In episode 87, host Taryn Solie shares a versatile recipe: Grilled Shrimp, Corn, and Avocado Salad. With step-by-step instructions, you’ll hear seasoning suggestions, grilling and prep tips, and how to craft a zesty homemade lime vinaigrette. Learn how easy it is to create this delicious, balanced dish, perfect for any season!
Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, or your favorite podcast player. Or scroll down to read a full transcript.
RECIPES MENTIONED
These are some of the recipes mentioned in the episode, all of which are on Hot Pan Kitchen.
- Grilled Shrimp, Corn, and Avocado Salad
- Grilled Shrimp Skewers
- Grilled Corn on the Cob No Husk
- Fruit Salad for a Crowd
- Grilled Potatoes
- Instant Pot Potato Salad
- Kabocha Squash Soup
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Some of the following are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
- Episode 62: Grilling Shrimp Skewers
- Episode 78: Grilling Corn on the Cob
- Trader Joe’s Frozen Roasted Corn
- Metal skewers
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Salt conversion chart from Epicurious
- Grilling tongs
- Ove Glove oven mitts
We LOVE our Thermoworks Thermapen ONE meat thermometer to quickly and easily check the internal temperatures of meats. We’ve used a Thermapen for years and they are AMAZING. Get one for yourself here (affiliate link).
TRANSCRIPT
Taryn Solie: Hello grillers, and thank you for tuning in today! I am your host, Taryn Solie, and I am here to talk with you about all things grilling and outdoor cooking, including delicious recipes and handy tips and tricks, all to give you some grilling inspiration.
Today we’re going over a recipe that has the flavors of summer but can really be enjoyed any time of the year – a grilled shrimp, corn, avocado, and tomato salad. While some of the components of the salad are at their peak during the summer months, you can still find them during off-peak times if you’re craving them.
There are two items that go on the grill for this salad – the shrimp and the corn. I actually cover grilling both of these separately in episodes 62 and 78, respectively, though I will be going over directions in this episode as well. However if you want additional tips and tricks be sure and check out those episodes.
Also, while this salad doesn’t take long to make – around 40 minutes – it can be cut down to under 30 minutes if you want to use frozen corn. You could use either plain frozen corn or I’ve also found frozen roasted corn at Trader Joe’s that has cotija cheese in it, which would work well in this salad. I will add a link to it on the show notes page if you want to check it out.
But before we get too far into the recipe, let’s go over the ingredients you’ll need. I’m breaking them down into three sections – the salad ingredients, the ingredients for the shrimp seasoning, and the dressing ingredients.
For the salad itself you’ll need:
- 1 head of green leaf lettuce (or another lettuce you prefer),
- 1 avocado,
- 2 corn on the cob,
- 1 pound of raw shrimp that have been peeled & deveined,
- 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, and
- 2 tsp of a mild oil – I like to use avocado oil.
Then to season the shrimp you’ll need the following spices:
- ½ tsp of smoked paprika,
- ¼ tsp of garlic powder,
- ¼ tsp of ground cumin,
- ⅛ tsp of ground black pepper, and
- ¾ tsp of Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
Finally, for the dressing, which is a lime vinaigrette, you’ll need:
- 2 tbsp of lime juice, which is usually about one large lime,
- 3 tbsp of a mild oil, like avocado or olive oil,
- ½ tsp of Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and
- ⅛ tsp of ground black pepper.
It might sound like a lot of ingredients, but there are several repeats and the seasoning and dressing come together really quickly – like in maybe 2 minutes. So don’t let that overwhelm you!
A couple of quick notes about this recipe before I get into the directions.
First, you’ll want to grab some grilling skewers. I prefer to use 12 inch metal skewers as I find the wood ones don’t hold up well on the grill. They’re not expensive and they keep for a long time. If you are using wood ones, be sure and soak them in water for a couple of hours prior to putting them on the grill.
And speaking of skewers, if you’re buying metal ones you want to make sure they’re flat, not rounded. If the skewer part is rounded your food is going to swing around when you try and flip it and it will be very difficult to ensure you can cook both sides.
Then the last note to consider – this recipe specifically uses Diamond Crystal kosher salt, which is the brand of salt I prefer to cook and grill with. It’s less salty by volume than other salts, leaving a little more room for error as you season your food. If you have a different type of salt, I’ll link to an article on the show notes page that will help you figure out how much salt to use.
Okay, now let’s talk about actually making the recipe. We’re going to start by prepping the vegetables.
