One of my favorite things about visiting my family is being in my dad’s kitchen. There is always something good in the works and on this trip it’s been homemade sourdough bread, homemade yogurt (tutorial coming soon!) and an awesome taco salad.
Southwestern Shrimp Taco Salad
Last night we cooked a Southwestern Shrimp Taco Salad that my dad has been making for a few months now and wanted me to try.
The salad features a mix of grilled corn, black beans, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and green onions in a cumin-lime dressing over a bed of mixed greens. It’s topped with grilled shrimp and served with tortilla chips.
My dad manned the grill while I prepped the salad.
You could definitely use canned or boiled corn in place of the grilled corn but the grilling adds so much flavor and a pretty char.
The shrimp could also be prepared on the stovetop if you don’t feel like firing up the grill or don’t have access to one. They cook super quickly.
The bean and veggie mixture is tossed with a lime juice, cumin, olive oil, garlic, hot sauce and maple syrup dressing and is equally as good used as a dip for the chips as it is for the salad topping.
All together…veggie and bean mixture over mixed greens topped with shrimp, a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of feta. This was such a delicious salad that was fun to eat. Don’t let the long ingredient list scare you off. It comes together quickly and is easy to prepare.
Feel free to adjust this salad to your taste. Cilantro hater? Leave it out. Don’t love green onions? Leave them out. Love cheese? Add your favorite.
Put this on your dinner menu soon!
Southwestern Shrimp Taco Salad
(Recipe adapted from Cooking Light)
TO SERVE
Divide lettuce among bowls and top with veggie and bean mixture. Top with shrimp and cheese of choice, if desired (you can totally leave out the cheese…there’s plenty going on here already but everything is better with cheese!). Add a dollop of sour cream and serve with corn chips.
