Shrimp Mango Avocado Salad

This Grilled Shrimp Mango and Avocado Salad is absolutely delightful- it's flavorful, crunchy, spicy, and so refreshing. Plus there's very little cooking involved, perfect for spring and summer meals. You can make the shrimp on an outdoor barbecue or use an indoor stove top griddle. Then just assemble all the fresh ingredients and enjoy! Serve with a bowl of farro, quinoa, rice or other grain for an extra filling meal. So easy.

This recipe is so refreshing, making it especially perfect for summertime, when the days are hot and long. Fresh summer mangoes and avocados pair so well with the spicy grilled shrimp. Cucumbers and peanuts add the perfect crunch. And cilantro lime dressing brings the whole salad together.

This Shrimp Avocado Mango Salad was inspired by my love for large-format-serve-yourself meals. One big plate of food in the center of a table, surrounded by friends and family reaching to take a little more shrimp or another piece of juicy mango... exactly how I picture the perfect summer evening.

The concept and overall recipe is similar to another one of my recipes, Spicy Shrimp Lettuce Wraps. And it pairs well with a simple side of rice, quinoa, or farro.

How to Make It

As I mentioned before, the process of making this Grilled Shrimp Salad with Mango and Avocado is really simple. Just grill the shrimp, make the dressing, and assemble everything onto a platter.

Grilled Shrimp Salad Ingredients

The recipe calls for a little more than just shrimp avocado and mango, but you probably already have a lot of the ingredients on hand. All ingredients are listed below. See recipe card for quantities.

For the Salad

• Avocados
• Mangoes
• Cucumbers
• Peanuts (roasted and salted)

For the Dressing

• Fresh cilantro
• Lime
• Agave
• Ginger (optional, but delicious)

For the Shrimp

• 1 pound of raw shrimp (Peeled and deveined. I prefer tail-on)
• Paprika
• Cayenne
• Chili Powder
• Oregano
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions

• Step 1: Season and sear the shrimp

• Step 2: Make the Cilantro lime dressing by combining cilantro, lime, ginger, agave, olive oil, and salt.

• Step 3: Plate the shrimp on a platter along with sliced mangoes, avocados, and cucumbers. Top with diced peanut, cilantro lime dressing, and extra lime wedges.

Hint: Let the grill or grill pan get nice and hot before grilling the shrimp so they char nicely. Shrimp will take about 3 minutes on each side on a griddle, but only 1-2 minutes on each side on a barbecue. This is because barbecues surround the shrimp with heat, cooking them through more quickly.

How to grill shrimp

Grilling shrimp is so easy. Whether you're using an outdoor barbecue or indoor stovetop griddle, start by getting it hot and then lightly greasing the surface. Then sear shrimp for just a couple minutes on each tine, just until they turn opaque all the way through.

How long does it take to grill shrimp?

Depending on how hot your surface is, the shrimp can take anywhere from 1-4 minutes on each side. I suggest using high heat so the shrimp develops nice grill marks.

A barbecue cooks shrimp faster, especially if covered. So you may only cook the shrimp for 2 minutes total on a barbecue, whereas you may cook it for 6 minutes total on a stovetop griddle.

Substitutions

There are a few ways to make this Shrimp Mango and Avocado Salad more suitable for certain dietary needs.

• Seafood allergy - If you cannot eat shrimp, use chicken instead. Use the same seasoning, grill the chicken until fully cooked through, and slice it before plating it.
• Peanut allergy - use a different crunchy nut, such as macadamia or hazelnuts, or opt for sunflower or pumpkin seeds to replace nuts altogether.

Variations on this Mango Avocado Shrimp Salad

Some other ways I like to make this recipe.

• Extra Spicy - add a teaspoon of sriracha or your other favorite hot sauce to the dressing.
• A different seafood - these fresh summer ingredients would be excellent with any fish such as salmon, scallops, cod, and even
• Make it a taco - serve the salad alonsgide flour tortillas to turn this grilled shrimp salad into the an awesome shrimp taco.

Equipment Needed

There's only one primary piece of equipment you'll need to make this Shrimp Avocado Mango Salad- a barbecue OR a stovetop griddle. I use Lodge's Stovetop Griddle, which has a low profile so it stores easily, and is really inexpensive. It works great, just like all of Lodge's cast iron products.

Storing leftover Shrimp Avocado Mango salad

Store leftovers in a container, and top with an extra squeeze of lime juice. The lime juice will help keep the sliced mango and avocado from oxidizing/ turning brown. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Making the Grilled Shrimp Salad ahead of time

You can make this recipe up to a couple hours before you want to serve it. Plate the mango, avocado, and cucumbers and top with a big squeeze of lime juice. cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Then add the cooked, now room-temp shrimp to the platter and top with diced peanuts and the cilantro lime dressing.

Recipe

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