Avocado Shrimp Salsa Salad
This beautiful salsa can do double-duty as a chip dip or a healthy salad. Fresh summer flavors make this easy salad a seasonal favorite!
Servings 6
Calories 242kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2-3 limes (OR 1/3 cup of your favorite vinaigrette; see notes)
- 1 pound cooked shrimp tails off, deveined and roughly chopped (see notes)
- 2 ripe avocados peeled and diced
- 1 sweet bell pepper (red, orange, yellow, or a combo), diced
- 12 cherry tomatoes diced (keep juices and seeds)
- 1 cup shredded tender lettuce greens (such as green leaf)
- 1 green onion chopped
- 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
Instructions
- If using limes as your dressing, first roll them between your hand and the kitchen counter, pressing lightly. This will loosen the insides and make them easier to juice.
- Using a citrus juicer or squeeze by hand collect about a 1/3 cup of lime juice. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped shrimp, avocados, peppers, tomatoes, lettuce greens, green onions, and cilantro, tossing lightly to combine. Drizzle some evoo over the salsa and toss to lightly coat.
- Pour about half of the lime juice or vinaigrette, plus a generous pinch of salt, over the salsa and toss. Give it a taste. Add more lime juice/vinaigrette and salt as desired.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve, and store leftovers in the fridge. Will keep for 2 to 3 days, depending on the freshness of the shrimp.
Notes
Notes on the shrimp:
It really doesn't matter what size shrimp you buy, since it will be chopped anyway (small enough to fit on chips). So, feel free to buy what's on sale! I almost always buy a bag of "small" frozen cooked shrimp (deveined but tails on - slightly cheaper than tails off), rather than the pre-cooked cocktail shrimp that stores often have in their seafood cases (which is thawed from frozen anyway, so, slightly less fresh than frozen!). I pull the tails off after thawing.
You can also buy raw shrimp and cook it yourself. Just a quick 5 minute simmer in lightly boiling water should do it. Rinse with cold water and pat dry.
In all cases, make sure that the shrimp is deveined and tails off.
Notes on the dressing:
My recommendation for using lime juice vs. vinaigrette is this:
- if serving as a salsa with tortilla chips, use the lime juice.
- if serving as a salad, use your favorite vinaigrette (I like Greek dressing).
- if planning to serve as a salsa and then using leftovers as a salad, use the lime juice, and then later lightly drizzle a vinaigrette before eating as a salad. Of course, if you really love lime juice, you might okay with it for both. For my tastes, the lime juice can be a bit too much for the salad, because the hearty grain-ness or corn-ness of the tortilla chips perfectly balance the citrusy lime and make a really lovely bite. Without the chips, it's a little overwhelming and I prefer to offset the lime juice with something ever-so-slightly sweet, like a vinaigrette.
- if serving as a salad, use your favorite vinaigrette (I like Greek dressing).
- if planning to serve as a salsa and then using leftovers as a salad, use the lime juice, and then later lightly drizzle a vinaigrette before eating as a salad. Of course, if you really love lime juice, you might okay with it for both. For my tastes, the lime juice can be a bit too much for the salad, because the hearty grain-ness or corn-ness of the tortilla chips perfectly balance the citrusy lime and make a really lovely bite. Without the chips, it's a little overwhelming and I prefer to offset the lime juice with something ever-so-slightly sweet, like a vinaigrette.
Nutrition
Calories: 242kcal