Grilled shrimp salad is fresh and hearty and full of spicy arugula, creamy avocado, thinly sliced fennel all dressed in a citrus vinaigrette.
Arugula Salad with Grilled Shrimp and Avocado
We love dinner salads in our house, but they have to be hearty and layered with flavors, textures and temperatures.
This grilled shrimp salad satisfies that craving. Spicy blackened shrimp are served over a cool and crunchy salad full of sweet citrus and creamy avocado. Thinly sliced fennel gives the salad texture and just a hint of licorice flavor that works so well with the citrus.
Layer your Salad
When I talk about layering salads, I think about all the senses that are being affected. Everything from smell and taste, to texture and temperature. From there, you can customize your salads as much as you want.
Texture: Add something crunchy such as toasted almonds as I did in this grilled shrimp salad.
Temperature: Keep your greens as cold as you can until just before serving. And on the contrast, add just grilled proteins, such as shrimp to the cool greens.
Flavors: Ingredients that you normally wouldn't think to add, such as citrus give a lovely sweetness to salads. And to enhance greens, you can also add aromatic flavors such as thinly sliced fennel or tender herbs.
Other Salad Additions and Substitutions
- Add grilled corn to the arugula and shrimp salad.
- This recipe calls for oranges, but grapefruit or blood orange wold work very well.
- Add grilled peaches for a sweet yet smoky layer of flavor.
- If you don't eat shrimp, grilled lemon yogurt chicken would be great on top of the salad.
Grilled Shrimp Salad with Citrus and Fennel
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Equipment
Ingredients
Citrus Vinaigrette
- 1 small shallot diced
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Black pepper
Blackened Shrimp
- 8 medium-large shrimp shelled and tail on
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon avocado oil
Salad
- 4 cups arugula
- 1 small fennel bulb thinly sliced
- 1 cara cara orange peel remove and cut into segments
- 1 avocado sliced thin
- ½ cup slivered and toasted almonds
Instructions
- Start by making the vinaigrette and adding the chopped shallots to a bowl or mason jar along with the rest of the vinaigrette ingredients. Whisk or shake very well until emulsified. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
- Season shrimp with spices and toss to coat. Heat a skillet over high heat and drizzle with avocado oil.
- Sear shrimp on first side until deep golden, about 2 minutes then turn over and cook for another 1-2 minutes until just cooked through and no longer pink. When done, set aside.
- Divide arugula between two large bowls along with the sliced fennel, orange segments, sliced avocado and toasted almonds.
- Top salad with grilled shrimp and drizzle with citrus vinaigrette.
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