Grilled Shrimp Taco Salad

I love a good salad.

“Good” is definitely the key word there. Because there is nothing worse than a bland or boring salad. It talks me right out of eating my veggies.

I eat salad all the time and I’m constantly switching it up. My requirement is that it must be interesting, flavorful, and have lots of varying textures and flavors.

This grilled shrimp taco salad checks all those boxes and then some!

So, confession time, ever since I was pregnant with Kieran, I’ve had a slight aversion to warm shrimp. Cold shrimp cocktail I can do, no problem. But warm shrimp? Well, six years later, I’m still working through it. 

We were out to dinner and I was a few months pregnant. We ordered a warm shrimp appetizer, one that we loved and ordered often. I took a few bites and immediately felt off. Queasy. The shrimp just didn’t taste right to me and the texture almost sent me to the restroom, although Dan said they were perfectly fine. I couldn’t look at or smell shrimp for months. Unfortunately, it carried over into postpartum life, and I’m just now able to eat warm cooked shrimp again. In doses.

So weird. Hormones, man.

Anywho. The shrimp on this salad packs a delicious tangy and spiced flavor, and I actually couldn’t get enough of it. I like to marinate shrimp for a minimum of 20 minutes or so (but not longer than an hour) so that the flavors of the marinade can really do their job.

The marinade is simple. Lime juice and zest, tacos spices from the pantry, salt, pepper, and a touch of oil. That’s it. You mix up the marinade, add the shrimp, and let it hang out for a bit while you prep the other salad ingredients.

Then you grill ’em up! It only takes a few minutes to cook shrimp, so I like to prep everything else while they marinate so we can eat as soon as humanly possible once the shrimp are done cooking. Oh, and if you don’t have a grill, you can sear them in a skillet or on an indoor grill pan for the same amount of cooking time.

The dressing here is a riff on spiced ranch. You guys know by now that I adore ranch dressing. It may be my favorite condiment. This dressing uses Greek yogurt as the base, but you can use sour cream if you prefer. Then we add in a little ranch, fresh lime juice, and some of the same spices from the shrimp marinade. Mix it all up and you’re good to go. Lots of creamy, tangy flavor but with not a lot of effort.

The other components are what I like in my taco-themed salads, but you can certainly make this your own by switching up the ingredients. I like a mix of baby greens and crunchy romaine, cherry tomatoes, grilled corn, avocado, red onion, and scallions. All chopped up and cute. You can add in some shredded cheese if you think it needs it, but for the first time ever in my life, I thought this was plenty flavorful and satisfying without cheese.

There’s a sentence I never thought I’d say (or type). Who even am I?

For a little crunch, I like to top off the salads with some crushed tortilla chips. It not only adds awesome texture but great corny flavor as well. Really drives home that taco theme.

In no time, you have a delicious, hearty, and healthy salad that is anything but boring. It meets all of my requirements for a salad, and may even be the dish that converts me back to a full-on shrimp lover.

Fingers crossed!

Grilled Shrimp Taco Salad

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• Author: Molly
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 2 generous servings 1x

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Description

This Grilled Shrimp Taco Salad is interesting, flavorful, and has a variety of textures! It checks off all of my boxes for a good salad and then some. Hearty, healthy, and packed with flavor! No boring or bland salads here.

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Ingredients

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For the Shrimp:

• 1 lb peeled/deveined shrimp
• Zest and juice of 1 lime
• ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the Dressing:

• ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
• 2 tablespoons ranch dressing
• Juice of 1 lime
• ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Salad:

• 4 cups mixed baby greens
• 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• ½ cup grilled corn kernels
• 1 diced avocado
• 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped scallion
• Crushed tortilla chips

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Instructions

For the Shrimp:

1. Place the shrimp in a bowl and add the other ingredients. Toss well to evenly coat the shrimp in all the flavors.
2. Marinate for 20 minutes (and up to an hour). While they marinate, prepare the dressing and other salad ingredients.
3. Preheat the grill (or skillet/grill pan) to medium-high heat.
4. Grill the shrimp, about 2 minutes per side, or until they are pink, opaque, and slightly curled.
5. Serve the shrimp in the salad whole or chop them up a bit first.

For the Dressing:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a mason jar and shake vigorously to combine.
2. Adjust the seasoning, as necessary. The dressing can be made ahead and stored in the fridge. It will keep for 3 days.

For the Salad:

1. In a large bowl, toss together the greens, romaine, tomatoes, corn, avocado, onion, and scallions.
2. Add in the shrimp and a few tablespoons of the dressing, adding as much as you like. Toss well again.
3. Place the salad in serving bowls and top with the crushed tortilla chips. Serve immediately.

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Category: salads