Cilantro Lime Shrimp Taco Salad
Cilantro Lime Shrimp Taco Salad is not only fun and flavorful, but also good for you! The base of the salad is made with lime massaged kale and cilantro and the salad is topped with cilantro lime garlic shrimp, corn, black beans, tomato, red onion, queso fresco, tortilla chips and finished off with a creamy cilantro lime avocado dressing.
This one is for all my fellow cilantro lovers out there. With cilantro, it’s easy, you either love it or you think it tastes like soap? The more cilantro the better, in my opinion, and this Cilantro Lime Shrimp Taco Salad is loaded with it! It’s mixed in with the kale in the base of the salad, it’s in the shrimp marinade and a it’s a big component of the avocado dressing!
Let’s Break It Down
Cilantro Lime Avocado Dressing
This creamy green goodness will serve as a topping/dressing for the salad. You also massage the kale with oil and lime juice so it’s sort of a secondary topping, like guacamole on your tacos. To make it, you combine avocado, cilantro, lime juice, salt and a little avocado oil in the food processor and process on high until it is smooth and creamy! PS. there is a whole cup of cilantro packed into that dressing 🙂
Cilantro Lime Garlic Shrimp
The Cilantro Lime Garlic Shrimp are the stars of the salad. The key to good shrimp is making sure you do not over cook them, they cook very fast so just about 2 minutes on each side over medium heat will do the trick! We toss them in a cilantro lime garlic marinade and let them sit for just about 20 minutes right before cooking for the best flavor!
Why Massage Kale?
The base of this Cilantro Lime Shrimp Taco Salad is massaged kale and (you guessed it!) cilantro. Before adding the cilantro we will massage the kale with our clean hands for about a minute with some avocado oil and lime juice. Massaging the kale breaks it down making it softer and easier to eat, it also cuts down on the bitterness a bit, making the flavor of raw kale more appealing.
Taco Toppings!
We’ve got the salad base, our protein (the shrimp) and the dressing, now it’s time for ALL THE TOPPINGS:
corn
black beans
cherry tomatoes
red onion
queso fresco
tortilla chips
To Toss Or Not To Toss:
You have two options for serving this Cilantro Lime Shrimp Taco Salad – toss it all together in a big bowl and then serve it. Or divide up the kale/cilantro salad base and then top each individual salad with shrimp, all the toppings and a hearty dollop of the cilantro lime avocado dressing. There is no “best” way to serve it, it’s totally up to you and your preferences!
Cilantro Lime Shrimp Taco Salad
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 large salads 1x
Description
Cilantro Lime Shrimp Taco Salad is not only fun and flavorful, but also good for you! The base of the salad is made with lime massaged kale and cilantro and the salad is topped with cilantro lime garlic shrimp, corn, black beans, tomato, red onion, queso fresco, tortilla chips and finished off with a creamy cilantro lime avocado dressing.
Ingredients
Cilantro Lime Garlic Shrimp
1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 tbsp lime juice
4 tbsp avocado oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp coriander
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
Cilantro Lime Avocado Dressing
1 large (or 2 small) avocado, peeled and pitted
1 cup fresh cilantro
2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp avocado oil
Cilantro Lime Shrimp Taco Salad
8 cups chopped kale
1 tbsp avocado oil
2 tbsp lime juice
2 cups chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup corn (canned or fresh)
2/3 cup black beans, drained and dried
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup red onion, sliced thin
4oz queso fresco, crumbled
1 cup tortilla chips, crushed
Cilantro Lime Garlic Shrimp
Cilantro Lime Avocado Dressing
Instructions
Cilantro Lime Garlic Shrimp
In a medium sized bowl toss shrimp with lime juice and 2 tbsp avocado oil
Add the garlic, salt and coriander, mix
Toss in the cilantro
Set aside to marinate for 15-20 minutes
After 15-20 minutes, heat 2 tbsp avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat
Add the shrimp
Cook 2-3 minutes on each side until shrimp turn orange, do not over cook
Once cooked, remove from pan and set aside in a clean bowl
Cilantro Lime Avocado Dressing
Add the avocado, cilantro, lime juice and salt to the bowl of your food processor
Turn the food processor on high
Add the avocado oil
Continue to process on high until the dressing is smooth, it will be thick, set aside
Cilantro Lime Shrimp Taco Salad
Add the kale to a large bowl
Drizzle with the avocado oil and lime juice
Using clean hands, massage the kale with the oil and lime juice for about a minute until the kale becomes softer, it will reduce in size by about half
Add the cilantro and salt, toss gently
At this point you may add all the remaining ingredients to the salad and toss it all together then divide it into the bowls. Or you can split the kale and cilantro into 4 large salad bowls and top each with 1/4 of the remaining ingredients
Notes
All the components of the salad can be made in advance and stored separately in the refrigerator for 1-3 days.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: salad
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: #cilantrolime, #mexicantacosalad, #shrimptacosalad
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