Shellfish Free Quinoa Avocado Salad with Turmeric Lemon Dressing
This vibrant grain salad is a celebration of fresh produce and bold, golden dressing — the kind of dish that looks stunning on the table and tastes even better than it looks. Fluffy quinoa forms the base, loaded with creamy diced avocado, juicy cherry tomatoes, crisp cucumber, and a double hit of fresh herbs from both parsley and mint. The real star is the turmeric lemon dressing, which brings together warm spice, bright citrus, and a touch of ginger into something that coats every ingredient beautifully. Crunchy dry-roasted pumpkin seeds folded in at the end add texture and a subtle nuttiness that rounds the whole bowl out. Every single ingredient here is naturally free from shellfish, so there's no label-scanning or substitution stress — just straightforward, wholesome cooking from start to finish. It works equally well as a light lunch, a meal-prep staple, or a crowd-pleasing side at any gathering.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the salad
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 2 cups water
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, and diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 english cucumber, diced
- ¼ cup red onion, finely diced
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup fresh mint, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup dry-roasted pumpkin seeds
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1½ lemons)
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- 1
Combine the rinsed quinoa, water, and ¼ tsp salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, until the water is fully absorbed and the quinoa tails have unfurled.
- 2
Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the quinoa steam, covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork, and spread onto a large plate or sheet pan to cool for at least 10 minutes, until no longer steaming.
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