Fresh, easy and oh so healthy, this creamy shrimp and avocado salad is a keeper!
Low carb and totally keto friendly, it makes the perfect lunch or even light dinner, side dish or main course.
It’s got crunchy celery, snappy red onion and creamy avocado. And don’t forget all of that juicy shrimp! The creamy dressing is tangy, herby and super satisfying.
As the weather starts to warm up, a light, simple salad like this really hits the spot.
Ingredients
Here is what you’ll need to make this healthy salad:
- Cooked shrimp. Shrimp is high in protein, low in carbs and also low calorie, making it a great food for weight loss.
- Mayonnaise. Full fat, always. Low fat mayo does not taste the same.
- Greek yogurt. Now here is where you can go low fat, if you want to. I find low fat Greek yogurt to be very satisfying. If you’re following a keto diet, you’ll want to keep it full fat. You can also substitute sour cream for Greek yogurt, if desired.
- Celery. It adds great crunch and will take on whatever flavors it’s mixed with.
- Avocado. A great source of healthy fats! If the avocados are overripe (the way we like them to be for things like guacamole), they’ll be harder to dice. Look for avocados are just ripe.
- Red onion
- Fresh Tarragon
- Fresh Parsley
- Lemon Juice
- White Wine Vinegar
How to make this Shrimp Avocado Salad
Cook the Shrimp
If you purchased pre-cooked shrimp, skip this step.
If you have raw shrimp, start by deveining it and removing the shells. Then, drop the shrimp into a pot of boiling water for 2-3 minutes, until it turns pink and curls up.
Now, immediately plunge the shrimp into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
Chop the Shrimp and Vegetables
Depending on the size of the shrimp you’re starting with, you may cut each one into smaller pieces.
For smaller shrimp, cut them into 2 smaller pieces. For larger shrimp, you may want to cut them into 3 or 4 pieces.
Then, dice the celery, onions and avocados. Mince the herbs so that they are fine.
Make the Creamy Dressing
Make the shrimp salad dressing by whisking the mayo with the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, white wine vinegar and herbs.
All that’s left to do now is toss everything together!
What is the best kind of shrimp to use in this salad?
For this salad, you don’t need to break the bank to buy jumbo shrimp. We’re cutting them into bite-size pieces anyway.
So, save a few bucks on buying jumbo or large shrimp. As long as it equals 4 pounds, it really doesn’t matter what size shrimp you’re using.
Can you use frozen shrimp?
Yes! Using frozen shrimp is more cost effective than buying fresh shrimp. Frozen shrimp comes in a few different ways:
1. Frozen and raw: Cook frozen raw shrimp the same way you would cook fresh shrimp, in a pot of water. Instructions are in the recipe card below.
2. Frozen and pre-cooked: If you’re using pre-cooked shrimp, all you’ll need to do is defrost it. The best way to do this is in a large bowl of cold water.
Make your life easy and buy shrimp from the grocery store that has already been peeled and deveined whenever possible!
Serving Suggestions
- Serve over a simple bed of lettuce for the perfect summer salad. Romaine lettuce and spring mix are great options. Add extra veggies like cherry tomatoes or bell pepper strips for color.
- Make a shrimp salad lettuce wrap using soft butter lettuce.
- Serve this shrimp salad as a side dish for grilled steak for a twist on surf-n-turf.
- Make shrimp rolls by filling hot dog buns with shrimp salad and topping them with chopped green onion.
- Stir in a little Old Bay seasoning and a 1/2 cup of diced bell peppers for a Cajun twist.
Can you make this shrimp salad ahead of time?
You can absolutely make this easy shrimp salad ahead of time.
Seal the prepared salad in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to enjoy it.
Like any other mayonnaise-based salad, the flavors will develop as it sits. An hour or up to one day of chilling in the fridge will help the flavors really shine.
Storage Instructions
Store this salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Transfer it to a serving or salad bowl when you’re ready to enjoy.
When you make this shrimp avocado salad recipe, I’d love to hear about it. Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy!
For more keto-friendly, healthy recipes, try these:
- Healthy Mediterranean Shrimp Salad Recipe (Low Carb)
- Best Texas Style Chili Recipe (No Beans)
- Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps
For more shrimp recipes, try these:
Shrimp and Avocado Salad
Easy keto-friendly recipe with celery, red onion and a tangy dressing
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Ingredients
- 4 lbs. uncooked shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- 2 avocados peeled, pitted and diced
- 1/2 cup red onion diced
- 3 Tbsp. fresh tarragon chopped
- 3 Tbsp. fresh flat leaf parsley chopped
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. salt
Instructions
-
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Set up a medium bowl of ice water. Drop the shrimp into the boiling water and cook, 2-3 minutes, until shrimp turn pink and curl up.
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Remove shrimp and immediately plunge into the ice water. Allow them to cool. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and chop shrimp bite sized pieces. Set aside.
-
In a large mixing bowl, combine the dressing ingredients: Whisk the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, vinegar and salt together. Stir in the tarragon and parsley.
-
Fold the shrimp, chopped celery, diced onion and diced avocados into the mayonnaise mixture. Sprinkle with crushed black pepper, if desired. Serve chilled.
Keyword easy, gluten free, healthy, keto, low carb
