A big main-meal salad is the consummate food for sharing: ‘arrange’ everything in a somewhat haphazardly manner on a big platter & place it into the middle of the table (or as part of a buffet) & let everyone help themselves. Grilled citrus shrimp & avocado salad is perfect for entertaining as most of the ingredients can be prepped ahead of time – the beautiful big shrimp can be grilled & marinating; almonds toasted; oranges segmented; salad greens washed; red onion diced & the citrus dressing made. All that’s left to do is slice up a couple of avocado.
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Don’t you just love almost effortless food that is also wholesome, bright & fresh? I do. Especially when I am cooking for a few people.
This beautiful grilled shrimp & avocado salad epitomizes summer & is casual but still a little special to serve to guests. Growing up in Australia, a lot of the food I ate was arranged on a plate & served to me. I’ve cooked in a similar manner most of my life because it’s what I know & I have control over how it all looks – something important to me with my food styling background. But I do love how Americans embrace family-style serving. To put all the food in the middle of the table, a sideboard or a buffet table, apart from giving the host a few more platters to wash, really makes it easier for the soul who has lovingly cooked the meal. What is your favorite, or should I say – most common way, to serve food at home?
Try these other shrimp recipes – perfect for sharing:
- Coconut Shrimp & Pineapple Chutney
- Spicy Shrimp & Mango Salad
- Tomato & Olive Shrimp
- Spicy Creole Shrimp Tacos
Toodles, Lovoni
grilled citrus shrimp & avocado salad
Ingredients
CITRUS MUSTARD DRESSING
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- a good pinch of salt & freshly ground pepper
SHRIMP & AVOCADO SALAD
- 24 to 30 raw jumbo shrimp, peeled, leaving tails in tact (I used tiger shrimp) (prawns)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- a pinch of salt & freshly ground pepper
- 2 to 3 cups salad greens such as spinach, arugula & mixed leaf lettuce
- 2 oranges, segmented (or peeled the oranges & slice them into rounds)
- 2 ripe avocado peeled & sliced
- 1/3 cup diced red onion
- 1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds
Instructions
To make the dressing
- Shake all the ingredients together in a jar with a screw-top lid until well combined. Pour half of the dressing into a medium sized bowl. Place the remaining dressing into the fridge until ready for use.
To make the salad:
- Preheat grill (barbie) to medium-hot. Toss the shrimp, olive oil, salt & pepper together in a large bowl. Cook shrimp 3 to 4 minutes on one side. Turn & cook 2 to 3 minutes on the other side or until shrimp are just cooked. Do not overcook. Add the shrimp the salad dressing in the bowl. Stir to coat & refrigerate until ready to use.
- To assemble the salad: spread salad greens over a large platter. Top with shrimp, oranges, avocado & onion. Drizzle with remaining dressing. Sprinkle with almonds. Serves 6.
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