Cilantro Lime Shrimp Salad with Avocado Dressing
I’m in love and I don’t care who knows it!!
Wait, it’s normal to be in love with a salad right? Because if this love is wrong, I don’t wanna be right!
Why am I in love with this salad you ask? Oh, for so many reasons. First off, the flavor is so amazing. It’s full of lime, cilantro, avocado, cherry tomatoes. Bright, summery flavors that pair together so well. The shrimp and dressing have a healthy pop of lime taste, but when eaten with the sweet cherry tomatoes and creamy avocado chunks, it just works. I couldn’t get enough. I just kept shoveling fork fulls of salad into my mouth the first time I tried it. It wasn’t pretty. I think Michael had a look of sheer horror across his face.
Oh and don’t even get me started on this salad dressing. As someone who has not had many salad dressings in over 6 months (thanks candida overgrowth in my gut, I kind of hate you), this salad dressing is life changing. It’s made without vinegar which is perfect for those of us who are unable to eat it.
The secret is the avocado – it makes the dressing creamy and dreamy! Avocado works so well in so many capacities because of it’s creaminess and mild flavor, which is why I love it so much! However, the absolute best part about the dressing is that it is made from the marinade we use for the shrimp. All you have to do is prepare the marinade, half goes to the shrimp and the other half to the food processor. Add half an avocado and blend, blend, blend! Voila, creamy avocado salad dressing! Healthy, easy and delicious all on your table in no time!
You can bet this cilantro lime shrimp salad with avocado dressing will be a summer staple in my house! And this avocado dressing might be going on everything I eat from now on!
Cilantro Lime Shrimp Salad with Avocado Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 lb uncooked large shrimp (peeled and deveined)
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 cup avocado (diced)
- 1/4 cup water (as needed)
- 1 tbsp oil
- 6 cups romaine lettuce (chopped into chunks)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together avocado oil, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper.
- Pour half of the mixture into a large ziplock bag with the shrimp. Close the bag and with your hands work the marinade to make sure all of the shrimp is covered by the marinade. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 1-2 hours.
- Pour the other half of the marinade mixture into a food processor or blender. Add 1/2 avocado to the food processor (about 1/3 cup diced). Blend until smooth. Optional: Add up to 1/4 cup water if you want to thin out your dressing (I did not). Leave in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- When you are ready to cook the shrimp, preheat a medium sized skillet over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil.
- Add the shrimp to the skillet. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side, until the shrimp is cooked through and pink in color.
- Toss together the cut up lettuce, tomatoes, extra 1 1/2 diced avocado, and cooked shrimp.
- Spoon avocado dressing over the salad and serve immediately.
Nutrition
I’m Megan
A gluten-free food blogger from Chicago and lover of all things food, showing you gluten-free can be easy and delicious, too. Let’s make gluten-free stress free together! Read more…
This looks so light and refreshing! The perfect summer meal!
Thanks Meghan! It really does taste and feel like a summery salad!
I love all these ingredients but what is avocado oil?
Where can I get it?
Hi Josephine, Avocado oil is made from pressed avocados. I’ve found it at Costco, specialty health food stores and online. Instead feel free to use olive oil or another oil. My stomach does not tolerate olives well so I tend to use avocado oil instead. Hope this helps!