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    Hungry Healthy Happy » Recipes » Salad

    Chilli and Lime Prawn and Avocado Salad

    Published: Aug 15, 2016 · Modified: Sep 14, 2021 by Dannii · This post may contain affiliate links · 62 Comments

    498 shares
    • 383
    Jump to Recipe
    Diet: Gluten Free
    Prawn avocado salad with a text title overlay.

    A simple, but flavour packed salad that is ready in under 10 minutes. Add some extra flavour to prawns (shrimp) with a little lime and chilli and pair with creamy avocado for a light summer salad. This Chilli and Lime Prawn and Avocado Salad is a tasty lunch or light dinner that proved that salads don't have to be boring.

    A large bowl of prawn salad next to a blue towel.

    In the warmer months, we practically live on salads. But, having the same one all the time can get a little boring, so we are always creating new and exciting salads, and this is one of our favourites. Slightly crispy prawns cooked in a chilli and lime marinade on a bed of greens with creamy avocado. This is a simple salad, with just a few ingredients, that has a lot of flavour.

    Jump to:
    • Why you will love it
    • Ingredients needed
    • Step by step
    • How to pick the perfect avocado
    • Marinated prawns
    • Salad Dressing
    • How to adapt it
    • What to serve it with
    • FAQs
    • Extra tips
    • More prawn recipes
    • Recipe
    • Feedback

    Why you will love it

    • A light and fresh salad
    • Ready in under 10 minutes
    • Just a few simple ingredients
    • A new way to enjoy prawns
    • Easy to adapt

    Ingredients needed

    All the ingredients needed to make this recipe with text overlay labels.
    • Salad greens - The base of any good salad, we like to have a good mixture. We have used romaine for crunch, and then spinach for a nutrient boost. Feel free to use your favourite, or whatever you have that needs using. Something like rocket lettuce (arugula) adds a nice peppery flavour too.
    • Prawns - We used cooked king prawns. If you are using raw prawns, then cooking times will vary.
    • Lime and chilli - This is where all the flavour comes from. You might need to use a whole lime if your lime isn't very juicy. If you don't like spicy food, then take the seeds out of the chilli and it won't be as spicy.
    • Avocado - This adds lots of creaminess to the salad and healthy fats too. See below for our tips on choosing the perfect avocado.
    • Herbs - We used coriander, as it goes really well with the lime and chilli. Fresh parsley would work well too.
    • Red onion and cucumber - An easy way to add some crunch and colour to the salad.
    • Salad dressing - We used our Lemon Vinaigrette as a dressing for the salad leaves.

    A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.

    Step by step

    One: Mix the prawns with the oil, coriander (cilantro), garlic, lime juice and chilli flakes. Add to a hot pan and fry for 2 minutes.

    Three shot collage of prawns in a bowl, then with marinade added, then cooking in a pan.

    Two: Make the lemon vinaigrette and dress the salad leaves. Transfer to a serving bowl.

    Three shot collage of salad dressing then salad leaves in a bowl, then dressed salad in a bowl.

    Three: Top the lettuce with the cucumber, avocado and cooked prawns.

    Two shot collage of salad in a bowl. The first with lettuce, cucumber and avocado slices, the second with cooked prawns added.

    How to pick the perfect avocado

    The key is to pick a ripe but not over-ripe avocados. We like Hass avocados. Try to look for avocados that give a bit to a gentle squeeze. But you don't want one that it too soft, as it will be over ripe.

    Don't worry if when you cut in to it there are some bruised or brown bits, as you can scoop those out and discard before chopping up the rest up.

    Take a look at our post on different ways to eat avocados.

    Marinated prawns

    The majority of the flavour in this prawn and avocado salad comes from the sesame oil, chilli, lime and herbs that the prawns are cooked in. They are flash fried for just a minute, to take on the flavours and give them a little crispiness. A splash of soy sauce adds some nice flavour too.

    You don't have to add these though, and you could swap them for your favourite seasoning blend like Mexican or Cajun.

    Marinated prawns on top of avocado and salad leaves.

    Salad Dressing

    This prawn and avocado salad doesn't have a dressing in the traditional sense. We have used our Lemon Vinaigrette for the salad leaves.

    However, you could add a dressing if you prefer. A balsamic based dressing would work well with the creaminess of the avocado.

