Carrageenan Free Shrimp Salad with Avocado and Cilantro
Bright, citrusy, and loaded with creamy avocado, this shrimp salad is the kind of dish that feels like a restaurant plate but comes together entirely in your own kitchen. Carrageenan — a common additive used as a thickener or stabilizer — has a way of sneaking into processed seafood products, pre-made dressings, and even some packaged guacamole, making it genuinely tricky to avoid in a dish like this. Here, every single component is whole and unprocessed: fresh shrimp poached in salted water, ripe avocados you cube yourself, and a punchy lime-and-olive-oil dressing you whisk together from scratch. The cumin and red pepper flakes give the dressing a warm, smoky backbone, while the cucumber and red onion keep things crisp and fresh. Cilantro ties it all together with a herby brightness, and a little jalapeño adds just enough heat if you're into that. Because you're building everything from real ingredients with no shortcuts, you stay completely in control of what goes into the bowl. It's clean, satisfying, and genuinely delicious — the kind of salad you'll want to make on repeat all summer long.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 1 ½ lb large shrimp (21–25 count), peeled and deveined
- 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more for the poaching water
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 2 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, and cut into ¾-inch cubes
- 1 english cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced into half-moons
- ⅓ cup red onion, finely diced
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Fill a medium saucepan with water, season generously with salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the shrimp and cook for 2–3 minutes, until opaque throughout and curled into a loose C-shape. Drain through a colander and spread on a plate to cool for 10 minutes.
- 2
In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, cumin, 1 tsp kosher salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic until combined.
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