This light and luscious Orange Avocado Shrimp Salad is a quick and easy combination of citrus and seafood flavors that is perfect for a light lunch or supper.
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Why we love this recipe
This good and good for you shrimp salad is not only super speedy to make, it is a combination of bright and contrasting flavors that turn an ordinary seafood salad into something extra special.
The dressing is a combo of sweet orange juice and orange zest, a little tangy mustard, some sassy chopped mint and a little olive oil to hold it all together.
Drizzle this sparkling dressing over some cooked shrimp and a handful of cherry tomatoes, give it all a toss, and then send the whole thing to shrimp salad heaven by adding some buttery sliced avocado on the side.
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Shrimp: You can use any size, but we like large shrimp best for this recipe.
- Oranges: Look for either juicing oranges or navel oranges.
- Mint: You can find this herb in the produce section of your supermarket. If you buy the kind that comes in a little pot of soil, plant whatever you don’t use – it will come back every year!
- Tomatoes: We love cherry tomatoes for this recipe, but you can also chop up a big tomato (especially if you are making this during tomato season!)
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
How to make this recipe
STEP 1: Bring a pot of water to a boil and add a pinch each of salt and pepper and the bay leaves.
Add the shrimp, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook until they are just done, about 2 minutes. Drain them in a strainer, running cold water over them until they are no longer hot.
STEP 2: Now the dressing! Mix up the olive oil, orange zest and juice, mint and mustard in a medium bowl.
STEP 3: Add the cooked shrimp and the tomatoes to the bowl with the dressing, toss to coat and pop it in the fridge for an hour or two. (You can also serve it at room temperature if you prefer!)
STEP 4: Right before you are ready to serve it up, peel and pit the avocado and cut it into slices.
STEP 5: Divide the salad between plates, garnish with avocado slices and a few mint leaves and serve it up!
Recipe FAQs
Now, you don’t HAVE to take the vein (that dark line up the back of the shrimp) out, but lots of folks prefer their shrimpies that way. Pull off the shell by wiggling it apart at the bottom of the shrimp. Once the shell is off, cut a shallow line along the top of the shrimp where the vein is, pull it out with the tip of the knife and…you’re done! Put the shrimp shells in a zippered plastic bag when you toss them out, because if they sit in your trash can for more than a few hours…well, I’ll let you use your imagination.
Start with the zesting! There are all kinds of fancy citrus zesting tools out there, but I love my microplane zester – it does the job quickly and you can also use it for cheese. Simply drag the orange over the zester and little chopped orange peel pieces will come out the other side. As for juicing, you can get as fancy as having a citrus juicer that squishes the juice out and leaves the seeds, or you can simply squeeze that orange juice into a prep bowl with your hands.
100% yes! Especially if you prefer your shrimp salad chilled. Be sure to keep it in the fridge, and serve it within a day of making it.
Pop your question (or comment, or suggestion) in the Comments section below and I will answer pronto!
Want to round out your meal?
We love some warm sheet pan focaccia bread with this seafood salad, or some salt and pepper crackers with a little cheese on the side.
And for dessert, let’s keep things cool and light with this strawberry sherbet!
Other shrimp recipes we love
Looking for more seafood inspiration? Here is our complete collection of seafood recipes!
Could you leave us some stars?
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.
PrintOrange Avocado Shrimp Salad
This light and luscious Orange Avocado Shrimp Salad is a quick and easy combination of citrus and seafood flavors that is perfect for a light lunch or supper.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 2 minutes
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Lunch
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 pound fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Juice and zest from one orange
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, plus extra for garnish
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 ripe avocado
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and add a pinch each of salt and pepper and the bay leaves.
- Add the shrimp, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook until they are just done, about 2 minutes. Drain them in a strainer, running cold water over them until they are no longer hot.
- Now the dressing! Mix up the olive oil, orange zest and juice, mint and mustard in a medium bowl. Add the cooked shrimp and the tomatoes, toss to coat and pop it in the fridge for an hour or two.
- Right before you are ready to serve it up, peel and pit the avocado and cut it into slices.
- Divide the salad between plates, garnish with avocado slices and a few mint leaves and serve it up!
Notes
- Shrimp: You can use any size, but we like large shrimp best for this recipe.
- Oranges: Look for either juicing oranges or navel oranges.
- Mint: You can find this herb in the produce section of your supermarket. If you buy the kind that comes in a little pot of soil, plant whatever you don’t use – it will come back every year!
- Tomatoes: We love cherry tomatoes for this recipe, but you can also chop up a big tomato (especially if you are making this during tomato season!
Beth says
Healthy and yet still so tasty! Will definitely be making this again!
So glad you liked it – I think it is going to be this summer’s go-to shrimp salad!