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I love salads in the summer, and this grilled shrimp salad is such a good one. It’s fresh, colorful, and filling without feeling heavy. And the dressing? Oh my gosh. The chipotle-lime flavor is so good, you’ll want to pour it on everything.
Why This Salad is ‘Shrimply’ the Best
- Big grilled flavor: The shrimp cook quickly on the grill, giving them that smoky, charred flavor while keeping them juicy and tender.
- That Dressing! The chipotle-lime dressing works as both the shrimp marinade and the salad dressing, so every bite has bold, fresh flavor.
- It’s hearty enough for dinner: With shrimp, black beans, avocado, grilled corn, and crisp romaine, this salad is light and fresh but still filling.
A Reader’s Review
The dressing is awesome and can be used on many other dishes! Great flavor and made for a very satisfy dinner!!
Jeff
Ingredients For Grilled Shrimp Salad
- Corn Tip: Use canned corn to make this salad faster and easier.
- Shrimp Size: Any size shrimp works. Smaller shrimp cook faster, and larger shrimp may need 1–2 extra minutes.
- Don’t Overcook: Shrimp is done when it turns opaque and feels firm with a little spring.
- Frozen Shrimp: Thaw frozen shrimp before cooking. Let it sit overnight in the fridge or run the sealed bag under cold water.
How to Make Grilled Shrimp Salad
Eating salad in the summer is my go-to, and this grilled shrimp salad is always on repeat! It has so much flavor, and I just love shrimp. Make it on its own for lunch, or add garlic bread, watermelon salad, and Brazilian lemonade for a complete dinner.
Dressing
- Chipotle Lime Dressing: Add olive oil, cilantro, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, honey, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and salt to a blender and blend until smooth and combined. Taste and adjust the salt as needed.
- Marinate: Add ¼ cup of the dressing to a bowl with the peeled shrimp to marinate for 15 minutes. Set the remaining dressing aside.
Grilled Shrimp Salad
- Cook Corn: Heat the outdoor grill to medium heat. While the shrimp marinates, place the corn onto the grill and cook for 10-12 minutes, rotating a few times.
- Cook Shrimp: Thread the marinated shrimp onto metal skewers, then grill for 2 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp skewers and corn from the grill.
- Cut Corn: Carefully cut the kernels off the cob.
- Assemble Salad: Toss romaine lettuce hearts, black beans, avocado, red onion, cherry tomatoes, and corn kernels. Then drizzle it with the dressing. Top with the shrimp and serve immediately.
Must Have Tools For This Recipe
- Blender or Immersion Blender: Blends the dressing until smooth and creamy.
- Stainless Steel Skewers: Hold the shrimp together so they’re easy to grill and flip. Note: If you use wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20 min prior to cooking.
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Grilled Shrimp Salad
This easy Grilled Shrimp Salad recipe is the perfect solution to your summer dinner needs! It’s healthy, quick and full of grilled chipotle flavor.
Equipment
- Grill gas or charcoal
- Blender or immersion blender
Ingredients
Dressing
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 1 cup fresh cilantro packed
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice about 2 small limes
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt more or less to taste
Salad
- 1 – 1 ½ pounds large deveined and peeled shrimp you may leave the tails on for presentation if desired
- 2 roughly chopped romaine lettuce hearts about 7-8 cups
- 1 (14-ounce) can drained and rinsed black beans
- 1 cup diced avocado 1 large avocado
- 2 medium ears of sweet corn shucked, or 1 (14-ounce) can drained and rinsed sweet corn
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion half a medium onion
- 1 pint halved cherry tomatoes
Instructions
Dressing
- Add ¾ cup olive oil, 1 cup fresh cilantro, ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar, 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 3 tablespoons honey, 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and ½ teaspoon salt to a blender and blend until smooth and combined. Taste and adjust the salt as needed.
- Add ¼ cup of the dressing to a bowl with 1 – 1 ½ pounds large deveined and peeled shrimp to marinate for 15 minutes. Set the remaining dressing aside.
Salad
- Heat the grill to medium heat.
- While the shrimp marinates, place 2 medium ears of sweet corn onto the grill and cook for 10-12 minutes, rotating a few times.
- After it is done marinating, thread the shrimp onto metal skewers and place them on the grill. Cook for 2 minutes, then flip the skewers and cook for 2 additional minutes. Remove the shrimp and the corn from the grill.
- Carefully cut the kernels off the cob.
- Assemble the salad by tossing 2 roughly chopped romaine lettuce hearts, 1 (14-ounce) can drained and rinsed black beans, 1 cup diced avocado, ½ cup thinly sliced red onion, 1 pint halved cherry tomatoes, and the corn kernels with the dressing.
- Top the salad with the shrimp and serve immediately.
Notes
Leftover, Make Ahead & Meal Prep Instructions
- In the Refrigerator: Once tossed with dressing, the salad is best eaten within 1 day. The shrimp can be stored separately in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Make Ahead: Keep the salad, shrimp, avocado, and dressing separate until serving. Wait to cut the avocado so it doesn’t brown.
- Meal Prep Tip: For longer storage, keep the dressing on the side. The salad and dressing can last up to 4 days when stored separately.
Nutrition
Calories: 542kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 24gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 143mgSodium: 858mgPotassium: 829mgFiber: 10gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 1691IUVitamin C: 27mgCalcium: 102mgIron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!
I’m making this salad, with cold cooked large shrimp. I marinate them overnight in oil, chopped cilantro, garlic, or garlic powder and a titch of cayenne pepper. Not much oil is needed and the juice of a partial lemon or lime juice adds to the flavor. I marinate over night and simply add to salad when I’m ready to serve.
Made this tonight and grilled the shrimp on my new scan pan grill pan. The dressing/marinade was so delicious! The chipotle flavor was perfect in this salad. It was so easy to make and all of the ingredients blended so perfectly together! Can’t wait to make it for a party!
Delicious salad, but what other type of lettuce would you recommend.? I feel like its so hard to kep romaine on my fork! LOL!
I made this for a spring dinner last night, using my indoor Lodge cast iron grill for the shrimp & corn (frozen; couldn’t get good fresh). It was delicious, and quite successful with my somewhat picky husband and dieting friend. I agree, dressing recipe could be used in lots of ways. My only quibble: the picture shows olives, which are not in the recipe but I think would go well.
Oops, forgot to mention, we ate with tortilla chips on the side.
I am pretty sure those are the black beans in the picture, not olives.
The dressing is awesome and can be used on many other dishes! Great flavor and made for a very satisfy dinner!!
This recipe looks wonderful! But where are the reviews for it??