In this vibrant Blackened Shrimp Salad, shrimp are seasoned with a flavorful blend of spices and quickly cooked under the broiler. They're nestled on a bed of fresh greens with tangy pickled onions, creamy avocado slices, juicy orange segments, and crumbled feta cheese, then finished with a refreshing lime and ginger vinaigrette.
I often forget how satisfying a salad can be as a meal. That is, until I'm cutting greens from the garden by the bowl full and looking for any opportunity to enjoy them.
🥗 Why you'll want to make this salad
- You want a light and refreshing, yet completely satisfying meal.
- The cooking time is less than 10 minutes.
- It's easy. Much of the recipe is simply whisking ingredients and prepping items for the salad.
For more salad ideas, check out my recipes for Sweet Potato and Beet Salad, Arugula and Spinach Salad with Chicken, Kale Salad with Lentils, and Bok Choy with Tofu Salad.
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🦐 Ingredients
Here's everything you need to make this blackened shrimp salad.
This may seem like a long list of ingredients, but that doesn't mean there's a lot of work to this recipe. Several ingredients are simply whisked together to make a dressing, while others are combined in a bowl to make the spice mix. Considering this is a salad, you can leave out ingredients as you see fit.
Key Ingredients
- Shrimp - Any size shrimp will work in this recipe. Just remove the peels and, if desired, devein them before cooking. Leaving the tails on will allow for a more attractive presentation, though it will create a bit of work when you go to eat your salad. Either fresh or frozen and defrosted shrimp will work fine.
- Salad greens - Use your favorite greens. I've made this with spinach, arugula, and lettuce, and they are all great.
- Black beans - A can of black beans adds more protein and substance to the salad.
- Oranges - I like to use Mandarin oranges for the small segments, though clementines and tangerines would also work well.
- Avocado - Adds a creamy component to the salad.
- Pickled red onion - Adds mild tanginess
- Feta cheese - What's a salad without a bit of cheese? Feta is a nice crumbly cheese with a mild taste that pairs well with the other ingredients. (I forgot to include it in my ingredient photo, sorry!)
- Cilantro - Cilantro adds another fresh layer to the salad, though you can skip it if you're the type that finds it tastes like soap.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
🐔 Substitutions & Variations
- Try other proteins, such as cubed chicken or tofu, which would both be good substitutes for the shrimp. Adjust the cooking time as necessary.
- Add some crunch with toasted pepitas or sunflower seeds. I only left them off because I knew the ingredient list was already long. Fresh corn sliced off the cob would also be nice.
- Make it spicier by increasing the cayenne pepper or adding a little sriracha to the dressing.
- Customize the heck out of it because it's just a salad. Don't like black beans? Fine. Leave them off, or try chickpeas. You can't be bothered to pickle some onions? Skip them. Have another cheese you want to use instead of feta? Great. Go for it. Too often, people see an ingredient they don't like in a recipe, and decide they won't bother making it when it's so easy to swap it or leave something out.
🔪 Instructions
Here are the steps to make this blackened shrimp salad.
- Step 1: Spread the shrimp on a baking sheet lined with a rack. Remove the peels if you haven't already. (Tails can be left on if desired.) Pat the shrimp with paper towels to dry it, then brush one side of the shrimp with olive oil.
- Step 2: Combine the spices and ½ teaspoon of salt in a bowl. Sprinkle half of this over the shrimp. Place the baking sheet under the broiler and cook for about 5 minutes. Flip the shrimp, brush with another tablespoon of oil and the remaining spices, then return to the broiler for another 3-4 minutes until lightly blackened.
- Step 3: Peel and separate the oranges into segments.
- Step 4: Whisk the lime juice, vinegar, ginger, mustard, and honey in a small bowl.
- Step 5: Slowly stream in the olive oil as you whisk to combine.
- Step 6: Assemble the salad to your liking with the shrimp, oranges, onions, black beans, cilantro, feta, and dressing.
