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Hungry Healthy Happy » Recipes » Salad

Chilli and Lime Prawn and Avocado Salad

Nov 23, 2024 · Written by Dannii Martin · This post may contain affiliate links which earn us commissions if purchases are made · 60 Comments

88 shares
  • 49
Diet: Gluten Free
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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 and Substitutions
  • Variations
  • Step by Step
  • How to Pick the Perfect Avocado
  • Marinated Prawns
  • Salad Dressing
  • Serving Suggestions
  • Extra Tips
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • 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 and Substitutions

All the ingredients needed to make this recipe with text overlay labels.

A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

  • 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.

Variations

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.

Step by Step

Prawns in a bowl with herbs and chilli flakes.
  1. Step 1: Mix the prawns with the oil, coriander (cilantro), garlic, lime juice and chilli flakes.
Prawns cooking in a frying pan.
  1. Step 2: Add to a hot pan and fry for 2 minutes.
a bowl of lemon vinaigrette.
  1. Step 3: Make the lemon vinaigrette.
Salad leaves dressed in a lemon vinaigrette.
  1. Step 4: Dress the salad leaves. Transfer to a serving bowl.
Cucumber, avocado and cooked prawns added to the bowl of lettuce.
  1. Step 5: Top the lettuce with the cucumber, avocado and cooked prawns.

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 into 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.

Serving Suggestions

If you want a really light and low calorie salad, then serving this by itself works well. However, we like to turn this into 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

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.
Prawn salad in a bowl with a spoon.

Frequently Asked Questions

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 into an air tight container before dressing and store it in the fridge.

More Prawn Recipes

  • A wooden bowl of garlic prawn noodles.
    Garlic Prawn Noodles
  • Prawn and Chorizo Pasta in a bowl with rocket lettuce leaves on top.
    Prawn and Chorizo Pasta
  • Kung po prawns and brown rice in a grey bowl.
    Kung Po Prawns
  • A circle of prawn cocktail canapes on a round wooden board.
    Prawn Cocktail Canapes

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

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

Chilli and Lime Prawn and Avocado Salad

By: Dannii Martin
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
4.91 from 54 votes
Pin Print Save recipe Saved!
Course: Salad
Cuisine: British
Prep: 3 minutes mins
Cook: 2 minutes mins
Total: 5 minutes mins
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 340kcal
Allergens:
An illustration of a shrimp.
Shellfish

Ingredients

  • 240 g (9 oz) Mixed lettuce leaves
  • 180 g (6.5 oz) King prawns
  • 0.5 teaspoon Olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon Red chilli flakes
  • 1 Lime - juice only
  • 10 g (0.66 cups) Fresh coriander (cilantro) - finely chopped
  • 2 Garlic clove - crushed
  • 1 Avocado - sliced
  • 0.25 Cucumber - sliced
  • 1 Red onion - thinly sliced
  • 100 ml (0.5 cups) Lemon vinaigrette

Instructions

  • Mix 180 g King prawns with 0.5 teaspoon Olive oil, 10 g Fresh coriander (cilantro), 2 Garlic clove, juice of 1 Lime and 1 teaspoon Red chilli flakes. Add to a hot pan and fry for 2 minutes.
  • Make 100 ml Lemon vinaigrette and dress 240 g Mixed lettuce leaves. Transfer to a serving bowl.
  • Top the lettuce with 0.25 Cucumber, 1 Avocado, 1 Red onion and the cooked prawns.

Recipe 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.

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

The 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.

As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.

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Comments

  1. Rosie says

    June 06, 2023 at 11:16 pm

    3 stars
    I’m not a fan of raw red onion is what I’ve realised but if I hadn’t added so much of that I think it would’ve been better

    Reply
  2. Stephanie says

    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
  3. Everything Mummy says

    August 18, 2016 at 11:58 am

    5 stars
    This sounds so up my street! Love prawns love avocado great recipe xx

    Reply
  4. This Mama Life says

    August 17, 2016 at 10:13 pm

    5 stars
    I'm not a big prawn fan but I love the sound of the flavours in this and it looks super yummy. How good do those tomatoes look?!x

    Reply
  5. amanda says

    August 17, 2016 at 10:01 pm

    5 stars
    Wow this looks delicious. I love all of these flavours! xx

    Reply
  6. Steph Oakes says

    August 17, 2016 at 4:22 pm

    This looks delicious and some of my favourite flavours. Thanks for sharing x

    Reply
  7. Melanie Edjourian says

    August 17, 2016 at 10:25 am

    5 stars
    What a great salad, it looks like it would be very filling with a good range of flavours ;-)

    Reply
  8. Hannah says

    August 17, 2016 at 9:35 am

    5 stars
    This looks so tasty, love how much colour is in the bowl!

    Reply
  9. Tara says

    August 16, 2016 at 5:11 pm

    5 stars
    Another fabulous looking recipe, thanks so much!

    Reply
  10. Fashion and Style Police says

    August 16, 2016 at 11:30 am

    5 stars
    I love anything with tomatoes in it. This recipe will be tried here for sure.

    Reply
  11. Anosa says

    August 16, 2016 at 11:09 am

    Looks and sounds delicous, love tomatoes in everything over the summer! This is the kind of dish I would make for my lunch when at work, will be trying it this next week. Thanks for sharing... and congratulations!

    Reply
  12. Rachel says

    August 16, 2016 at 9:48 am

    5 stars
    I always grow tomatoes, there is something about the scent of them that I adore, and I love the idea of having them with an avocado and some prawns x

    Reply
  13. Vikki Beno says

    August 16, 2016 at 7:33 am

    I never knew that cucumbers grew like that! I would love some more helpful gardening posts, as we are moving at the end of the year and I want to plant some things next summer, but nothing too complicated.

    Reply
  14. Cara says

    August 16, 2016 at 7:31 am

    I have made this for my lunch tomorrow. It's too hot for anything other than a salad and I have loads of avocado that needs using up. I have put a whole avocado on this.

    Reply
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My name is Dannii. Here you will find easy family recipes with a healthy twist.

Established in 2011, Hungry Healthy Happy has become one of the UK's most popular food blogs, with two successful recipe books published.

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