Grilled shrimp salad is a quick and easy, healthy summer meal that is loaded with fresh, flavorful ingredients. It's packed with crisp mixed greens, fresh vegetables, and lemon-garlic shrimp — the star of the show which is marinated and grilled to perfection (or baked or air fried!), all tossed in an easy 4-ingredient homemade dressing. This simple salad is ready in just 25 minutes = perfect for a quick lunch or dinner.
Why You’ll Love Grilled Shrimp Salad
- It’s quick and easy. This grilled shrimp salad is ready in just 25 minutes. Salads are so easy to throw together, and when you top it with a clean protein like shrimp, they make for a simple, filling meal in no time.
- Shrimp is a delicious, healthy protein. Seafood is a great part of a healthy diet, and shrimp offers tons of amazing things for your body—like protein, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants!
- You’ll feel good after eating it. Food that tastes good is great—but food that tastes good and makes you feel good is even better. With all these nutrients, this grilled shrimp salad will give you energy without weighing you down. It’s the perfect light lunch meal to keep you going all day.
Ingredients and Substitutions
To make this delicious grilled shrimp salad, you will need the following ingredients (full quantities in recipe card below):
- large white shrimp - Use large white shrimp or even jumbo shrimp. To peel and devein the shrimp, use scissors to cut through the shell along the back of the prawns, and remove the shells and tails. Rinse to remove the veins and pat dry with paper towel.
- olive oil
- garlic
- lemon juice - you can substitute with lime for extra tang.
- shrimp seasoning - Italian seasoning (or substitute with double the amount of fresh herbs such as fresh oregano and thyme), paprika, salt, and pepper.
- mixed greens - you can also substitute with arugula, romaine lettuce, or any other salad greens.
- avocado
- red bell pepper - feel free to substitute with any color bell pepper.
- red onion
- dressing - olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and ground black pepper. You can substitute the dressing for Greek salad dressing, Italian dressing, or balsamic vinaigrette.
One of my favorite things about this salad is that is is completely versatile. You can add in any vegetables that you have on hand. Try adding in tomatoes, cucumbers, or grilled corn.
How to Make the Best Grilled Shrimp Salad
- Marinate the shrimp. In a large mixing bowl, combine shrimp with oil, garlic, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, paprika, salt, and pepper. Toss to evenly coat. Set aside for 15-20 minutes to marinate. You can also marinate the shrimp with seasoning in a sealable Ziploc bag.
- Grill the shrimp. Thread the marinated shrimp onto bamboo skewers, adding 4-5 shrimp to each. Lightly brush oil over the grill pan. Preheat the grill over medium high heat for 3 minutes until the oil starts sizzling and shimmering. Place the skewers evenly apart on the grill pan and grill for 3-4 minutes on each side or until the shrimp turn orange and completely opaque.
- You can also bake shrimp or air fry the shrimp at 375F for 12-15 minutes.
- Assemble salad. In a large mixing bowl or serving bowl, combine the salad ingredients including mixed greens, avocado, bell pepper, and red onion. Unthread the grilled shrimp and add on top of the salad.
- Add dressing. In a small mixing bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Pour dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Tips for cooking shrimp: Be careful not to overcook your shrimp. Shrimp is cooked once you can’t see through it anymore. Once the tails start to turn inwards, it’s done. Extra-curly tails are a sign your shrimp is overcooking! Well-done shrimp are tougher and rubberier than their perfectly cooked counterparts.
- How to store: This salad includes fresh shrimp and avocado, so it’s best eaten fresh. However, it will last in the fridge for 2-3 days. If preparing a complete salad for the next day, make sure your shrimp is cool before introducing it to the greens. Hot shrimp can wither your salad.
- How to eat leftovers: For this grilled shrimp salad, I recommend eating the leftover shrimp cold over your salad, instead of reheating it.
More Salad Recipes
- Chicken Garden Salad with Ranch Dressing
- Peach Arugula Salad
- Tomato and Mozzarella Caprese Salad
- Greek Chicken Salad
- Asian Chopped Salad
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
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Recipe
Grilled Shrimp Salad
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Grilled shrimp salad is a quick and easy, healthy summer meal that is loaded with fresh, flavorful ingredients, all tossed in an easy homemade dressing.
Ingredients
For the shrimp:
- 1 lb. large white shrimp (about 20 pieces), peeled, deveined, and tails removed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the salad:
- 6 cups mixed greens
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
Make the Shrimp:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine shrimp with oil, garlic, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, paprika, salt, and pepper. Toss to evenly coat. Set aside for 15-20 minutes to marinate. You can also marinate the shrimp with seasoning in a sealable Ziploc bag.
- Thread the marinated shrimp onto bamboo skewers, adding 4-5 shrimp to each.
- Lightly brush oil over the grill pan. Preheat the grill over medium high heat for 3 minutes until the oil starts sizzling and shimmering. Place the skewers evenly apart on the grill pan and grill for 3-4 minutes on each side or until the shrimp turn orange and completely opaque. (You can also bake shrimp or air fry the shrimp at 375F for 12-15 minutes).
Assemble the Salad:
- In a large mixing bowl or serving bowl, combine the salad ingredients including mixed greens, avocado, bell pepper, and red onion. Unthread the grilled shrimp and add on top of the salad.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. You could also just use Greek salad dressing, Italian dressing, or balsamic vinaigrette.
- Pour dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
Notes
Tips for cooking shrimp: Be careful not to overcook your shrimp. Shrimp is cooked once you can’t see through it anymore. Once the tails start to turn inwards, it’s done. Extra-curly tails are a sign your shrimp is overcooking! Well-done shrimp are tougher and rubberier than their perfectly cooked counterparts.
How to store: This salad includes fresh shrimp and avocado, so it’s best eaten fresh. However, it will last in the fridge for 2-3 days. If preparing a complete salad for the next day, make sure your shrimp is cool before introducing it to the greens. Hot shrimp can wither your salad.
How to eat leftovers: For this grilled shrimp salad, I recommend eating the leftover shrimp cold over your salad, instead of reheating it.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
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