Grilled Shrimp Guacamole Salad
Our lovely Lisa is on a well deserved holiday (crossing our fingers that none of her kids come down with chicken pox this year!). So, we’re bringing back an oldie but goodie from her. It’s a perfect salad for a hot summer night! – C.M
I was just about to write something about the hot and lovely weather, when the sky went black as the clouds rolled in. Sorry about that. In the hope that the sun might appear again (doubtful as we’re having a long weekend for the Queen’s Jubilee and as history proves, we’re due for torrential downpours), here’s a very sunshiny recipe for a grilled shrimp salad.
I hate using the word “deconstructed” because it makes me sound like a food snob, but this is a… um… taken apart version of guacamole, born out of laziness. I love guacamole and shrimp, but couldn’t be bothered to whip up some guacamole. Come to think of it, I don’t know why I thought it would take any extra effort. Somehow chopping and throwing in a bowl seemed less cumbersome than chopping and mashing up in a bowl.
I also love this salad with grilled squid, which is not only tasty, but quite a lot cheaper. Halve the squid and cut a crosshatch pattern on it with a sharp knife before grilling, and cook over very high heat for not more than a minute on each side. Overcooked squid is rubbery squid, which is why most people don’t like it. Scallops and salmon are other good alternatives.
Ingredients
- Serves 2
- for the salad:
- 200g raw shrimp
- Olive oil
- Salad leaves
- 1 avocado, diced
- Handful of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- cilantro, chopped to garnish
- for the dressing:
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ clove garlic, crushed
- 1 jalapeno pepper, diced (optional, if you like a bit of heat)
- Salt and pepper
Method
Toss the shrimp in a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper.
Either put the shrimp on skewers and place on a hot barbecue grill, or put a cast iron griddle on the barbecue and cook the shrimp in the hot pan. For both methods, cook the shrimp for only a minute or so on each side – just until the shrimp is pink. Set aside while you make the salad.
Artfully arrange the salad leaves, avocado, and tomatoes on a plate, or chuck it all together in a bowl – it’ll taste the same either way, really.
Whisk the dressing ingredients together and season to taste. Drizzle dressing over salad and put shrimp on top. Garnish with the fresh coriander.
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We're Ceri and Laura, a couple of magazine-editors-turned-food-bloggers. Also, we're mothers obsessed with delicious, healthy, family food. We're constantly thinking of ways to make your time (and our own!) in the kitchen easier and more productive, but still nostalgic for the days when dinner was cereal eaten over the kitchen sink.
4 Comments
Phillipa Loewen
June 01, 14:43looks yummish…..
Ann Marie Kirkpatrick
June 06, 15:46My daughter recommended your site, it looks really interesting and a lot of fun.
Dennis Blair
August 13, 07:23Oh magnificent! I was going through the recipe wanted to ask if I could use some other oil instead of olive oil.
Lisa Durbin
August 17, 15:06Hi Dennis! Sure, you can use a lot of different oils – whatever you’d normally use for a salad dressing, really. It’s quite a light salad, so I’d go with a lighter tasting oil.