Mango Shrimp Salad combines seasoned, pan-fried shrimp with crisp, crunchy salad drizzled with a spicy mango dressing. It's perfect for a light and refreshing meal!
Shrimp salad dressing with curried mango can take a simple salad to the next level. This shrimp salad recipe is A KEEPER and always gets rave reviews!
Mango Shrimp Salad Recipes
If you love tender and juicy shrimp for lunch or dinner, try my Grilled Shrimp Tacos, Shrimp Lettuce Wraps, or One Pot Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta with Sausage.
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Curried Mango Shrimp Salad Dressing
The flavorful combination of ingredients creates the best shrimp salad I've ever tasted!
The dressing ingredients are combined in a food processor for one of the easiest dressings you’ll make.
Here's what's in it: mango, lime juice, Dijon mustard, honey, orange juice, ground ginger, curry powder, salt, olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder
What’s in This Mango Shrimp Salad?
- Shrimp - You'll need peeled and deveined shrimp. For this shrimp salad, you can use fresh or frozen jumbo shrimp.
- Seasoning - I’ve used paprika (either sweet or smoked will do), salt, and chili powder to season the shrimp. Feel free to adjust the heat level by increasing or decreasing the chili powder. Ground Cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes would also provide a lovely kick of heat.
- Oil - To cook the shrimp. Use your favorite cooking oil. Canola oil or vegetable oil are good options.
- Salad ingredients - This shrimp salad combines yellow bell pepper, creamy avocado, mango, Roma lettuce, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and cilantro.
- Lettuce - Feel free to use any crunchy lettuce or butter lettuce leaves.
🦐 Related recipe: Shrimp Salsa
How To Make Shrimp Salad Step-by-Step
- Cook the shrimp: Season the shrimp and cook them in oil over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes per side, or until they turn pink.
- Make the mango dressing: Process all of the curry mango dressing ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Adjust the salt and/or curry powder as desired.
- Make the fresh salad: Add all the fresh salad ingredients into a large salad bowl. Season with salt and toss to combine thoroughly.
- Assemble the shrimp salad: Add the cooked shrimp to the salad and drizzle with mango dressing just before serving.
🍅 Have an abundance of cherry tomatoes? You can freeze them for later!
Tips for Making Shrimp Avocado Salad
- Doneness. When done, cooked shrimp will be opaque with a slightly pink hue. Their tails will also naturally curl up into a “C” shape. They will only need 1-2 minutes of cooking on both sides, so be careful not to overcook them and turn them rubbery!
- Make ahead. I like to assemble the fresh salad ingredients just before serving this salad, but you could make the curry mango dressing 2-3 days before and store it in an airtight jar in the fridge. The dressing will thicken as it sits in the fridge. Allow it to come to room temperature or add a splash of warm water or olive oil.
- Cooking method. I’ve seasoned and pan-fried my shrimp, this adds the most flavor to the salad! You could boil the shrimp instead for 2-3 minutes and then transfer them to an ice bath for a few minutes to stop any further cooking and prevent them from heating the fresh salad ingredients.
- Shrimp. In a shrimp salad, it's best to use peeled shrimp without tails (for convenience). However, you can leave the tails on if you like the look or taste. It's up to you!
What Type Of Shrimp To Buy
In the US, popular choices for cooking shrimp include White Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) and Gulf Shrimp.
They're versatile, widely available, and can be used in a variety of recipes from grilling to stir-frying.
Depending on what's available in your area, look for fresh or frozen shrimp options. For a more environmentally friendly choice, prioritize sustainably sourced shrimp.
Here's what to know about each:
- Fresh shrimp: Make sure it's as fresh as they come. Ask the person selling it if it's been sitting out for a long time or if it was frozen before.
- Frozen shrimp: If you're unsure about the fresh shrimp at the store, frozen shrimp in a bag is a good choice! They're frozen right after they're caught, so they stay fresh. Look for ones already deveined and with the tails taken off for easier cooking.
Go for jumbo, extra jumbo or colossal shrimp!
