Chef notes
Whether you’re looking for an easy weeknight recipe or lunch that can be meal prepped, this Cajun shrimp chopped salad should earn a spot in your cooking rotation. Dressed in a creamy yogurt-based dressing and studded with cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion and avocado, this shrimp salad is the perfect balance of flavors and textures. This protein-packed salad leans on a handful of pantry staples like hot sauce and yogurt, and comes together in under 20 minutes.
To start, marinate the shrimp in Cajun seasoning and olive oil. Next, make the dressing by combining Greek yogurt with hot sauce, lemon, chives and olive oil. The lemon adds acidity while the hot sauce brings just the right amount of heat — it’s flavorful without being overpowering. Once the salad is put together, it’s time to get cooking. Shrimp cooks quickly so it’s important that the rest of the salad is ready to go before you get started.
If you’re looking to meal prep, store the dressing and shrimp in separate sealed containers and assemble when ready to eat.
Technique Tip: Buy shrimp that’s already been peeled and deveined to cut down on time. Since avocado tends to brown quickly, it’s best to wait until ready to serve to add it to the salad. Alternatively, you can toss it in some lemon juice to help prevent browning.
Swap Option: Try other types of protein like cubed chicken breast or extra-firm tofu cut into 1-inch pieces. Alternatively, you could also use ground turkey, lamb, or beef.
Get Ingredients: If you don’t have everything you need on hand, you can easily purchase all of the ingredients (just click the orange button below that says ‘Get Ingredients’). You can pick and choose exactly what ingredients you need based on what’s in your pantry and they’ll be on your doorstep before you know it.
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon avocado or olive oil
- cooking spray
- 5 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 medium cucumber, peeled and chopped
- 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 cup red onion, sliced
- 1 large avocado, chopped
- 3/4 cup 2% Greek yogurt, plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce, plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons dried chives
- juice from 1/2 lemon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- sea salt and cracked pepper, to taste
Preparation
1.Season shrimp with low-sodium Cajun seasoning and olive oil, then set aside to marinate while you prepare the salad.
2.Mix together all of the salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
3.Mix together the ingredients for the dressing in a separate bowl until thoroughly combined.
4.Heat a carbon steel skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, lightly spray with avocado oil, then add the shrimp. Sear and toss the shrimp until it is cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes.
5.Toss it all together in a large salad bowl, and enjoy! (For meal prep, evenly divide the salad, shrimp and dressing among containers.)
