Healthy Shrimp Salad

4.50 from 4 votes
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Eat the rainbow with this Healthy Shrimp Salad that’s packed with fresh ingredients, perfectly sautéed shrimp and a creamy dressing (no mayo!). Enjoy!

healthy shrimp salad in a bowl ready to be served
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Light and Bright Salad

This shrimp salad is light and bright and the perfect fresh side dish. From the rainbow color of healthy ingredients packed into this salad, to the creamy (no mayo!) dressing, to the perfectly sautéed shrimp — and did we mention this salad comes together in under 30 minutes?!

fresh shrimp being sautéed in a cast iron skillet

Prepping Shrimp Before Cooking

This recipe calls for peeled, deveined raw shrimp, and most grocery stores will carry this, but if you end up buying unpeeled or veined raw shrimp, simply peel and / or devein before cooking.

If your shrimp is frozen, you’ll need to thaw your raw shrimp before cooking. Do so by placing frozen shrimp in a strainer and run cold water over the frozen shrimp until they are thawed to the touch.

How to Cook Shrimp for Shrimp Salad

  1. Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat, and add olive oil once the skillet is hot. We used a cast iron skillet for this recipe, but any skillet will do!
  2. When olive oil is fragrant, add the garlic cloves to the pan. Let the garlic cook for 1 minutes before adding the shrimp to the pan, making sure to distribute them evenly in the pan.
  3. Sprinkle the shrimp with salt and lemon juice. Cook the shrimp for 3 minutes and then flip. Cook the shrimp for an additional 3-4 minutes. Pro tip: the shrimp will be fully cooked when it turns a pale pink color.
  4. Remove from heat, and pour the shrimp into a large bowl. Let the shrimp cool completely before adding to the salad.
white navy beans and spices in a bowl ready to be mixed into shrimp salad

Easy Swaps for Shrimp Salad

  • White navy beans: Any light bean will work with this recipe. We recommend cannellini, white northern, or white kidney beans as suitable alternatives if you don’t have white navy beans.
  • Red bell pepper: Any color of bell pepper will do!
  • Fresh herbs: This recipe calls for flat leaf parsley and mint, but curly leaf parsley will work as well. Fresh Dill would be delicious if this is all you have on hand as well.
  • Red onion: Red onion adds great color and flavor to this salad, but if you only have a white or yellow onion on hand at home, either will absolutely work as well.
all ingredients for a healthy shrimp salad in a bowl before they're mixed together

Healthy Shrimp Salad Dressing

This shrimp salad dressing is oh so creamy without using ANY mayo! Its light and bright flavors come from just 6 simple ingredients. Combine the following and give it a shake shake shake in a mason jar:

  • Lemon juice
  • Lime juice
  • Tahini
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
healthy shrimp salad creamy dressing with no mayo

How Long Does Shrimp Salad Last in the Fridge?

Because this shrimp salad and its dressing use so many delicious fresh ingredients, it will only last up to 3 days when stored in an air-tight container in the fridge, and is fresh and crunchiest on day 1 or 2.

Small batch? If you don’t think you’ll be able to finish this healthy shrimp salad in 3 days or less, feel free to make a 1/2 batch!

creamy dressing being poured over healthy shrimp salad
4.50 from 4 votes

Healthy Shrimp Salad

Eat the rainbow with this Healthy Shrimp Salad that’s packed with fresh ingredients, perfectly sautéed shrimp and a creamy dressing (no mayo!). Enjoy!
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 6
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Ingredients 

White Beans

  • 15 oz. can white navy beans, rinsed
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • pinch of salt

Dressing

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons tahini
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Shrimp

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Salad

  • 1 large red pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Instructions 

White Beans

  • Place the white beans, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, and salt into a bowl. Mix all the ingredients together. Place the beans into the microwave and cook them for 90 seconds on high.
  • Remove them for the microwave and let them sit for at least 20 minutes.

Dressing

  • Add the olive oil, lemon juice, lime juice, tahini, apple cider vinegar, and salt to a mason jar.
  • Cover the jar and shake the jar until all of the ingredients are combined. Set aside.

Shrimp

  • Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add olive oil.
  • When olive oil is fragrant, add the garlic to the pan. Let the garlic cook for 1 minutes and then add the shrimp to the pan.
  • Sprinkle the shrimp with salt and lemon juice. Cook the shrimp for 3 minutes and then flip. Cook the shrimp for an additional 3-4 minutes or until the shrimp turn a pale pink color.
  • Remove from the heat and pour the shrimp into a large bowl. Let the shrimp cool completely.

Salad

  • When the shrimp are cooled, add the red pepper, onion, parsley, and mint to the bowl with the shrimp.
  • Then, add the white beans and dressing. Mix all of the ingredients together until all of the ingredients are covered in dressing.
  • Eat immediately or place the salad in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and serve cold.

Nutrition

Calories: 258 kcal, Carbohydrates: 6 g, Protein: 16 g, Fat: 12 g, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 2 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About Emily Richter

Emily is Fit Foodie Finds' editor-in-chief. She has a master's degree in strategic communication, and a passion for food. She is an incredible at-home cook making her writing an important part of the content creation process.

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Laurie
Laurie
February 26, 2024 10:38 am

If I am making this for lunch prep, is it better to leave dressing off until I eat or is it one of those salads that get better as it sits and marinates a day or two?