Crisp salad greens and grilled shrimp are the base for this grilled shrimp salad recipe with avocado. For more flavor and interest I added fresh raspberries and heart of palm. and it turned out to be the best shrimp salad recipe. You can grill the shrimp ahead, chill and use for lunch the next day, which is how this recipe came to be.
Grilled Shrimp Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
Recently I ended up with extra grilled shrimp. Not a bad thing to have extra of. When lunch rolled around the next day, I knew I needed to use the shrimp or they would go to waste.
Into a bowl of crisp arugula greens went the chilled shrimp, some fresh raspberries (because I am a raspberry fanatic), avocado, and some heart of palm. Basically what I had in the fridge to use up. To my delight, I discovered what has become one of our favorites entree salads. The colors and flavors all work together beautifully.
How to Buy and Clean Shrimp
For raw shrimp, I use the 16-20 size. That means you will get between 16-20 pieces per pound. Larger (U-15) or smaller (21-25) will work as well. If you buy them already peeled and deveined (cleaned) it will save a few minutes of prep time. Peeling and cleaning them yourself is easy and a little cheaper.
Peel off the shells and legs, then use a paring knife to slice a shallow slit in the curved side. The slit will expose any debris in the digestive tract that needs to be rinsed out with cold water. After rinsing, set the shrimp aside on paper towels to dry.
Marinate and Grill the Shrimp
Make the vinaigrette recipe and use half to marinate the shrimp and the other half to dress the salad. How to cook shrimp for the salad? They grill in just minutes and tell you when they are done because the turn pink. Use a hot grill, grill pan or even under the broiler if you don't have a grill.
What is Hearts of Palm?
Hearts of palm is a vegetable harvested from the inner core of the cabbage or huasai palm tree. The hearts are slender, ivory in color and delicious. Heart of palm is tender and tasty, especially in salads, tasting a little like artichokes. Find it in cans near artichoke hearts in your grocery store. It comes packaged in a liquid. Once opened, store any unused portion in an airtight container in its liquid for up to a week.
Raspberry Vinaigrette Marinade and Dressing
Double the vinaigrette to have enough for both marinating the shrimp and dressing the salad. I use raspberry vinegar and avocado oil, but you could use olive oil. If you've never used raspberry vinegar, treat yourself to a bottle and enjoy. It's one of the many flavored vinegar's that are a staple in my pantry. Find it in most grocery stores and online. If you can't get raspberry, look for Black Cherry Balsamic. or other fruit flavors.
Grilled Shrimp Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Raspberry Vinaigrette
- ½ cup avocado oil or olive oil
- â…“ cup raspberry vinegar see note below on vinegar
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
Grilled Shrimp Salad
- 1 pounds large wild shrimp
- 1 large ripe avocado
- 1 container fresh raspberries
- 1 can hearts of palm drained
- 6-8 ounces dark salad greens of choice
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro or parsley optional
Instructions
- If shrimp are not already cleaned, peel and devein them, rinse gently under cold water and set aside on paper towels to dry.
- Make the marinade. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil and vinegar. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour ½ a cup of the vinaigrette into a small bowl to use for dressing the salad.
- Add the cleaned shrimp to the rest of the marinade and toss to coat. Allow them to marinate at room temperature for about 30 minutes. While shrimp are marinating, prepare the grill, grill pan or broiler. Quarter the avocado, slice the hearts of palm crosswise. Place salad greens in four bowls.
- Cook the shrimp, turning once, just until they are pink, about 2 minutes per side. Add the shrimp to the salad bowl along with the berries, avocado quarter, and hearts of palm. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro or parsley if desired. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of vinaigrette per person and serve.
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