So freshhhh. I’ve got avocados all up in my salad, but wait a second I got other things too. There’s these sweet garlic lemon butter shrimp, tons of juicy mandarin slices and the most fantastic orange scented miso dressing. And I’ve got Antoni (from the Queer Eye) to thank for this citrus fruit and avocado salad pairing. Okay, but seriously! Have you seen Queer Eye? That has got to be the best reality show I’ve seen in a long time. But really, I sort of don’t do reality shows, so it’s the only reality show I’ve seen in a long time. I had the episode one from season one on one night right before bed (horrible, I know) and I caught my husband standing at the sink (you can see our t.v. from the bathroom) brushing his teeth for at least 20 minutes because he couldn’t look away. From then on, I wouldn’t watch it without him because the man was hooked. It’s shocking that my husband is addicted to this show too. He never watches reality T.V. And I know we’re not the only ones obsessed with it, right? Are you binging on season 2 yet? What is even gonna happen when I run out of these episodes. Is this what people do in their thirties? Spend weeknights watching people learn how to dress, cook, and healthier lives? Is it weird that I’m sorta okay with that?
Okay now about this salad. My avocado shrimp salad starts like most salads. Choose your greens – be it grilled romaine, crispy baby spinach or spicy arugula. Then comes the toppings. Though you can certainly add cucumbers or even tomatoes to this salad, I decided to keep the toppings pretty simple with just mandarin orange slices, chunks of avocado, chopped red onions, a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, sliced almonds, and garlic lemon butter shrimp. We’ll drizzle the salad with our simple orange miso dressing, and there you go! A summer lunch or dinner in a flash. It’s also a big plus that you can meal prep this avocado shrimp for lunch during the week and enjoy a crisp and refreshing desk lunch that tastes better than what you can grab from the salad bar. Speaking of shrimp, would you take a look at these jumbo beauties? I’ve got to say, living in Texas certainly has its perks when it comes to fresh, wild-caught seafood from the gulf. My favorite grocery store was running a special on them, and I thought, huh, how about a mandarin and avocado shrimp salad we can all enjoy for spring and summer? In Jonathan’s words: YAAAS GIRL; work it.
Question for you: have you made my 15-minute garlic shrimp lemon butter sauce before? If you’ve got some on hand, they’ll be perfect to use for our avocado shrimp salad. If not, I’m sharing my simplified version today. It takes even less than 15 minutes to make them now and other than a little parsley, there isn’t much chopping involved. You’ll toss the shrimp with salt, pepper, garlic powder and red pepper flakes and then toss it into a hot skillet with a little olive oil. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a hint of lemon zest and a tablespoon of cold butter and chopped parsley leave these sauteed shrimp with the best lemon butter coating. Also a major plus for us weight watchers, we’re using less butter than my original recipe.
And how about that citrus miso dressing? It’s an Asian inspired dressing with flavors like ginger, rice vinegar, orange zest, honey, a scoop of white miso paste and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil. The dressing couldn’t be more simple to make! We’ll combine all the ingredients I just mentioned in a food processor or blender with about a quarter cup of olive oil. The amount of honey you use it your call. My sweet spot was around three tablespoons because I love what it does to the avocados with that sweetness. Orange miso dressing is light and refreshing, and it tastes good on just about everything! I heart love the combination of buttery avocados with the citrus miso dressing and the peppery arugula. It’s honestly the most harmonious bite my mouth has ever experienced.
Top your salad with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds and crushed peanuts or sliced almonds. I assure you, you won’t be sorry. When you go to make your first bite, make sure it’s extra perfect by getting a little bit of everything on your fork. Let your mouth experience the magic of avocado shrimp salad tossed in orange miso dressing. Trust me; you ain’t never had anything like dis’ before.
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