Cilantro Shrimp Salad is the absolute best dinner you can choose on a hot summer night. Loaded with nutritional value and lots of tasty salad ingredients such as corn, black beans, cucumbers, lime, and avocados along with shrimp, your stomach will be in heaven and your hips will certainly thank you!

And if you buy cooked shrimp, you won’t have to cook at thing with this delicious dinner. You won’t have to turn on your oven and heat up your house on a hot night. Nor will you have to slave over a blazing grill and sweat your butt off when making dinner. This dinner requires no cooking, is filling, and tastes great sounds like a great idea. And, you know what? It is!

Shrimp Facts

Shrimp are crustaceans with elongated bodies that primarily swim versus walk on the bottom of the ocean floor. They are abundant and adapt to a wide range of environments, generally feeding on the ground within different bodies of water such as oceans, rivers, and lakes. They generally live anywhere from 1 to 7 years. And they play an important role in the food chain. They are a source of food to fish, whales, and, of course, human consumption.

Some of the great benefits that shrimp provide to us humans are:

• Low Calorie Food
• High In Protein
• Many Nutrients

Low calorie

Other than the delicious taste of shrimp, another added bonus is that they are low in calories. One medium shrimp is only about 7 calories, which equates to less than 85 calories for a dozen shrimp!

One jumbo shrimp (often served in shrimp cocktail), is approximately 14 calories. Therefore, three jumbo shrimp is about 45 calories. Are you suddenly in the mood for shrimp or is it just me?!

High in protein

Shrimp are consist of water and lots of protein. Here’s a fun fact, three ounces of shrimp is about 20 grams of protein. To put that into perspective, that is about the same a three ounces of chicken. Who would have thought that this tiny shellfish contains approximately the same amount of protein as white meat. Further, shrimp not only are a great source of protein, but they contain very little fat and carbohydrates. This cilantro shrimp salad is sounding better and better!

Nutrients Galore

Beyond the high protein, low fat, and low carbs that shrimp contain, they are also full of nutrients. To name a few, there is selenium, vitamin B12, phosphorous, choline, copper, and iodine. Additionally, shrimp are a source of antioxidants.

Selenium helps your immune system and thyroid function. It also fights off particles that can damage DNA, leading to premature aging and disease. I guess you could say that selenium is a fountain of youth. And the antioxidant that provides the primary color in shrimp, helps reduce inflammation which can add to premature aging and disease. I don’t know about your, but I’ll take more shrimp please!

Ingredients

I love, love, love this yummy cilantro shrimp salad. It has some key ingredients like shrimp, black beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, red onions, lime and avocado (to name a few) that come together deliciously! It’s like taking some of your favorite traditional salad items and mixing them with pasta salad items. And it is magical!

Here is what you will need for this tasty and nutritious dinner:

Dressing

• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup Lime Juice
• 2 tsp Garlic minced
• 1/2 cup Cilantro finely chopped

Salad

• 2 lbs Jumbo Shrimp cooked and peeled
• 1 can Corn drained
• 1 can Black Beans rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup Red Onions diced
• 1 pint Cherry Tomatoes halved
• 1 Cucumber chopped into large pieces
• 2 Avocados peeled, pitted, and chopped
• 1/4 cup Cilantro finely chopped

Instructions

I not only love the taste of this cilantro shrimp salad that is truly a meal, but I absolutely love that it is super easy to make! And, I can’t stress it enough, you don’t have to cook this delicious meal…just get the pre-cooked shrimp, then you just have to chop, mix, and serve!

Here is what you will need to do:

Dressing

• Combine dressing ingredients into a small bowl and whisk together until combined.

Salad

• In a large bowl, combine all the salad ingredients and mix well.
• Add dressing to the salad and combine well.

More Healthy Dinners

I’ll admit, I’m not the healthiest eaters all the time. I do try to eat healthy meals (sometimes, anyway!). Hey, if you can eat healthy food that tastes great and doesn’t take hours to prepare, why not eat like that on a regular basis? And if life is all about balance and moderation, eating healthy dinners can allow you to have those not-so-healthy desserts and drinks!

Here are some other dinner ideas that are pretty healthy, easy to make, and taste yummy!