. This salad is amazing! It was easy to make and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. My husband even had seconds! This will make it a lot easier to stick to our goals.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
This salad was delicious. I added some honey to the dressing to cut the acid.
Sounds great, thanks for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha,
I love your recipes. Thank you for sharing..
I’m so glad you’re enjoyed our recipes Zeenia!
This recipe is so delicious! I’ve made it twice now and even my meat and potatoes boyfriend loves it.
The next morning I took all the leftovers (shrimp, corn, tomatoes, onion, cilantro) and made scrambled eggs with them. So double win! Thank you.
I’m so glad you enjoyed that Jen! Thank you so much for that feedback!
This is SOOOO AMazing!! I love it. Now I make this for lunch at work!! My family loves it. It’s fast and easy to make.
That’s just awesome, Joy! Thank you for that amazing feedback!
Hi, Natasha! I love your recipes. I’m preparing this salad right now to take to work the next couple days. Have you added the avocados to the dressing? Trying to still use them but don’t want them to brown since I’m neal prepping with limited lunch time the next couple days. I need to be able to take the salad out and dump the dressing and eat it! Thoughts?
Hi Sara, to prevent them from getting brown I like to keep them in an airtight container and by spraying this with a little lemon juice. That seems to do the trick.
These salads look amazing. I do not like lemon juice. What could I use as a dressing instead of the lemon?
Hi Mary, you could try your favorite Italian dressing instead. Also, I think an avocado ranch or a jalapeno ranch would taste great here.
I went ahead and used the lemon juice and it was amazing! Even my husband liked it! Thank u
You’re welcome, Mary!
Yum, yum salad! Didn’t have Cajun spices so made my own with some subs. Did the job
Salad takes a lot of prep time.
Suggest doing all veggies first then some wine. Then shrimp then some wine. Then the salad dressing. Then some wine. Then have fun assembling !!!
Serve crispy Italian bread!
Thank you so much for sharing that with us Barbara! I’m happy you enjoyed this recipe!
OMG! This salad is absolutely delicious! The men in my family loved it! The only thing I did different was using kale and I used a store bought dressing, Poppyseed. I ate it for lunch, made wraps for dinner, and then ate it again in the morning for breakfast!!!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Diane!
Natasha can I use caned corn in this recipe? Thank you!💕
Hi Lena, Yes! You sure can! Per the recipe, you can use “1 cup corn kernels from 2 fresh cobs or canned drained corn” I hope that helps!
what can i use in place of the cilantro,thanks.
Hi Gail, you could use finely chopped parsley or even dill
Wonderful salad. The only change we made was to double the dressing. Avocados made the salad very creamy. We loved it!
Thank you for that wonderful review, Howard!! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
I love this salad ~ I am making it again for a group of girlfriends on our weekend trip to Estes Park. Question, what do you think would be good to serve with it? Bread? Crackers?
Thanks
I think it would be wonderful with chips! We serve along side dinner or eat it as is 🙂
Dear Natasha,
I had an invitation in my house and i tried the shrimp avocado salad , it was so delicious and almost gone noting that many dishes were on the table. The way of making the shrimp is tasty especially with the Cajun although i have searched a lot for finding it.
Thank you
You’re so welcome, Bassam! I’m happy you enjoyed that!
I forgot to add the onion and the corn and it was still a great salad. I grilled the shrimp. Yum….
Hi Kerry! I’m so happy you enjoyed that! Thank you for sharing your great review with us!
Just made this great salad… simple and quick. We left out the corn (we don’t eat corn if we can help it). Next time I’ll have to sub some hard boiled eggs like someone else said. Thanks for the recipe…
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Did salad for Fathers Day use kale/power greens instead for an outdoor festival. This week use chicken with baby kale. They barely let me finish adding all ingredients. Expensive but what’s $ when it come to Great taste? Skip spicy w/crowd.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
This salad is amazing! I wanted to make something different from my regular Feta Orzo shrimp salad, and I came across this page. I used all fresh, organic ingredients and the result was outstanding. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, I will make sure to try more recipes from your website 🙂
Thank you Andra for such a nice review and you are very welcome 😀
I don’t have cajun seasoning. What can I use instead?
