Zesty Shrimp Salad with Avocado and Mango

This zesty shrimp salad with avocado and mango is crazy addicting and delicious and SO easy to make for an appetizer or simple meal to enjoy throughout the week. Jalapeño gives this salad a zesty flavor while juice from mango and lime coat everything, making this one flavor bomb of a dish.

this recipe

This shrimp salad with avocado and mango is what I like to call sunny backyard snacking food because that is exactly what it's designed for! Imagine full sun, next to a big bowl of a chilled, refreshing, and flavorful shrimp salad and a big bag of tortilla chips for scooping. Maybe someone poured you a refreshing watermelon lime agua fresca or beverage of choice, and you just have all you need in that moment.

A little sweetness from mango, buttery richness from avocado, and some punchy zest from lime, jalapeño, and onion. Shrimp adds protein so this can easily be a filling appetizer or a meal served with tortilla chips, tostadas, or on a bed of crispy fresh romaine. I mean, why not make it a whole afternoon of snacking with this 20-minute healthy street corn and loaded guacamole? Let's make this dream a reality and make some shrimp salad!

Ingredients

Okay, so first things first, let's talk about all the ingredients you'll need to make this salad. You will need:

• Large shrimp - One pound, peeled and deveined. I've been buying the frozen Private Selection wild-caught Argentinian shrimp from Pick 'n Save, and I love it! If you buy frozen, simply thaw it out in the fridge overnight to sauté it for this shrimp, mango, and avocado salad.
• Avocado - I highly recommend chilling your avocado for at least an hour beforehand. The first time I made this salad, I made the mistake of using a room temperature avocado that was on the riper side -- not overripe, but still a little past that firm, peak ripeness. Using a chilled avocado makes it sturdier when combined with the other salad ingredients, so it stays in cubes and doesn't turn to mush. Success Tip: Your avocado is ripe when the fruit has a slight give when you apply pressure with your thumb. I don't recommend using very ripe avocados for this recipe -- best to save those for guac!
• Mango - You can tell a mango is ripe similarly to how you can tell an avocado is ripe. Apply pressure to the outside of the fruit, and if there is a slight give, it's ripe! With mangos, they will also smell fragrant - yum!
• Red onion - A little red onion packs a flavor punch in most salads - love it!
• Fresh jalapeño - I am officially obsessed with jalapeño. It really freshens up the flavor of a dish and of course, adds some spice. You can omit the jalapeño to make this salad kid-friendly.
• Cilantro - Where there are limes and jalapeños, there must be cilantro nearby 😉
• Lime - We'll be using both juice and zest of limes. Citrus zest is one of my favorite ways to add flavor to any dish or dessert!

Instructions

Step 1: Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Swirl the oil in the pan to coat, then add in shrimp in a single layer with a bit of space in between. Once the pan-facing side starts to look opaque (about 1-2 minutes), flip the shrimp to finish cooking. You'll know they're done when they look opaque on both sides and are curled up tighter. Immediately remove from heat to cool, and repeat for any remaining shrimp!

Step 2: Once the shrimp are cooked, cut them into thirds. Also dice your avocado, mango,

Step 3: Cut your mango and avocado into cubes, approximately the same size as the shrimp pieces or slightly smaller. Then dice your jalapeño and red onion into small pieces (remove jalapeño seeds to reduce spice), finely chop cilantro, and add in lime juice, zest, and salt. Transfer everything into the bowl of shrimp, and stir gently to combine.

Step 4: Cover and chill for about 30 minutes in the fridge to let all the flavors play together for a while. Then serve with your favorite tortilla chips or tostadas. Yum!

Success Tips

1. Storing: Store this salad in an airtight, preferably glass container in the fridge for up to a week.
2. Freezing: I do not recommend freezing this salad.
3. Serving Ideas: As I mentioned, tortilla chips are such an incredible vehicle for this shrimp salad, especially lime-flavored ones! (Seriously they just elevate the salad. Figuratively and literally. Like, to your mouth). Otherwise, just dig right in with a spoon or fork, and you will be one happy lunch camper.
4. Avocado: As I mentioned, I highly recommend chilling the avocado before cubing it and adding it to the salad, because it is much less likely to get squished and turn into guacamole. No one around here has ever said no to inadvertent guacamole, but we really are going fo cubes this time.

Okay, friends, it's time for you to go because you need to make this zesty shrimp salad! Oh, and if you like this recipe, you will also probably like crazy good smashed guacamole and/or this strawberry basil avocado salsa.

Did you make this shrimp avocado and mango salad? Don't forget to leave a star rating 🌟 and comment below, and tag me on Instagram and Pinterest so I can see what you made!