Lime Cilantro Shrimp and Black Bean Salad

Lime Cilantro Shrimp and Black Bean Salad — Tender juicy shrimp, black beans, avocado, cilantro, and more coated in a lime sauce that’s a FIESTA in your mouth!! An EASY and HEALTHY Mexican-inspired salad that’s ready in 10 minutes!!

Warm Shrimp and Avocado Salad

This healthy salad with shrimp and avocado brings all the flavors of Mexico to you. It’s easy, healthy, light and fresh, and ready in 10 minutes.

There are so many amazing textures and Mexican-inspired flavors, including cumin-spiced tender shrimp, black beans, velvety avocado, crunchy cucumbers, and a bit of heat from a jalapeño pepper as well as an optional serrano chile pepper.

Everything is coated in a lime and honey sauce that is so good you will want to slurp it up with a spoon. 

It’s a fiesta in your mouth in every bite. Seriously so tasty and we could eat this every day!

Shrimp Avocado Salad Ingredients

To make this cilantro lime shrimp salad, you’ll need the following easy-to-find ingredients: 

• Black beans
• Avocado
• Jalapeño pepper
• Serrano chile pepper
• Cucumber 
• Fresh cilantro
• Olive oil
• Ground cumin, salt, and pepper
• Lime juice
• Honey

What’s the Best Type of Shrimp for Salads? 

I used one pound of fresh, raw shrimp that were deveined but still had the shells on. You do not want to use shrimp that have already been cooked.

I used large shrimp, 12-15 count. meaning there are 12 to 15 per pound. You can use smaller shrimp if you prefer but I like the flavor better of larger shrimp.

How to Make Shrimp Avocado Salad

This is an incredibly easy cilantro lime shrimp salad to make, and it’s best served immediately while the shrimp are still warm. Here’s a look at how the healthy shrimp salad recipe comes together: 

1. Simply add cleaned shrimp to a skillet with olive oil, sprinkle with cumin, and cook for about 2 minutes per side. 
2. After you flip over the shrimp, add lime juice and honey to the skillet. This sauce becomes the salad dressing that coats the black beans and veggies and there’s no need to prepare any other dressings or use any store-bought dressings, which is handy.
3. Transfer the shrimp and all the sauce to the bowl with the lettuce and vegetables. Stir to combine.

Ingredient Substitutions to Try

While I used black beans, avocado, cucumbers, cilantro, and jalapeno and serrano chiles, feel free to get creative and mix-and-match. 

Try adding:

• tomatoes
• corn
• zucchini
• red onions
• green onions
• radishes
• garbanzo beans
• queso fresco
• queso panela
• or whatever you have on hand and enjoy! 

Tips for the Best Shrimp and Avocado Salad

Shrimp cook very quickly and you don’t want to overcook them or they’ll be rubbery and tough. Just a couple minutes on either side (for large shrimp) is all they need! 

If you need to bulk up this meal even further, try serving it with steamed rice, refried beans, tortilla chips, salsa, or another favorite Mexican side. 

The warm shrimp salad is best fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 2 days, noting that the avocado will oxidize and the vegetables will soften and release their natural juices as time passes.

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4.67 from 36 votes

Lime Cilantro Shrimp and Black Bean Salad

By Averie Sunshine

Lime Cilantro Shrimp and Black Bean Salad - Tender juicy shrimp, black beans, avocado, cilantro, and more coated in a lime sauce that's a FIESTA in your mouth!! An EASY and HEALTHY Mexican-inspired salad that’s ready in 10 minutes!!

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

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Ingredients  

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• ▢ one 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed (I use no salt added)
• ▢ 1 medium ripe avocado, diced into bite-sized pieces
• ▢ 1 medium jalapeno pepper, sliced into thin rounds
• ▢ 1 small serrano chile pepper, finely minced (remove seeds for less heat); optional
• ▢ ½ medium cucumber, diced into bite-sized pieces
• ▢ ⅓ cup fresh cilantro finely minced, or to taste
• ▢ 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 pound shrimp, cleaned and deveined (I used 12-15 count large shrimp)
• ▢ 1 to 2 teaspoons cumin, or to taste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• ▢ ¼ to ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• ▢ 2 to 4 tablespoons honey, or to taste

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Instructions 

• To a large bowl, add the black beans, avocado, jalapeno, optional serrano chile, cucumber, cilantro; set aside
• To a medium skillet, add the olive oil, shrimp, evenly sprinkle with cumin, salt, pepper, and cook over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes.
• Flip shrimp over, turn the heat to medium-low, add the lime juice, honey, stir to combine, and cook until shrimp are done, about 2 minutes. Taste the sauce. If desired, add additional lime juice, honey, salt, pepper, or cumin.
• Transfer the shrimp and all the sauce to the bowl with the lettuce and vegetables. Stir to combine. Taste and make any other seasoning adjustments if necessary (I sprinkled with another 1/2 teaspoon cumin) and serve immediately. Salad is best fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 2 days, noting the avocado will oxidize and the vegetables will soften and release their natural juices as time passes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 495kcal, Carbohydrates: 49g, Protein: 36g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g, Cholesterol: 239mg, Sodium: 2112mg, Fiber: 12g, Sugar: 18g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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