Mango Shrimp Salad
Published Jun 18, 2024
Updated Nov 04, 2024
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Make the best-ever Mango Shrimp Salad, bursting with flavors of creamy avocado, tender shrimp, sweet mango, and a zesty citrus dressing. One single bite, and you’ll be in love!
All I need with this Mango Shrimp Salad is some buttered grilled corn to be be fully in the spirit of summer! This delicious salad goes wonderfully on a table spread full of food. I love serving it with grilled food like grilled salmon or kabobs.
Honestly, shrimp recipes like this are very versatile! You can use it as a main course or as a side dish. If you enjoy shrimp as much as I do, you can also check out my Shrimp Avocado Salad, Deviled Eggs with Cajun Shrimp, or Pan Seared Shrimp recipes.
Table of Contents
Mango Shrimp Salad
Let me introduce you to a colorful salad that has it all! This shrimp mango salad is packed with fresh summer ingredients for the best flavor possible. This is a great option when you want to eat something that is both light and satisfying. It’s one of my new favorite recipes because of its flavor and variety of textures.
You’ll love the buttery avocado and how it offsets the crunchy bell peppers and red onions. Then, of course, you have the juicy mango and the Cajun shrimp to top it all off. Mango is one of those summer fruits that I can never get enough of.
If you’ve been on the lookout for a mango recipe, let this be one of the new recipes you try. The mango’s flavor is accentuated by the fresh lime juice salad dressing with hints of honey, so it tastes exceptionally good.
My personal preference is to include one small avocado, but if you’re someone who believes there can never be too much avocado, you can always add another! I also like using medium shrimp, but you can use another size. The recipe is easily adjustable so you can customize it to your liking!
Why You’ll Love It
- Loaded with nutrients! This avocado salad is loaded with healthy fats and plenty of nutrients. In fact, it has 25 grams of protein and also has a good amount of fiber, potassium, and calcium. It is a great way to incorporate healthy recipes into your meal plan. You can check out the nutrition facts below for the full breakdown!
- Ready in minutes! The best part about this great summer salad is the prep time. It only takes 15 minutes to prep it. And you can always pre-chop the peppers and onions and make the dressing in advance to give yourself a head start.
- Insanely tasty! The delicious homemade dressing and all of the salad components will blow your taste buds away. It might even become your absolute favorite salad you’ve ever made. Its that’s good. So, next time you head to the grocery stores, pick up the recipe ingredients, because you’ll want to make this with the freshest fruits and veggies possible!
Ingredients Needed
This mango shrimp salad recipe has a ton of flavorful and fresh ingredients! Here is what you need for the salad:
And here is what you need for the dressing, minus the salt and pepper:
Here are some notes about the primary components:
- Fresh Shrimp: For this recipe, you’ll need raw shrimp. Before you begin, make sure to peel and devein shrimp. If using frozen shrimp, allow it to thaw before cooking it.
- Fresh Mango: For best results, use fresh diced mango instead of pre-sliced. For a great texture, look for a firm mango with some give (ripe mangoes).
- Bell Peppers: This recipe contains red pepper for a vibrant taste and color. It also provides a great texture that’s crunchy.
- Avocado: Use a ripe avocado. It should be a firm yet creamy avocado.
- Fresh Limes: You will need limes for the juice and zest. This is one of the most important dressing ingredients! It provides a nice, acidic, and zesty flavor.
You’ll also need other ingredients like oil, seasonings, honey, and red onions. The recipe card below includes all of the ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Variations
- Add Rice: Some Mexican recipes or Thai recipes include rice in Mango Shrimp Salad. You can certainly do so! Use brown rice or white rice, and make sure the rice is properly cooked and cooled before you fold it with the other ingredients. I suggest slightly increasing the dressing amount with this inclusion.
- Make it Spicy: This salad recipe tastes delicious with some extra heat. To make it spicy, add a dash of hot sauce, chili sauce, cayenne pepper, or extra Cajun seasoning to the shrimp!
- Sesame: Sprinkle sesame seeds on top just before serving, and swap a portion of the olive oil with sesame oil for a pleasant, earthy taste. This variation also benefits from a small amount of fish sauce and Thai basil.
