This shrimp chopped salad is bursting with color and flavor thanks to lots of fresh produce and a citrus cilantro vinaigrette. Ingredients may be chopped ahead of time to make this salad a simple one to throw together for a light weeknight dinner or delicious summertime cookout side dish! Thank you to Food Lion for teaming up with me for this recipe!
Chopped salads are the best salads. I’ve been saying it for years and it’s a statement I’m pretty sure I’ll stand by forever and ever. There’s something about a fresh chopped salad I love and I’m pretty sure it centers around the fact that so many flavors burst in your mouth with every bite.
Now that the weather is warming up, soups and stews will often be replaced by salads and sandwiches and this shrimp chopped salad with a citrus cilantro vinaigrette simply screams summer. Sunshine and salads all day long!
I was recently invited to shop at a local Food Lion grocery store to check out their fresh produce. As former Floridians, we didn’t have a Food Lion nearby when Ryan and I lived in Ocala. Since I’m kind of a grocery store nerd and love checking out new-to-me stores, Chase and I hit up Food Lion to shop for our groceries earlier this week. I had no trouble filling my cart with fresh food for the week ahead, including lots of beautiful organic greens, fruit, whole grains and plenty of natural and organic food selections. Plus all of the ingredients I needed to make this chopped salad!
So many colors!
Food Lion recently launched a “How Refreshing” campaign centered around raising their standards without raising their prices. It includes expansion of their natural, organic and gluten-free product offerings. Food Lion also has a “fresh guarantee” and will give customers double their money back if they ever leave the store unsatisfied after purchasing any of the items from their produce, meat, deli, and bakery departments. Now for the salad! As the name implies, this salad does require a fair amount of chopping, but the extra effort is more than worth it because every single bite of this produce-packed salad is bursting with vibrant flavor.
And there’s something to be said for making your own salad dressing. I love knowing exactly what is in my salad dressing, especially since many of the commercial brands are filled with crazy ingredients, and this one is just about as simple as they come. And if you’re a cilantro lover like me, you must make this one soon! (Side note: It’s also fabulous as a marinade for chicken breasts!)
Shrimp Chopped Salad with Citrus Cilantro Vinaigrette
Makes four side salads
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1 ear sweet corn, kernels removed from cob (raw kernels)
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced and chopped fennel
- 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 English cucumber, chopped
- 1 dozen cooked shrimp, deveined with tails removed pound cooked shrimp
- 1 avocado, pitted and sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
For the vinaigrette:
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium orange
- 1 lime
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss.
- To make the vinaigrette, place cilantro, olive oil and the juice of one orange and the juice of one lime in a small food processor or a high-powered blender. Blend until smooth. Some small flakes of cilantro may remain, but the vinaigrette should be smooth when poured onto the salad.
- Pour vinaigrette onto salad and toss to coat everything in the vinaigrette. Divide salad into four salad bowls and enjoy!
This salad works well as a light summertime entrée, or serve it as a side dish at a family cookout! And if you’re not a shrimp or seafood lover, simply replace the shrimp with chicken or omit it altogether.
Enjoy! I really hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did! For more great recipes visit the Food Lion Recipe Hub.
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I love to pair fresh tomatoes and basil to make a wonderful bruschetta!
I love making fruit salad.
Our favorite summer meal is grilled chicken and grilled zucchini with sweet potato fries!
https://mobile.twitter.com/Michael64263870/status/723245047437766656
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/sazzyfrazzy/status/723244279749988352
sazzyfrazz at gmail dot com
I love making fajitas with fresh ingredients.
https://twitter.com/willgriesmer/status/723332140914597888
I like using fresh grape tomatoes and spinach in pasta. Delicious and easy. 🙂
chambanachik(at)gmail(dot)com
A big roast chicken with roasted veggies — yum!
Love your salad. I always cook with fresh ingredients, they are the best. My family loves veggies stir fry and asparagus soup. 🙂 Thanks for sharing yours.
amy [at] utry [dot] it
tweeted:
https://twitter.com/uTry_it/status/723683979186962432
amy [at] utry [dot] it
I like mixing rice with fresh ingredients. As a distance runner I’m always looking to boost my carb intake but at the same time eat clean. I like rice because it doesn’t necessarily take away from the fresh flavors I mix it with plus it adds a contrasting texture.
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/FireRunner2379/status/723904133154115585.
Love putting berries in my salads during the summer!
Shrimp and avocado = LIFE. That’s all I have to say. They just taste SO good together, and in a fresh salad they’re even better!
https://twitter.com/OneFrugalGirl/status/725424389899034629
Salad! Salad! Any kind of salad!
I love making a chunky pico de gallo to pair with an entree as a side or to served alongside chips as a dip… I typically include tomato, red onion, cilantro, jalapeños, corn, avocado & lime.
I love to make pico de gallo to go with grilled shrimp.
https://twitter.com/RachelGriesmer/status/725509863699263488
I like to pair seafood and pasta with fresh ingredients.
tweet-https://twitter.com/LuLu_Brown24/status/726018813880242176
I like to make fruit salad
https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/726062623788130304
I like making vegetable fried rice with fresh ingredients.
Tweet- https://twitter.com/mitadav/status/726076819812814848
I love to eat a fresh side salad with my lasagna.
https://twitter.com/mommysweetiepie/status/726223608037539841
I like freshly made Salsa, salads, & grilled veggies
I love to make chicken kabobs with fresh veggies and of course fresh salsa and salad!
I love to make a snack plate with fresh vegetables, hummus, fruit, maybe some peanut butter, and crackers. Easy and delicious!
Now that spring is in full spring, I’m taking advantage of all the fresh and beautiful produce and pairing them with any type of fish on the grill!
My favorite is salads and stir fry meals. Thanks so much.
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/peg42/status/728723057553121284
Thanks again.
I love to make fresh chicken salsa.
https://twitter.com/HappyTina0115/status/728763799034052608
I love to make fresh guacamole and bake my own tortillas for chips
https://twitter.com/eliza_elliott/status/728965267393413120
Some of my favorite ways to use fresh produce is a stir fry with either shrimp, salmon or chicken.
Tweet
https://twitter.com/clc408/status/729290648705208320
I love pairing fresh ingredients with homemade bread or a glass of wine!
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 at gmail dot com
tweet–https://twitter.com/WildOrchid985/status/730075947240673280
I love pairing fresh ingredients with fajitas.
https://twitter.com/willgriesmer/status/730173581540331520
All kinds of things. To me, fresh ingredients in a salad ar essential. I usually use lettuce or kale, red onions, cucumbers, tomatoes and things like that.
Digicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net
I tweeted
https://twitter.com/MsCarolsueA/status/730639251260375041
Fruit salad with in-season fruits!
I like to pair stir fry with fresh veggies.
https://twitter.com/RachelGriesmer/status/731652586453901313
I love using frsh tomatoes in my sauces and for bruschetta.