Baja Shrimp Salad with Roasted Corn
This Baja Shrimp Salad with Roasted Corn is what summer tastes like – bright, fresh, and full of flavor straight off the grill. Sweet roasted corn and juicy pink shrimp from Florida come together with creamy avocado-cilantro dressing for a salad that’s anything but boring. It’s crisp, colorful, and satisfying enough to be the star of the meal.
Thanks to Fresh From Florida and the Florida Department of Agriculture, it’s easier than ever to enjoy fresh, high-quality ingredients from the Sunshine State. This salad celebrates the best of Florida’s bounty with sweet roasted corn and tender pink shrimp front and center.
Ingredients
For this sensational salad recipe, you need the following ingredients:
- 4 ears Florida corn
- 1 pound Florida pink shrimp peeled, deveined, and tails removed
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- Lettuce torn or shredded into pieces
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cucumber peeled, sliced, and cut into quarters
- 1 cup grape tomatoes cut into quarters
- 1 cup shredded cheese
Avocado Cilantro Dressing
- 1 avocado
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup water
- 1 garlic clove minced (or 1 teaspoon prepared minced garlic)
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- juice from one lime
Instructions
- Prepare the corn for the grill. Pull the husk down and remove the silk. Soak the ears in a large pan of water or in a clean sink basin for 10 minutes.
- While the corn is soaking, combine olive oil and seasoning to make a marinade for the shrimp. Remove the shrimp from the fridge and place them on metal skewers. Brush the shrimp with the olive oil mixture on both sides, cover them with plastic wrap, and return them to the refrigerator.
- Heat your grill to MEDIUM heat. Drain the water from the corn and place it on your grill. Roast for 15-20 minutes, rotating every 5 minutes. Remove the corn from the grill and allow it to rest for a few minutes before cutting the kernels off the cob.
While the grill is heating, you should have a little time to make the Avocado Cilantro Dressing for the salad. Toss the ingredients in your blender and process until smooth. The dressing will be a little on the thick side. You can add additional water to thin it. (Start with just 1/4 cup – you can always add more water, but you won’t be able to take any away once added.) Place the salad dressing in the refrigerator.
- Turn the grill to the high setting. Place shrimp skewers on the grill and cook for 4 minutes until lightly charred. Flip the shrimp over and cook for an additional 2 minutes – until the shrimp is no longer opaque. Remove it from the heat and allow it to sit for a couple of minutes. Carefully remove the shrimp from the skewers. (Be very careful – the skewers could still be really HOT.)
- Assemble the salad by placing a bed of lettuce in a salad bowl or on a plate. Top with roasted corn, black beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese, and shrimp. Pour salad dressing on top.
If you love shrimp recipes as much as I do, you’ll want to try my Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya for a hearty Cajun favorite, BBQ Shrimp and Grits for a Southern classic with a smoky twist, and Instant Pot Shrimp, Sausage, and Peppers — one of my personal favorites for busy weeknights!
Baja Shrimp Salad with Roasted Corn
Ingredients
- 4 ears Florida corn
- 1 pound Florida pink shrimp peeled, deveined, and tails removed
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- Lettuce torn or shredded into pieces
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cucumber peeled, sliced, and cut into quarters
- 1 cup grape tomatoes cut into quarters
- 1 cup shredded cheese
Avocado Cilantro Dressing
- 1 avocado
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup water
- 1 garlic clove minced (or 1 teaspoon prepared minced garlic)
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- juice from one lime
Instructions
- Pull husks down and remove silk from corn. Soak corn in cool water for 10 minutes.
- Place shrimp on metal skewers. Combine olive oil, cumin, garlic powder, and chipotle chile powder. Brush shrimp with olive oil mixture, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
- Heat grill to MEDIUM. Drain corn and place on grill and cook for 15-20 minutes, rotating every 5 minutes until done. Remove from heat and allow to cool before cutting kernels off cob.
- Turn grill to HIGH. Cook shrimp for 4 minutes on one side until lightly charred. Flip and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until no longer opaque. Remove from heat.
- Assemble salad: Place lettuce in bowl or on plate. Top with roasted corn, black beans, tomatoes, cheese, shrimp, and dressing.
To make Avocado Cilantro Dressing
- Combine ingredients in blender and process until smooth. Add up to 1/2 cup additional water if needed to desired consistency.
Nutrition
Tips for the Best Baja Shrimp Salad
- Use fresh shrimp if you can. Florida pink shrimp are naturally sweet and cook up beautifully on the grill.
- Don’t skip the char! Roasted corn and slightly blackened shrimp add that signature Baja flavor.
- Make it lighter. Swap shredded cheese for cotija or skip it altogether for a dairy-light version.
- Meal prep win. Grill extra corn and shrimp – they’re delicious tucked into tacos the next day.
Storage
Store leftover salad ingredients (without dressing) in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The avocado cilantro dressing will keep for about 3–4 days in a sealed jar – just give it a good shake before using.
Final Bite
Would you grill this for a weeknight dinner or serve it for a summer get-together? Tell me in the comments below! And if you make this Baja Shrimp Salad, share a photo and tag @SouthernKissed – I’d love to see your plate from the Sunshine State.