🌠 Top Tip
Broiling is a quick cooking method that uses high heat. That means food can easily burn if you're not paying attention, so don't wander far from your oven as the shrimp cooks. Keep in mind that broilers all cook a little differently, so please use the cook times as a suggestion. If your shrimp look like they're burning, certainly remove them from the broiler sooner.
🔥Equipment
Broiler - This is how we're cooking and blackening the shrimp. Broiling is a cooking method where high heat cooks food from above. Think of it like reverse grilling. Most ovens have a broiler setting, and all you need to do is move your oven rack to the top of the oven so that your food is in close proximity to the heat.
If you don't have a broiler, you can still get high heat and light charring on your shrimp using either a grill, a pan on top of your stove set over high heat, or turning your oven up to 500 degrees F and placing your baking sheet pan on the top most rack.
🥡 Storage
To store or prep this salad in advance, place the ingredients in individual airtight containers in the fridge for 3-4 days. I don't recommend assembling the salad more than a few hours in advance, and of course, you should wait to dress it until you're ready to serve.
🙋🏽 FAQ
Blackened shrimp are seasoned with a spice mix and cooked with high heat to achieve a darkened crust on the exterior. You can flavor and cook shrimp to blacken them in many ways, and it's a popular method in Creole and Cajun cooking.
When cooked, shrimp turn opaque and curl into a loose "c" shape. They should also feel firm to the touch. When in doubt, cut one open to check. You can also use a thermometer to take the temperature of a couple of shrimp, which should be 145 degrees F.
You can thaw frozen shrimp by putting them in a colander and running cool water over them until defrosted.
🍹 Pairing
Here are a few drinks you could serve with this blackened shrimp salad:
📖 Recipe
Blackened Shrimp Salad
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
In this vibrant Blackened Shrimp Salad, shrimp are seasoned with a flavorful blend of spices and quickly cooked to perfection under the broiler. They're nestled on a bed of fresh greens with tangy pickled onions, creamy avocado slices, juicy orange segments, and crumbled feta cheese, then finished with a refreshing lime and ginger vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- ⅛ - ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne
- 3 small oranges, such as Mandarins
- 2 ripe avocado, sliced
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 16 ounces lettuce mix
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup pickled red onions (see note)
- 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Prep the oven and shrimp. Set an oven rack to the second highest position from the top of the oven or your broiler. Preheat the broiler to high. Place the shrimp on a rack set inside a baking sheet. Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil into a small bowl to brush the shrimp. Use about half to coat the top of the shrimp.
- Make the spice mixture. Mix the salt, cinnamon, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne in a small bowl. Adjust the amount of cayenne based on how much heat you prefer. Sprinkle half of the mixture over the shrimp.
- Cook the shrimp. Place the baking sheet of shrimp on the rack in the oven and broil for 5-6 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and move the oven rack up to the highest setting. Flip the shrimp over to the other side, brush with the remaining olive oil, and sprinkle with the remaining spice mixture. Place the tray back under the broiler for about 3 minutes or until the shrimp are fully cooked and lightly charred. Remove from the oven when done.
- Prep the other salad ingredients. Peel the oranges, separate the segments, and set them aside. Cut the avocados, remove the pits, and slice them into pieces. Make the dressing by whisking the vinegar, lime juice, honey, mustard, and ginger. Then slowly stream in the oil as you whisk to combine.
- Make your salads. To assemble the salads, place the greens on plates and top them evenly with the shrimp, oranges, avocado, cilantro, black beans, pickled onions, and feta cheese. Spoon over the dressing and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Notes
I try to keep quick pickled red onions on hand in the fridge at all times. They're delicious and great for tacos, salads, sandwiches, and more. They make everything better, take just 5 minutes to prep and stay good for weeks in the fridge. Here's a good recipe on how to prep them.
Don't stray far from the oven as the shrimp are broiling, as they can quickly burn if left for too long. This is especially important because broilers can all cook a bit differently, so use the cooking time as a suggestion.
This is a salad, so you should feel free to add or leave out ingredients to your liking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Salads
- Method: Broiling
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