Hi Tanya, cajun spice or paprika will work instead.
Simple ingredients great taste very easy to make. Loved it!
I’m glad you enjoy this simple but delicious recipe Irina, thanks for sharing!
Fabulous recipe! Thank youy.
My pleasure Melanie, I’m glad you enjoy it! 🙂
Love it! I would serve this to our pastor on Sunday!
I only added 2 boiled eggs to round it out.
And love, love that dressing. Going to make extra and keep it in a small jar in the fridge.
Thank you!
You’re welcome Darrell! I’m glad you love the recipe. Thanks for sharing your great review!
Where would you recommend buying the shrimp?? Any suggestions??
Hi Marina, if you can get your hands on wild caught (not farmed) shrimp, that is best. Otherwise, the peeled and deveined raw frozen bagged shrimp at Costco is the easiest to work with (very minimal prep required besides pulling the end tail off).
Thank you!
I made this salad for lunch today it was fantastic! Will make it again
I’m glad you enjoy the recipe Rosalie! Thanks for sharing your review!
Wow!!! Thats all I can say, I made this salad to try something new for New Years and it totally exceeded my expectations, everyone loved it!!! Thank you Natasha for an amazing recipe!
Also I substituted parsley for cilantro because my family is not a fan of it and it worked really well.
You’re welcome Katusha! I’m so glad to hear how much you enjoy the recipe. Thanks for sharing your wonderful review with other readers!
Can I buy cooked shrimps ?
Hi Lilia, you could make that work but it is definitely best to use uncooked shrimp or they will be overcooked and rubbery and just won’t have the same flavor as cooking shrimp from raw.
Can you make the shrimp avocado salad the night before it is to be served and just put dressing on just before serving?
Hi Pam, that would work well :). For the shrimp, you might use half oil and half butter so the butter doesn’t firm up on the cooked shrimp overnight. I hope you love the salad!
Hi Natasha, finally I made this salad, sooo good!!, my family loved it!!! When I had the shrimps ready on a plate, my husband couldn’t resist to steal one, the shrimps flavor was awesome!!
Thank you for sharing! I notice that I always write down recipes, but I never made them, but yours is different, I made lot of them and they are sooo good!!
Many blessings for you and your family!
Hello Cristina! I’m glad your family enjoys the recipe as much as mine does! Thanks for following and sharing your excellent review!
Natasha, I love your recipes!! We are from completely different countries, but we share the same taste of food! I am from Chile, and I think your recipes are not too different from chilean food or spanish culture.
Hugs and blessings!!
I’m glad to hear how much you are enjoying the recipes Cristina! Thanks for following! 🙂
Natasha, I made the chicken and avocado salad and it was DELICIOUS!!!! My family wanted more! Today I’m making the shrimp salad and I’m sure it will equally great! I don’t like the taste of cilantro but I think I will use parsley ! Do you ink it will be ok? Thank you for your awesome recipes. I love them!!!!
Hi Kassiani, I’m so glad you loved the recipe! You could use finely chopped parsley or use chopped dill or chives :).
Love corn, but for some reason I can’t picture it tasting all that good with shrimp and avocado. I’m going to make this recipe, but I will go a little easy on the red onion and substitute the corn with maybe some cucumber or zucchini. Maybe even add some pine nuts.
Thoughts?
Hi Eddie, we love corn in our family and the sweet fresh corn was a really good match with the rest of the salad. Fresh corn really makes it though so use fresh if you can. You could substitute and just add more cucumber or a little more of everything else.
Hi! I am a big fan of your mouthwatering recipes! I’ve done a lot of experiments of mix and match ingredients, it’s really cool..If you could help me make a unique recipe it would be of great help! i am to enter a competition in salad making..Thanks!
Hi Jacky, I would suggest taking a look at our other salad recipes for inspiration.
