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Cajun Shrimp Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

Succulent, perfectly cooked shrimp, crispy bacon, and fresh veggies in this healthy, low-calorie, low-carb Cajun Shrimp Salad with a homemade Cilantro Lime Dressing. Eating your veggies never tasted so good!

Cajun Shrimp Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

Cajun shrimp

Spicy Cajun seasoning goes so well with shrimp, so I wanted to combine those flavors in a light, flavorful salad. This salad was inspired by my amazing Cajun Shrimp and Vegetables Pasta recipe

I really wanted to Cajun flavored shrimp to really be the star of this salad, so I used the biggest jumbo shrimp I could find. You see how each shrimp is the same size as the avocado? Yea. Good stuff.

But you can use regular large shrimp for this salad if you prefer bite-size pieces. It's all good. 🙂

This salad is extra tasty thanks to both the Cajun seasoning and crispy bacon bits. Just a little bacon goes a long way to adding so much flavor to a dish without being too heavy on the calories (kind of how I add bacon bits to my sauteed asparagus).

You cook the bacon bits in a pan first, then cook the Cajun shrimp in the bacon drippings. Yum!

A bit of freshly shredded Parmesan cheese also helps everything taste extra good.

More Cajun-spiced salads to try: Pinto Bean Salad with Avocado Dressing

Close up of Cajun shrimp on salad

Related recipe: Cilantro Lime Shrimp

Cilantro lime vinaigrette

The Cilantro Lime Dressing is my go-to dressing these days. It's a great salad dressing to make for quick one or two serving salads. I love that it can be made in 2 minutes in a small bowl and used all at once, so it is super fresh.

All of this on top of a generous portion of greens, avocado, and tomatoes. This salad is a GREAT way to really enjoy your veggies without sacrificing amazing flavor. Give it a try for lunch or dinner!

Related recipe: Calamari Salad

Ingredients

For the Cajun shrimp salad:

  • 3 slices uncooked bacon, diced (tip: chop all the veggies and herbs first, wipe down the cutting board, then dice the bacon)
  • ½ lb jumbo shrimp (about 6 jumbo shrimp or 10 large shrimp), thawed if frozen. Get raw shrimp instead of buying pre-cooked shrimp. It takes only a few minutes to cook shrimp and the flavor and texture is incomparable to pre-cooked shrimp.
  • 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, or to taste. Look for Cajun seasoning without added salt or other fillers. This way you can control the salt and the spice of your dishes separately. I love this Cajun seasoning from Healthy Solutions. It doesn't have any salt or chemicals added to it. It's just the right size to make several delicious recipes, but not big enough that it sits unused for years in your pantry and gets stale and flavorless.
  • 4 cups salad greens, such as baby spinach
  • 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • ½ Hass avocado, sliced or cut into chunks
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste
  • ½ lime, for juicing

By the way, if you're looking for more ways to use Cajun seasoning, keep reading below for lots of great easy Cajun-spiced recipe ideas!

For the cilantro lime dressing:

  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro leaves
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice (about ½-1 lime)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ¼ - ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Related recipe: Shrimp and Vegetable Couscous Salad

Equipment

Aside from a cutting board and knife, you'll need the following things to make this salad:

  • Large pan (to cook the bacon and Cajun shrimp)
  • Paper towels (to absorb extra bacon grease)
  • Citrus juicer (fresh lime juice is SO much better than the bottled stuff! I love this Oxo citrus squeezer)
  • Garlic press (optional, but makes it easier than finely mincing garlic with a knife. I love this Oxo garlic press)

Related recipe: Creamy Cajun Shrimp Stuffed Avocado

Instructions

Step 1: Add the diced bacon pieces to a hot skillet, and cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the bacon is cooked and crispy. Remove the crispy bacon bits into a plate with a paper towel to absorb the extra fat. Drain extra grease into a heat-safe bowl and leave a little bit in the pan to cook the shrimp.