    How to adapt it

    The great thing about salads is that they are so easy to adapt. Switch and swap ingredients to suit your own tastes, or just use whatever you have in the fridge to help reduce food waste. Here are some of our favourite ingredients to add:

    • Grains - Anything like giant couscous, bulgar wheat, wild rice, pasta or orzo works to bulk this salad out and make it a more filling meal.
    • Beans - Give this prawn and avocado salad a protein boost with some cooked beans. Butter beans, chickpeas or black beans all work well, and they add some creaminess too.
    • Vegetables - We love anything that we can add some extra vegetables to, and this salad it just that. Grated carrot is an easy way to do that, and it adds lots of colour too. We also like roasted peppers and artichokes.
    • Fruit - We love fruit in salad (have you tried our Grilled Peach Salad?). Add some sweetness to this salad with some grilled mango or pineapple.
    • Nuts or seeds - To add some crunch to this salad, finish it off with a sprinkle of pine nuts or toasted flaked almonds. Peanuts work well too.

    What to serve it with

    If you want a really light and low calorie salad, then serving this by itself works well. However, we like to turn this in to more of a filling meal with a few sides. Here are some of our favourites:

    • Easy Homemade Flatbreads
    • Air Fryer Roast Potatoes
    • Easy Spanish Rice
    • Baked Tortilla Chips
    • Cilantro Lime Rice
    • Roasted Lemon Asparagus
    • Spanish Olives
    • Greek Potatoes
    • Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
    Prawn salad in a bowl with a spoon.

    FAQs

    Is prawn and avocado salad healthy?

    This is a delicious and nutrient dense salad. Avocados can be quite high in fat, but they are the healthy mono-saturated fats, which are good for the heart. Avocados are also abundant in vitamins K, C, B5, B6, E, folate and potassium. They are full of fibre and can also help to reduce cholesterol and help with eye health. Pretty much the ideal superfood!
    Prawns are not lacking either! Prawns are a good source of selenium, which is one of the most effective antioxidants at maintaining healthy cells. They also contain high levels of zinc, which is important to develop a healthy immune system. 

    How to store a prawn and avocado salad.

    This salad stores for 2 days in the fridge in an air tight container as long as it hasn't been dressed. Adding the dressing will make it go soggy. So, if you think you are going to have leftovers, transfer the extras in to an air tight container before dressing and store it in the fridge.

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    Extra tips

    • To store unused halves of avocado, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and place in fridge - it will be good until the next day. Don't worry if it goes a little brown, as you can just scrape that bit off and you will be left with bright green avocado.
    • If you are using raw prawns, then cooking times will vary. Make sure prawns are fulling defrosted if you are using frozen prawns.
    • Sprinkle some chopped spring onions (scallions) on top for some extra crunch.

    More prawn recipes

    • Garlic Prawn Noodles
    • Prawn and Chorizo Pasta
    • Air Fryer King Prawns
    • Crispy Prawn Tacos

    If you’ve tried this prawn and avocado salad, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
    Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.

    Recipe

    Prawn Avocado Salad in a large oval bowl.

    Chilli and Lime Prawn and Avocado Salad

    This Chilli and Lime Prawn and Avocado Salad is a tasty lunch or light dinner that proved that salads don't have to be boring.
    A circular logo saying GF.
    Gluten Free
    4.89 from 54 votes
    Author: Dannii
    Pin Print Save recipe Recipe saved!
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: British
    Prep Time: 3 minutes
    Cook Time: 2 minutes
    Total Time: 5 minutes
    Allergens:
    An illustration of a shrimp.
    Shellfish
    Servings: 2 people
    Calories: 340kcal
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    UK Metric Measures - US Customary Measures
    • 240 g Mixed lettuce leaves
    • 180 g King prawns
    • 0.5 teaspoon Olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
    • 1 Lime - juice only
    • 10 g Fresh coriander (cilantro) - finely chopped
    • 2 Garlic clove - crushed
    • 1 Avocado - sliced
    • 0.25 Cucumber - sliced
    • 1 Red onion - thinly sliced
    • 100 ml Lemon vinaigrette

    Instructions

    • Mix the prawns with the oil, coriander (cilantro), garlic, lime juice and chilli flakes. Add to a hot pan and fry for 2 minutes.
    • Make the lemon vinaigrette and dress the salad leaves. Transfer to a serving bowl.
    • Top the lettuce with the cucumber, avocado and cooked prawns.

    Notes

    • To store unused halves of avocado, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and place in fridge - it will be good until the next day. Don't worry if it goes a little brown, as you can just scrape that bit off and you will be left with bright green avocado.
    • If you are using raw prawns, then cooking times will vary. Make sure prawns are fulling defrosted if you are using frozen prawns.
    • Sprinkle some chopped spring onions (scallions) on top for some extra crunch.

    Nutritional Information

    Serving: 1portion | Calories: 340kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 564mg | Potassium: 1004mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1598IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 2mg
    DisclaimerThe nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Stephanie

      August 29, 2016 at 9:43 pm

      5 stars
      I have never got on with avocados but I keep seeing people using them. I need to try some more recipes.

      Reply
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