~Yummazing~
The BEST combination of ingredients for a salad! The dressing is a super bonus, so don’t leave that part out. My house smelled heavenly after making this. Family favorite for life!
Thanks for sharing
You’re welcome Kimberly! I’m glad to hear how much everyone loves this recipe! Thanks for sharing your awesome review! 🙂
I will be making this salad for an out bbq- Looks Delicious! Would it be ok to make the Cilantro Dressing the night before and chill?
Hi Joan, yes that would work fine to pre-make the dressing, cover and refrigerate. I hope you love it! 🙂
This looks fantastic! Would it be ok to use precooked shrimp or is it better to cook it myself for best flavor. I have both in the freezer 🙂 Thanks!!!! Crystal
Crystal, I highly recommend to cook shrimp instead of using precooked shrimp. Precooked shrimp might taste rubbery.
Is this salad spicy?
Hi Gina, I didn’t feel this salad was spicy at all :). I hope you love it!!
Made it this evening and it’s a perfect summer salad – light, fresh and delicious!!
I’m happy to hear you enjoy the recipe Tina! Thanks for sharing your great review!
It’s really good. I would just add more lemon and less oil in the dressing to give it more zest.
I’m glad you enjoy the recipe George! Thanks for sharing your tip with other readers!
Delicious!!
I’m glad we agree Marianne! 🙂
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Thank you so much!
I loved it, i would cut back on salt, thats all😋
I’m happy to hear you love the recipe! Thanks for sharing Ellie 🙂
What are the calories/macros for this? Thanks!
Due to time constraints, I don’t typically include nutritional info, but check out this nutrition analyzer – you can plug in the ingredients from any recipe, select the serving size and it will give you nutritional info, calories, etc. I hope that is helpful to you Perla!
A M A Z I N G!!! will never go back to greens only salad. Truly, each bite fantastically different. Used cilantro – YUM!
Olivia, thank you for such a rave review, I’m all smiles 😬!
This salad is absolutely delicious! Served it tonight for our daughter’s birthday dinner and everyone raved about it. All the best flavors of summer blended together! We will definitely be making this again. I used frozen shrimp and thought it was great, but after reading your suggestion I will buy fresh shrimp next time to make it even better.
I’m happy everyone love this salad recipe! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review Debbie!
This is the best salad I have ever had. I was full but wanted to eat more, but I didn’t. I can’t believe this salad, it leaves you full and not missing anything else. Very satisfying and extremely delicious and would recommend it to everyone, even if you don’t care much for salad, you’ll love this.
I’m happy to hear how much you love the recipe Marilyn! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!
I don’t like cilantro. Do you have an alternative for cilantro in the dressing? Thanks so much for any ideas.
Hi Jacqueline, you could use finely chopped parsley or even dill 🙂
Thanks for the question & suggestion! I’m not a cilantro fan either, but will try it with dill tonight!
You’re welcome Annika! 🙂
Natasha,
Can I use frozen cooked shrimps and canned corn fur this salad?
Thank you!
Hi Nataliya, fresh shrimp and fresh corn will make all the difference in flavor and texture in this salad. Fresh corn adds an amazing pop of sweet flavor so I would Highly recommend using fresh corn. Also, re-cooking cooked shrimp will cause it to get rubbery and release water without really taking on the flavor of the seasonings as well.
Give her a break. Just a note – I bet English is your only language.
Tasted delicious!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing your review!!
Do you have any nutrition facts for this salad? Im on a strict low-carb diet and this sounds fabulous but id like to know carb count!
I don’t have nutritional information on most of my recipes due to time constraints. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Oh goodness! Thank you for catching that!! fixed 🙂
Hi Natalie! I just recently came upon your recipes! First, Thank you for teaming up with “Chicory”, because it saved me time grocery shopping. Second, this salad was a hit! I’m not known to be a cook in the family, but I received many raves by my husband, sister, and sister-in-law. I can’t wait to make the other recipes!