- Other Mix-ins: Add napa cabbage, cucumbers, leafy greens like romaine lettuce, or tomatoes. You can also add fresh herbs like green onion.
- White Wine Dressing: Reduce the lime juice and include some white wine vinegar for a tasty and tangy dressing.
- Homemade Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette: Use my dressing as a base and add some fresh cilantro. You can also add a splash of red wine vinegar. Pulse it in a food processor until combined and then use it on the mango shrimp salad!
- To create a salad similar to “som tum mamuang,” a well-known Thai dish, use green mangoes instead of ripe ones. With this method, use a mandolin slicer to cut the mango since they are firmer. Som tum mamuang also often has juicy cherry tomatoes, fish sauce, and dried shrimp, but you can put your own twist on the Thai flavors by using fresh shrimp.
No Cajun seasoning on hand? No problem! Make some Cajun Seasoning Substitute.
Substitutions
- Seasonings: if you don’t have Cajun seasoning, you can season the shrimp with another seasoning mix like chili powder. Or you can make your own Cajun seasoning blend by combining paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, and cayenne pepper.
- Bell Pepper: Use any color of bell pepper that you like.
- Shrimp: Although the recipe calls for medium shrimp, you can use a different size. Just keep in mind that the cooking time will vary.
Also check out my Quick Pickled Cucumbers.
How To Make Mango Shrimp Salad
- Rinse room temperature shrimp and pat dry with paper towels, then season it.
- Add a little bit of olive oil to a large skillet on medium heat. When shimmering, add the shrimp and cook on both sides until opaque. Allow the shrimp to cool.
3. Add the cooked shrimp and the diced ingredients to a large bowl.
4. Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a small mason jar. Shake to combine. Or whisk all the ingredients for the dressing with an immersion in a small bowl. Taste and adjust to liking.
5. Toss the mango shrimp salad to combine all ingredients and serve.
If you don’t have a mason jar, you can make the salad dressing in a small bowl with a whisk or immersion blender. Make sure to thoroughly mix it to create the emulsion between the lime juice, honey, and oil.
Tips for Perfect Mango Shrimp Salad
- This mango shrimp salad is even better the next day! The easiest way to store it is to keep it in an airtight container. You can also keep it in a bowl and tightly wrap it with plastic wrap.
- To accelerate the shrimp’s cooling process, you can transfer them to an ice water bath directly after cooking them. This will halt any further cooking and prevent them from being overdone. They only need to sit in the ice water bath for about 5 minutes! Then, you’ll need to drain and dry them.
- When folding the dressing into the salad, use a gentle hand so that you don’t accidentally smash the soft avocado.
- Don’t chop the veggies too small! This is supposed to be a chunky salad, but tiny pieces will make it more of a salsa.
- If you want a more subtle red onion taste, you can submerge the chopped onion in cold water for a few minutes, which will help reduce the pungency.
Serving
Serve this Mango Shrimp Salad alongside the following:
More Recipes With Mangoes
Love mangoes? Check out some of my favorite mango recipes below:
If you make this recipe please leave a star rating below. Your rating helps others find the recipe plus I love hearing from you! Thank you!
Mango Shrimp Salad
Ingredients
Mango Shrimp Salad
- 1 pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning salt-free
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups fresh diced mango about 1 large mango
- 1 small avocado peeled and diced
- 2 Tablespoons red onion diced
- ½ red bell pepper deseeded and diced
Honey-Lime Dressing
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse room temperature shrimp and pat dry with paper towels. Season with Cajun seasoning and salt and pepper, if needed.
- Add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil to a skillet on medium heat. Let it heat up until shimmering. Add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes per side or until opaque. Let the shrimp cool before proceeding with the salad.
- Add the cooked shrimp, diced mango, diced avocado, red onion, and red bell pepper to a large bowl.
- Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a small mason jar. Shake to combine. Taste and adjust to liking. For example, if you like more tanginess, add more lime juice or if you want more sweetness, add more honey.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad, toss to combine and serve.
Notes
- If you use Cajun seasoning with added salt, omit adding salt to the shrimp or add salt as needed.
- Zest the lime before squeezing out the juice. That way, zesting the lime is easier.
- You could blend all the dressing ingredients in a blender to help them emulsify.