Grilled Shrimp Salad with Citrus Dressing
on Aug 15, 2021, Updated Jan 25, 2025
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A beautiful summer salad that’s robust and light at the same time.
Close your eyes. Wait, don’t do that — you won’t be able to read. Let’s just say imagine yourself walking to the table holding a bowl of the striking super-summery salad, and picture the looks on the faces of the folks sitting there. When I envision this scenario, I feel pretty pleased with my choice of entrée.
This is a salad that’s robust and light at the same time, that will make you feel like you had a real lunch, but not at the expense of your remaining bouncy and alert for the rest of the afternoon. A salad that shouldn’t leave anyone saying, “Is this all there is for lunch?” Not that anyone should ever say that to you ever — seriously, make your own dang lunch.
Table of Contents
Grilled Shrimp Salad with Citrus Dressing: A beautiful summer salad that’s robust and light at the same time.
How to Grill Shrimp for Salad
The size of the skewers you use to grill the shrimp doesn’t matter since the shrimp get removed from the skewers and added to the salad. If you want to use bigger shrimp for a more dramatic presentation go for it, just add a minute or two more to the cooking time as needed. The shrimp are coated in plain olive oil and salt, which adds a bit of flavor and prevents them from sticking. They will get another boost of flavor from the dressing once the salad is assembled.
Salad Dressing for Shrimp Salad
This dressing (as the name suggests) leans heavily into the bright acidic flavors of citrus, namely lime and orange. If you have lemon and want to use that instead of the lime, go right ahead. I would try and stick with the orange juice, since that adds a note of welcome sweetness. If you don’t have a fresh orange lying around, add a few tablespoons of store-bought orange juice, and don’t make yourself crazy at all.
Serving Grilled Shrimp Salad with Citrus Dressing
I like to serve this salad over a bed of arugula, which catches the extra dressing from the salad. Any lettuce would be great, from watercress to frisee to plain old romaine. Saving some of the dressing for drizzling over the plated product ensures that there will be enough to moisten the lettuce. And saving half of the fresh cilantro leaves to sprinkle over the top gives it a pretty fresh pop of herby flavor. Hate cilantro? That’s ok; use parsley.
If you wanted to make this in a bigger batch for a larger crowd, you might consider serving it cobb salad-style in rows. It makes for a dramatic presentation. You could also add some other vegetables if you like, like sliced hearts of palm or cooked corn.
What to Serve with Grilled Shrimp Salad
More Shrimp Salad Recipes:
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Grilled Shrimp Salad with Citrus Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- Juice of 1 orange
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1 pound large shrimp (peeled and deveined)
- 2 avocados
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes (halved)
- ½ red onion (thinly sliced)
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves (divided)
- 4 cups arugula (optional)
Instructions
- If you are using wooden skewers, place them in a container with water to cover for 30 minutes. Preheat the grill to medium-high.
- For the dressing, in a small bowl or container. combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, the lime zest and juice, orange juice, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, toss shrimp with the remaining tablespoon of oil and season with salt and pepper. Thread the shrimp onto skewers.
- Carefully oil the grill rack. Grill the shrimp over medium heat until they turn pink and are just cooked through, about 4 minutes in all, turning the shrimp halfway during cooking. Let cool to room temperature, and remove the shrimp from the skewers.
- In a large shallow serving bowl, combine the tomatoes, onions, and half the cilantro. Add the half of the dressing and toss. Peel and half the avocados, remove the pit, and dice. Add the avocados and cooked shrimp to the bowl and toss gently to combine. Drizzle with the remaining dressing, and sprinkle with the remaining fresh cilantro.
- Serve in the bowl, or serve over the arugula on individual plates.
