Shrimp Avocado Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

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This Shrimp Avocado Salad with Honey Lime Dressing is an easy and refreshing main course salad that’s packed with flavor! The homemade salad dressing serves as the shrimp marinade as well making this an even easier recipe to meal prep!

I go through phases where I can’t get enough of some of my favorite salads! I’ll inhale my Mediterranean Tuna Salad for a low carb lunch and then still be in the mood for a Pizza Salad for dinner!

And it’s even better if they’re served with a homemade salad dressing! I think a homemade Green Goddess Salad Dressing is my favorite (and it’s healthy!), but the one I’m going to share today is even easier to make!

While I eat salads all year long, in the summer I really start craving a salad topped with shrimp! Last summer it was a Taco Shrimp Salad with Avocado that stole the show. But this summer I think it’s going to be this Shrimp Avocado Salad with Honey Lime Dressing. (P.S. are you noticing a trend with what ingredients are my favorites??)

This salad is pretty much packed with my favorite flavors: shrimp, avocados, honey, lime, dijon, onion and more! It’s a perfect summer salad that’s filling and healthy.

The best part is that the dressing also serves as the shrimp marinade, so it’s pulling double duty over here!

How to Make Homemade Honey Lime Salad Dressing

There are 3 easy ways to make a homemade salad dressing: in a blender, whisked together in a bowl or shaken in a mason jar. I’ll go over each method in a second, but you won’t believe how easy it is! And you can really customize the ingredients to make it exactly how your family likes it!

For this recipe, we’ll start with the lime since it’s the star of the show. I always zest my lime before I juice it. Even if my recipe doesn’t call for lime zest, it freezes really well for a future recipe. So zest your lime first using a zester. I just zest the green “skin” off and stop once I start hitting white (that tends to be more bitter instead of the tart flavor you want).

Once you have your lime zested, cut it in half and juice it. You can easily juice it just by squeezing it into a small bowl (that way you can scoop out any seeds before you add it to your other ingredients). Or you can use an actual citrus juicer which makes it a bit easier.

Next you add all your ingredients together: lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, dijon mustard, honey, garlic powder, sea salt and pepper!

Salad Dressing in a Blender:

Add all of your ingredients to the blender except for the olive oil. Blend together until well combined. With the blender running, add your olive oil in a thin stream and let it combine as you’re adding it. I keep the lid on the blender for this stage so it doesn’t splatter, and just add the olive oil through the thin hole in the lid. Blend until it’s well-mixed.

Salad Dressing in a Bowl:

Again, add all of your ingredients to the bowl except for the olive oil. Whisk until well combined. Then add your olive oil in a thin stream while you continue to whisk it until everything is incorporated.

Salad Dressing in a Jar:

You’ll want a small mason jar or something similar with a lid that seals very well. Add all of your ingredients to the jar and secure the lid. Shake vigorously until it is well combined.

In a glass container with a lid (THESE are my favorite!), place about 1/3 cup of your honey lime salad dressing. Add about 1 pound of peeled, raw shrimp and toss to coat on both sides. Let the shrimp marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour but it can be longer if you’re getting dinner prepped earlier in the day.

How to Make Shrimp Avocado Salad

Once your shrimp are done marinating, you can either cook them in a skillet on the stove top or you can grill them. Either way, they cook very quickly so make sure your salads are pretty much ready to go!

If cooking on the stovetop, heat your skillet over medium high heat. Add the shrimp in an even layer and discard the remaining marinade. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side or until the shrimp turn pink. You can tell a shrimp is cooked when it turns pink.

If grilling, either thread the shrimp onto kebab skewers or use a grill basket (I find these really handy for grilling vegetables too). Grill for about 2 minutes on each side or until they turn pink.

To assemble your salad, I kept the salad add-ons simple so that the shrimp can shine! A mix of spring greens, sliced avocado, red onion, the shrimp and a sprinkle of salad and pepper. Then it’s time to drizzle the remaining honey lime salad dressing all over it and enjoy!