An easy paleo recipe for 5-ingredient shrimp and arugula salad inspired by my trip to Italy.
I first had this incredible shrimp and arugula salad in a little ristorante in Taormina, Sicily. It was a perfect lunch on a sunny terrace. I was surprised at how few ingredients were in the salad. But once I tasted the freshness of the local ingredients, and the way the way the flavors worked together, I was convinced. And I’ve been making it this way ever since.
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What made it so special? The attention to detail – using the best quality ingredients, dressing them with simply fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, and letting the flavors shine through. When you start with great seafood and the freshest produce, you don’t have to add much to it.
I knew this salad was a dish I could easily recreate at home. I love bringing this simple recipe from that little Italian kitchen to my own. It fits in perfectly with the way I like to cook.
Since this salad uses cooked shrimp, you can cook the shrimp in advance or buy the shrimp already cooked at your local fish market. Just be sure to get big, beautiful shrimp like you would use for shrimp cocktail. The rest of the salad takes less than five minutes to put together.
The original salad was finished with shaved Parmesan. I substituted avocado here to make it dairy-free. But you could even leave it out. I think it’s the combination of the spicy arugula, sweet shrimp, tangy lemon, and fruity olive oil that makes this salad so good.
Just looking at this shrimp and arugula salad reminds me of that sunny terrace in Italy.
- 8 cups baby arugula
- 1 pound large cooked shrimp
- 1 avocado diced
- 4 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
- 2 lemons 1 juiced and 1 cut into wedges
- coarse sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
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Add arugula, shrimp, and avocado to a large bowl. Drizzle with half of the olive oil, juice of one lemon, and salt and pepper to taste.
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Toss lightly, then add more olive oil, if needed, to just lightly coat arugula. Taste and adjust seasonings.
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Serve with lemon wedges on the side.
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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by BonAppetit.com's “Out of the Kitchen” series. #epicurious #outofthekitchen
Thank you for this delicious sounding recipe! I’ll have to try this myself sometime soon too!.
The point of the Paleo diet is, and I feel some people forget this, to not only diet, but to eat delicious foods at the same time. Paleo is the only diet I’ve come across that cuts out food groups, yet still focuses on everyone’s need to eat great food.
I’m a real foodie, and would not survive on any other diet, but Paleo has been very good for me.
What a perfect salad!
Thanks Kalyn! 🙂
Good morning! Just letting you know that I featured this salad in my May round-up of Deliciously Healthy Low-Carb Recipes, which was posted this morning. Love this recipe; I hope a lot of my readers will click over here and try it!
Thanks for including my recipe, Kalyn! 🙂
Is this salad eaten with salad dressing? It looks tasty and pinning the recipe. Visiting from Motivational Mondays.
It’s dressed with the lemon juice and olive oil. That’s the way they made it Sicily – so good!
What an easy and delicious sounding recipe! Thank you so much for sharing on our Living with Style Linky Party. Please come back next Wednesday!
Lisa @ Harmonyandhappiness.com
Thanks Lisa!
What a tasty recipe! The Paleo lifestyle is very intriguing. Thanks for sharing with the #homemattersparty. We’re glad to have you!
Thanks Amanda!
This is my kind of salad !! Today I am going to make this paleo Recipes.
What a dish!! I will try this tonight! 🙂
Hope you enjoy it Nancy!
Just fabulous! Nice shape of the Shrimp….I made this last night on our family get together party. Every one just enjoy this recipe and they took a note of the recipe. Thanks for sharing a nice dish.
Oh! Here’s another favorite delightful dish. A delicious shrimp dish with the squeeze of lemon! So tempting!