An easy low carb, 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.
Simple shrimp arugula salad
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–using real whole food ingredients and creating easy no-fuss meals.
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.
More simple salads
Shrimp and Arugula Salad
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
- Toss lightly, then add more olive oil, if needed, to just lightly coat arugula. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Nutrition
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Katie
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.
KalynsKitchen
What a perfect salad!
Lisa
Thanks Kalyn! 🙂
KalynsKitchen
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!
Lisa
Thanks for including my recipe, Kalyn! 🙂
The Frugal Exerciser
Is this salad eaten with salad dressing? It looks tasty and pinning the recipe. Visiting from Motivational Mondays.
Lisa
It’s dressed with the lemon juice and olive oil. That’s the way they made it Sicily – so good!
Lisa
Thanks Lisa!
Lisa
Thanks Amanda!
Liya
This is my kind of salad !! Today I am going to make this paleo Recipes.
Nancy
What a dish!! I will try this tonight! 🙂
Lisa
Hope you enjoy it Nancy!
Emma
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.
Madison @ Keto Diet
Oh! Here’s another favorite delightful dish. A delicious shrimp dish with the squeeze of lemon! So tempting!
ASHLEY SCURTO
Is there something I can add to this instead of the avocado? I’m allergic, but I’d really like to make this salad. Thank you!
Lisa
Hi Ashley, the original salad I had in Sicily had shaved parmesan. You could also try a dairy-free cheese. Hope this helps!