I’m so happy to hear that! I just started working with Chicory and I’m so glad it makes shopping easier for you. That’s awesome!! 🙂 Also, thank you for your wonderful review 🙂
Best recipes we can find is of course on your website 🙂
You are so sweet Nellie, thank you 😊.
Could I make this ahead of time or not since the salad is asking for avocado?
Hi Dina, it really is best just before serving. The citrus in the dressing will keep the avocado from browning for a few hours but the lettuce will soften if you pre-make and pre-mix it with dressing. I would suggest prepping all the ingredients ahead of time and just before serving, slice up and add the avocado and toss with the dressing.
.
I can’t use cilantro is there something else I can use?
Hi Karen, you could use finely chopped parsley or even dill 🙂
Natasha, this is going on my top favorite summer salad list. My family and I absolutely enjoyed its freshness and acidity.
Side note, thank you so much for all of your recipes, in the Slavic community, it is sometimes hard to follow along Russian/Ukrainian recipes that our parents and grandparents pass along and you make it super easy and not overwhelming at all. Keep the recipes coming! Also, I completely agree with Dina Chmut on supporting you if you ever get an app. 🙂
That’s so sweet of you to say and thank you so much! 🙂
We made this salad on a beach trip with friends, and it was such a hit! Everyone (including kids) loved it!! We added mango, and it was really delicious!
Also Natasha, have you ever thought of making an app?? Would be so nice and convenient, I would totally pay for a download to use my phone for recipes 😉
Oh wow having this salad on the beach takes it to a whole new level. That’s so fun!! I haven’t given an app much thought since we are always so crazy busy! I think once we buy a house, I’ll hire someone to free us up for other things 🙂
In your opinion, what store and what brand has the best shrimp?
Hi Irina, it depends. The most important thing to look for is wild caught and if you get peeled and deveined, it will cut your prep in half for this salad and is way easier to make. Costco doesn’t have wild caught (bummer!) so I buy mine at Fred Meyer. Wild Caught is better because farmed are laced with chemicals from what I’ve heard and read.
This looks Divine! Perfect summertime entree dinner too! Thanks for sharing!
I agree! I could eat this for dinner without wanting anything else 🙂 It’s so satisfying!
Hello Natasha! I am getting ready to make this salad for a birthday party and I have a really dumb question to ask you: do I need to buy raw or cooked shrimp? Looking at the picture (before you add all the spices and saute it), the shrimp looks like it is pink and I am not sure if that’s just the type of shrimp, or if its not raw. Please let me know 🙂
Hi Natalie! that is a totally legit question and I should have specified. Raw shrimp that has been peeled and deveined. If you buy peeled and deveined, it is way easier and faster than doing it yourself 🙂 Also, the shrimp was a wild-caught Texas gulf shrimp and it was pink when it was raw. Sorry I didn’t specify and thank YOU for asking! 🙂
Simply Delicious love love this one
❤️
I’m so happy to hear that!! Thanks Lana for the great review 🙂
Made this salad for dinner on Sunday as a main meal and substituted shrimp for langoustine tails (wild from trader joes and cheaper than shrimp). I wanted to give you a super tight squeeze for sharing this amazing recipe. What can I say…..you are awesome Natasha!
For those who don’t like sea food, you can omit it and still have a flavourfull salad. Don’t even think about using canned corn, the fresh corn really did make all the difference .
Wow, the langoustine tails sound totally awesome!. Thank you for the wonderful review and I’m glad you tried it with fresh corn 😁.
Hi Natasha,
I have done something very similar to this salad before, but I used lime instead of lemon for the dressing. This salad is just so refreshing.
Your website is amazing by the way!
Thank you so much Tina! I shared this recipe with my sister before I posted it (I let my whole family know when something is really really good! lol). And she said she loved it with lime juice also. Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
Super yumi, yumi, thanks
You’re so welcome! 🙂
I cannot wait to try and make this.
Thank you Natasha, keep up the good work you are amazing!
Thank you so much Tammy! I hope you fall in love with this salad 🙂
I love how fresh and colorful this is! Just gorgeous.
Thank you so much Christy! 🙂