This Shrimp Corn Salad is a by-product of my shrimp addiction, and it is mixed with grilled sweet corn, butter lettuce, fresh tomatoes, feta cheese, and a simple lime vinaigrette. It is the perfect addition to your collection of summer salads. Can’t get enough seafood salads? Also, try Salmon Nicoise, Orzo and Shrimp, Seared Ahi Tuna, Chickpea Tuna Salad and Ina Garten’s Roasted Shrimp Salad recipes.
Why I love this recipe:
In addition to being visually impressive with all the colors of the rainbow, this Grilled Shrimp and Corn Salad is:
Packed with flavor: Made with simple everyday ingredients, it is packed with zesty flavors thanks to the lime vinaigrette and charred corn. Can be served as a side dish or a meal by itself: It is the perfect starter or side dish for your next barbecue spread, but it is filling enough to serve as a lighter main dish as well.
Ingredients:
This grilled shrimp and corn salad recipe has four sets of ingredients.
How to make Grilled Corn Shrimp Salad:
To be honest, it takes longer to write the recipe than to make it. The steps look long but if you have mise-en-place ready, you can make each component while the other one is getting ready:
Start with the shrimp:
I used my grilled shrimp skewers recipe to use it in this salad. I recommend starting with this as it will take 30 minutes for it to marinade. To do so: Don’t have time to fire up the grill? You can sauté marinated shrimp in a large skillet. Simply place the skillet over medium-high heat. When it is sizzling hot, cook the shrimp for 2-3 minutes on each side.
Grill The Corn:
You can grill the corn, while the shrimp is marinating to save time. To do so:
Fold back the husk of each ear of corn and tie with kitchen twine, as shown in the photos. Brush corn kernels with oil and sprinkle with salt. Cook corn on the grill over medium high heat until lightly charred on all sides. Brush with oil, turn and check every few minutes. Total grill time should be about 10-12 minutes. Transfer the now-grilled corn to a cutting board and let it cool. When cool enough to handle, slice corn kernels from the cobs using a sharp knife and collect in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Weather is too cold to grill? Use canned or frozen (and thawed) corn instead.
Make The Lime Dressing:
It takes less than 3 minutes to make the dressing, simply mix together olive oil, zest of a lime, fresh lime juice, garlic, and salt and black pepper in a small bowl (or a mason jar) and set it aside.
Assemble The Salad:
Once every component is ready, you can assemble the salad. To do so:
Make ahead and storage:
Make-Ahead: If you want to save on time, I recommend making the shrimp marinade and the lime vinaigrette in advance. And then when you are ready to serve, you can marinate the shrimp while grilling the corn. And while the grilled corn is cooling, you can thread the marinated shrimp on the skewers. I recommend assembling the salad at the last minute as Boston lettuce leaves do not stand well with the acidic ingredients in the salad. You can learn more about why in my Boston Lettuce Salad recipe. Storage: You can store the leftovers in an airtight container to enjoy the next day. However, please be aware that the green leaves of the butter lettuce will wilt quite a bit.
Variations & Substitutions:
Switch up the salad dressing and try my Chili Lime Vinaigrette if you like Mexican/Southwestern Flavors. Want to incorporate more veggies into your salad? Try my Grilled Shrimp Kabobs with vegetables recipe. It uses the same marinade and it is packed with bell peppers and mushrooms. Use red onions instead of green onions: Both have so much flavor so you can use them interchangeably. Make it a pasta salad. Add elbow macaroni as I did in this Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad. If you prefer orzo, take a look at this delicious Orzo and Roasted Shrimp recipe as another option. Add in red bell peppers: Chop up a bell pepper and add it in for more crunch and veggie goodness. Make It a Grilled Shrimp Avocado Corn Salad by adding in a cubed ripe avocado. Switch up the greens: I used butter lettuce here, but a spring mix or romaine lettuce would also work great. Make it dairy-free: You can easily omit the cheese here to accommodate a dairy-free diet. Short on time? You can skip the marinade and simply brush it with a few tablespoons of olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper. In fact, you can nix the grill altogether and use a grill pan or saute it as I did in this Healthy Skinny Shrimp Scampi recipe.
Tips for success
Have all ingredients (mise-en-place) ready before you start. This is one of those recipes with several components, but each component takes a little hands-on time to put together, so you would have to do one thing while waiting for the other to complete. Be sure to taste test your feta before adding more salt: As it is with every recipe with feta cheese, you might want to check the saltiness of the one you are using before adding more salt to the recipe.
Other Healthy Salad Recipes You Might Like:
Black Bean and Corn Salad Mexican Street Corn Mexican Street Corn Salad Five Bean Salad Cucumber Mozzarella Tomato Salad Avocado Quinoa Salad
