Boy, this week has been a hot one! You know, every year I forgot how terribly hot it can get in Houston during the summertime. I mean, I’ve lived in Houston most of my life now, yet with the ultra pleasant weather between November and April, one honestly doesn’t want to remember how brutal Texas summers can be. So in times like this, I want something refreshing to eat and that’s what this Mexican Shrimp Salad is! The shrimp are tender and sautéed in a bit of butter, seasonings, and have a little kick of heat. The rest of the meal is bright and refreshing. Buttery avocados, ripe tomatoes, herby cilantro, and a hint of red onions round off this one of a kind summer salad. To tell you the truth, the dressing kind of makes this taste a little like guacamole and the sweet heat of the shrimp just balances out these flavors and they work together perfectly! One other thing that makes this salad a weekly affair for us: the fact that it doesn’t take much time to prepare. And speaking of time, we’ve got some big changes happening around here, so there is a lot going on (will explain more soon,) so time is the most precious commodity at the moment. I mean, if I can spare 20 minutes to prepare a well balanced dinner, I consider the entire day a win.
I have a very important question to ask you. Have you tried my shrimp cocktail stuffed avocados? Well, this Mexican shrimp salad is a spin-off of that. It’s a little different as we’re actually cooking the shrimp in seasonings, whereas my stuffed avocados have more of a ceviche vibe (not actually raw shrimp though, because that freaks me out.) Shrimp dinners, in general, are some of my favorite to make! Avocado shrimp salad with citrus miso dressing is another family favorite. And if you’re into garlic and shrimp, then the Hawaiian shrimp scampi is a MUST. Like, you haven’t even lived until you’ve had Hawaiian-style shrimp scampi. No joke.
What do you need to make the sauteed shrimp for Mexican shrimp salad?
shrimp butter lemon zest seasonings (garlic powder, sugar, red pepper flakes) hot sauce (such as Mexican hot sauce, sriracha, etc.)
What other ingredients go in the salad portion of Mexican shrimp salad?
avocados tomatoes minced onions finely chopped cilantro lemon juice olive oil seasonings ( cumin + cayenne + salt + pepper) minced jalapeno
Why do you call for mincing certain ingredients for this Mexican shrimp salad?
Here’s the thing. What makes this Mexican shrimp avocado salad so delicious is the technique. You’ll notice that we’re mincing the onions, jalapenos, and chopping the cilantro extra fine. When you do this, the little bits of spicy jalapeno with the robust red onion and herby cilantro latch on to avocados, tomatoes, and shrimp, giving this salad that perfect blend of flavor in every bite! It would be very different if you were to leave the onions and jalapenos in larger pieces as you would get much large hits of onion and jalapeno. Trust me, mincing them makes a huge difference!
How to make the sauteed shrimp for Mexican shrimp salad:
I’m worried my shrimp salad is going to be too spicy, how can I make it milder?
You can make my Mexican shrimp salad a little milder by:
Omitting the red pepper flakes in the shrimp portion of the recipe You can use a Louisiana style hot sauce instead of the Mexican style I suggest as it is a little milder. Sriracha will certainly make this spicier, so if that’s what you use, I suggest cutting back to about 1 -2 teaspoons instead of the full tablespoon. Use less of the minced jalapeño in the salad or leave it out completely Use less of the cayenne pepper or just omit it from the recipe
Have you got 15 minutes? Mexican Shrimp salad for dinner this week? It’s so happening.
Be sure to chop the red onions, jalapenos, and the cilantro finely! That’s what makes this salad! The little bits of spicy jalapeno with the robust red onion stuck on the avocados and shrimp give this salad that perfect flavor! It’ll be very different if you were to leave the onions and jalapenos in larger pieces!
