grilled citrus shrimp & avocado salad

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.

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

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grilled citrus shrimp & avocado salad

Bright & summer this quick & easy to make salad can have all the ingredients, apart from avocado, prepped a day ahead making it so simple to throw everything together last minute as guests are arriving. The citrusy mustard salad dressing does double duty as a marinade & a dressing.

Prep Time25 mins

Cook Time10 mins

marinate1 hr

Total Time35 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Australia

Servings: 6

Author: Lovoni

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.