🥑 For more avocado recipes, try this Grated Egg Avocado Toast next!
Storing Leftovers
Store leftover shrimp salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. Keep in mind that the fresh lettuce and salad ingredients will wilt and become soggy the longer this salad is kept in storage.
Due to the nature of fresh ingredients, I don’t recommend freezing this shrimp salad.
More Easy Shrimp Recipes
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Recipe Card
Mango Shrimp Salad With Cooked Shrimp and Avocado
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INGREDIENTS
For Shrimp
- 1 pound shrimp
- ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika , or smoked paprika
- salt to taste
- a pinch of chili powder
- cooking oil , for cooking shrimp
For Salad
- ¾ cup bell pepper, I used yellow, cut into stripes
- 1 large avocado, sliced into larger cubes
- 1 large ripe mango, sliced into cubes
- 4 cup roma lettuce, roughly chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomato, cut in half
- ¼ cup red onion, sliced into thin half moon circles
- ¼ cup cilantro
Curried Mango Dressing
- ½ cup ripe mango, chopped
- 1 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ cup orange, chopped
- 1 teaspoon honey, or use maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon curry powder, or double this for a stronger curry flavor
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt , or fine sea salt
- ¼ cup virgin olive oil, good quality
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
INSTRUCTIONS
- Season shrimp and cook for 1-2 minutes on both sides until it turns pink. Let the shrimp cool.
- To make the dressing, add all the ingredients to a food processor and pulse until smooth. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and curry powder.
- Add all the salad ingredients into a bowl, season with salt, toss to combine. Add the shrimp and before serving drizzle with mango curried dressing.
NOTES
- Make ahead. I like to assemble the fresh salad ingredients just before serving this salad, but you could make the curry mango dressing 2-3 days before and store it in an airtight jar in the fridge. The dressing will thicken as it sits in the fridge. Allow it to come to room temperature or add a splash of warm water or olive oil.
- Store leftover shrimp salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. Keep in mind that the fresh lettuce and salad ingredients will wilt and become soggy the longer this salad is kept in storage. Due to the nature of fresh ingredients, I don’t recommend freezing this shrimp salad.
ADD YOUR OWN PRIVATE NOTES
Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on the products used.
Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be found here.
Shrimp Salad Frequently Asked Questions
If you live in a coastal region, use fresh shrimp, as this will offer the best flavor to your salad.
Frozen shrimp is a convenient option if you aren’t close to the coast or are unsure about the genuine “freshness” of the shrimp. Just make sure to thaw frozen shrimp first!
For the perfectly cooked shrimp, follow these steps:
1. Thaw, peel, and devein the shrimp.
2. Season with salt, pepper, and desired spices.
3. Cook by boiling, grilling, or sautéing until pink and opaque (you only need a few minutes for this!).
4. Let cool to room temperature or chill in the fridge.
5. Add to your salad with other ingredients and dressing.
Seafood salad, including shrimp salad, typically lasts 2 to 3 days when stored properly in the refrigerator.
Ensure it's kept in an airtight container to maintain freshness. After this time, it's best to discard any leftovers to prevent the risk of foodborne illness.
While you can freeze shrimp salad, I don't recommend it! The salad's texture may change upon thawing, as ingredients like creamy or mango dressing can separate and become watery.
Additionally, vegetables in the salad may become mushy after freezing and thawing.
To make the best shrimp salad, use perfectly cooked jumbo shrimp, a flavorful shrimp salad dressing, and fresh ingredients like avocado and lime.
Yes, you can use pre-cooked shrimp in a shrimp salad recipe. Just cool the shrimp before adding it to the salad for the best flavor and texture.
We love mango dressing, but you can also experiment with a creamy dressing made with mayonnaise, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. This is another popular choice for shrimp salad.
You can! Omit the lettuce in the salad and serve the shrimp salad on lettuce leaves instead. Lettuce adds freshness and texture to the dish!
Julia
I hope you love this shrimp salad recipe - one of my favorite summer salads!