Grilled Shrimp Salad with Garlic Parmesan Italian Vinaigrette
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Grilled shrimp salad with Garlic Parmesan Italian Vinaigrette is summer perfection. You’ll be full and satisfied with this light and flavorful entrée.
Summer isn’t over yet! Thank goodness for that. It is going way too quickly but there’s still time for plenty of colorful, crisp summer food. Actually, that’s something I plan to eat year-round. I might even use the grill year-round if Michigan is kind to us!
One of the things I love about fresh food, like this grilled shrimp salad, is that you’re left feeling satisfied after eating it, without being overstuffed.
This colorful salad will leave you “happy full.” Happy-full is much better than I-can’t-move-I-need-a-nap-full, am I right?
Typically Ben does the grilling, even when I ask him to grill stranger things like grilled pizza, stuffed portobello mushrooms, or grilled French toast stuffed with strawberry basil cream cheese ) but this year I’ve been doing more and more of the grilling.
It’s actually really fun to throw on my sunglasses and head outside to stand in the bright sunshine by the hot grill. It could be that I just love being in our backyard, surrounded by apple trees and wildlife.
About This Grilled Shrimp Salad
To make this quick dish even easier, I use a bottled vinaigrette: Garlic Parmesan Italian Vinaigrette (Marie’s Dressings). The vinaigrette gives the recipe a great burst of fresh-tasting flavor, not only as the dressing, but also as a quickie marinade on the shrimp.
However, if you’d rather make your own dressing, try my homemade Italian dressing, creamy Italian dressing, or white wine vinaigrette.
The best thing about this salad is that it can be ready to eat in 15 minutes. You’re busy, I’m busy, we’re all busy.
The recipe is written for one salad but it’s easy to double, triple, or whatever you need.
How To Make This Grilled Shrimp Salad
Begin by marinating the shrimp in a bit of the salad dressing while you prep the salad greens and veggies.
Choose your favorite greens as the base of the salad. I use a mixture of arugula and radicchio but feel free to use whatever is at hand.
Use a vegetable peeler to make the carrot ribbons. Aren’t they pretty? Slice an avocado and tomatoes, and chop a little parsley. Toss the salad with more dressing. and then grill the shrimp. The shrimp cook in less than 5 minutes and then you’re ready to eat.
Enjoy!
Make It Your Own
- Use a grill pan or skillet. If it’s not a grilling-type day, use a grill pan on the stove or sauté the shrimp in a skillet.
- Mix and match salad ingredients. This salad can be prepared with a variety of greens and vegetables. Choose your favorites.
- More shrimp recipes: try shrimp kabobs with pineapple. Marinated in a zesty homemade teriyaki sauce, they are so good! We also really love lemon pepper shrimp, sizzled in a skillet and ready in no time. Spicy garlic shrimp are so flavorful and delicious.
Make-Ahead Ideas
If you want to get a head start on this recipe, thaw the shrimp overnight in the fridge.
Prep the lettuce, carrots, and parsley (or whatever you choose to use) and refrigerate in a covered container or on a plate covered with plastic wrap.
Soak the skewers all day if you want.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Ingredients
- 4 to 5 frozen raw jumbo shrimp, thawed (peeled, deveined, tail-off)
- 3 tablespoons Marie’s® Garlic Parmesan Italian Vinaigrette, divided (see note)
- 1 cup firmly packed fresh arugula (or another green of your choice)
- ¼ cup thinly sliced radicchio
- 1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf Italian parsley
- ½ small carrot, peeled and cut into ribbons using vegetable peeler
- 4 to 5 grape tomatoes
- ¼ avocado, cut into cubes or slices
Instructions
- If using wooden skewers, soak in water for 1 hour.
- Pat shrimp dry with paper towel and toss in a bowl with 1 tablespoon Marie’s Garlic Parmesan Italian Vinaigrette dressing. Place in fridge while prepping other ingredients (about 15 minutes).
- Heat grill to medium-high heat (350-400°F) or grill pan to high heat.
- Skewer shrimp on a wooden skewer. Grill shrimp 2 minutes on each side or until cooked through but not overcooked.
- Arrange all greens and vegetables on a plate or in a bowl. Toss or drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon Marie’s Garlic Parmesan Italian Vinaigrette dressing. Top with cooked shrimp and serve immediately.
Notes
- If you prefer, substitute another dressing of your choice.
- Recipe can easily be increased for more servings.
- Salad can be prepared with a variety of greens and vegetables. Choose your favorites.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Melanie Perkins says
That’s a lot of carbs. Where do they all come from in this recipe?
Rachel Gurk says
Sometimes the nutritional calculator we use can be a little off. I just recalculated and I looked at each ingredient individually and I can’t figure out why that number is so high. It’s definitely more of a guideline/estimate, so feel free to calculate it manually. Sorry about that!
Kara Plantinga says
A nice summer, yummy salad. And I seem to forget about using shrimp in our meals even though my picky husband likes it. I accidentally didn’t buy jumbo shrimp, so when it came to putting on a skewer, I realized it was going to take forever and be difficult. Instead, I threw them all in a grill pan with the dressing. That worked great (I did need to cook a bit longer since they weren’t directly on the grill) and they ended up being the perfect bite size for the salad. :)
Rachel Gurk says
So smart to do the shrimp in a grill pan! So happy you guys liked this recipe!