Use a sharp knife and cutting board to cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Set them aside and move onto the lettuce. You can either cut or tear the lettuce into bite-size pieces, if you didn’t buy lettuce that’s already been pre-chopped. Then cut the avocado into slices or bite-size pieces, depending on your preference. Set all of this aside while you move on to the corn.
First you need to preheat your grill to a medium heat, around 400 degrees F. Remove the husks and silk, which are the strings inside the husk, from each corn cob if they didn’t come pre-shucked. Rinse the corn with water and dry it off with a towel.
Once the grill is warmed up, place the corn on the grill grates with a pair of tongs and close the lid. You want to cook the corn for 4 minutes with the lid closed, then rotate each cob a quarter way around and cook another 4 minutes. You’ll cook it for 16 minutes total, rotating it a quarter way around each time so that each “side” of the corn is up against the grill grate to get some char on it.
While the corn is on the grill, go ahead and prep the shrimp. Make the shrimp seasoning blend by using measuring spoons to measure out the spices, then combine them in a small bowl and set them aside.
Get out a large bowl (or I like to use a rectangular glass casserole dish) and place the raw shrimp in it. Dry the shrimp off using paper towels, which will help the seasoning stick better, then throw the towels away.
Before you season the shrimp, measuring out 2 teaspoons of oil and place it in a small bowl – this way you won’t have to touch the oil bottle with dirty hands.
Sprinkle the seasoning over the shrimp and stir everything together with your hands. Then drizzle the oil over the shrimp as well. Use your hands again to combine everything together, making sure each shrimp is as evenly coated as possible.
Now it’s time to get the shrimp on your skewers. Take out a skewer and pick up a shrimp. Keep the shrimp in a C shape so you can push the skewer both through the smaller tail and large body section of the shrimp – this will help keep the shrimp in place. Gently push a shrimp onto the skewer, making sure to get the skewer’s point as close to the middle of the shrimp as possible. Slide it down to the bottom of the skewer, then keep repeating until all of the shrimp are on all of the skewers.
A quick tip here: try and place the same size of shrimp together on the same skewer – smaller ones on one skewer, larger ones on another. You should be able to fit 5 to 6 shrimp onto 1 skewer, depending on the size of your shrimp, or if you’re using different sized skewers. Set these aside while you finish cooking the corn.
Once the corn is done cooking, remove it from the grill with the tongs and set it aside on a platter or plate to let cool. Turn down the heat on the grill to about 350 degrees F and place the shrimp skewers on the grill grates, closing the lid and cooking for 2 minutes.
After the 2 minutes are up, open the lid and flip the shrimp (with an oven mitt on as the skewers will be hot), then close the lid and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Go ahead and remove the shrimp from the grill once they are opaque all the way through and at an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. Set the skewers aside while you start to assemble the rest of the ingredients.
Use a sharp knife and cutting board to cut the kernels off the corn cob. Place one end of the corn cob on the cutting board and place the knife at the top of the cob near the base of the corn kernels on one side. Gently saw the knife back and forth starting at the top on down to cut the kernels away from the cob. Rotate the cob and repeat on all sides until the kernels are all removed. This can get a little messy so be sure and use a large enough surface so the kernels aren’t falling onto the floor.
Now you can start assembling the salad. Place the chopped lettuce in a large serving bowl and pile on the grilled corn kernels, grilled shrimp, tomatoes, and avocado. Measure the dressing ingredients into a small jar with a lid and shake to combine. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix with tongs or salad utensils. I also like to add a sprinkle of flaky salt on to my salads, which you could do here, along with some sliced lime wedges. Then serve it up!
This dish is really an all in one meal, but if you’re trying to serve a lot of people or stretch it out there are a number of sides you could serve it with. Of course some fruit works, like in a fruit salad. If you want something a little more filling you could choose a starchy side, like some grilled potatoes or a potato salad. Or if it’s not too hot out you could do the classic combo of a soup and salad – I would probably do a veggie based soup with this, like a creamy squash soup.
I’ll include a link to the full printable recipe for grilled shrimp, corn, and tomato salad, as well as the other recipes and resources I’ve mentioned, on the show notes page. To get to it you can either go to my main website at Hot Pan Kitchen dot com and click on podcast in the main menu, or you can click on the link provided in whatever podcast app you’re listening on.
If you enjoyed this recipe, consider subscribing to the show on your favorite podcast platform so you don’t miss out on future episodes! I’ve got so many more great grilling and smoking recipes you’re going to love.
That’s it for today, thank you so much for listening, and until next time, keep grilling like a mother.
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