Step 2: In a bowl, combine the shrimp and the Cajun seasoning (add salt if your seasoning doesn't contain salt), and mix well.

Step 3: Preheat a large skillet which still has a bit of bacon grease remaining. Cook the shrimp for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until the shrimp is fully cooked. Squeeze some lime juice over the shrimp. Set shrimp aside so it doesn't overcook.

Step 4: Assemble the salad: Place the sliced tomatoes and avocado on top of the spinach. Sprinkle with crispy bacon. Top with cooked Cajun shrimp. Shave some Parmesan over it. Drizzle with cilantro lime dressing.

Step 5: Make the dressing: In a small bowl, combine the very finely chopped cilantro, lime juice, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Grate 1 garlic clove into the dressing, and add ¼ teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Mix well, crushing and muddling the cilantro leaves to release their fragrance into the dressing. Taste and see if you need to adjust with additional salt, pepper, or lime juice.

Related: Are Grits Low-Carb?

More Cajun-spiced recipes

If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!

Cajun Shrimp Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing
Print Recipe
4.86 from 21 votes

Cajun Shrimp Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

This Cajun Shrimp Salad is light, healthy, low-carb, and so flavorful and tasty. It has an amazing cilantro lime dressing that is made fresh in 2 minutes. The best shrimp salad for lunch!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: American, Cajun
Diet: Gluten Free
Servings: 2
Author: Kate

Ingredients

Cajun shrimp salad
  • 3 slices bacon - diced
  • ½ lb jumbo shrimp - (about 6 jumbo shrimp or 10 large shrimp), thawed if frozen
  • 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning - (see notes)
  • 4 cups salad greens - such as baby spinach
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes - sliced in half
  • ½ Hass avocado - sliced or cut into chunks
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese - or to taste
  • ½ lime - for juicing
Cilantro Lime Dressing
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro leaves
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice - (about ½-1 lime)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove - minced
  • ¼ - ½ teaspoon salt - or to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper - to taste

Special equipment

Instructions

  • Add the diced bacon pieces to a hot skillet, and cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the bacon is cooked and crispy. Remove the crispy bacon bits into a plate with a paper towel to absorb the extra fat. Drain extra grease into a heat-safe bowl and leave a little bit in the pan to cook the shrimp.
  • In a bowl, combine the shrimp and the Cajun seasoning (add salt if your seasoning doesn't contain salt), and mix well.
  • Preheat a large skillet which still has a bit of bacon grease remaining. Cook the shrimp for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until the shrimp is fully cooked. Squeeze some lime juice over the shrimp. Set shrimp aside so it doesn't overcook. 
  • Assemble the salad: Place the sliced tomatoes and avocado on top of the spinach. Sprinkle with crispy bacon. Top with cooked Cajun shrimp. Shave some Parmesan over it. Drizzle with cilantro lime dressing. 
Cilantro Lime Dressing
  • In a small bowl, combine the very finely chopped cilantro, lime juice, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Grate 1 garlic clove into the dressing, and add ¼ teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Mix well, crushing and muddling the cilantro leaves with a fork into the dressing to release its flavor. Taste and see if you need to adjust with additional salt and pepper.

Notes

If your Cajun seasoning doesn't have salt, add a generous pinch of salt when seasoning the shrimp with the Cajun seasoning. Adjust the amount of Cajun seasoning to taste, some brands are really spicy!
Tip: chop all the veggies and herbs first, wipe down the cutting board, then dice the bacon.

Nutrition

Calories: 414kcal (21%) | Carbohydrates: 7g (2%) | Protein: 5g (10%) | Fat: 34g (52%) | Saturated Fat: 7g (35%) | Cholesterol: 21mg (7%) | Sodium: 804mg (34%) | Potassium: 331mg (9%) | Fiber: 4g (16%) | Vitamin A: 565IU (11%) | Vitamin C: 10.4mg (13%) | Calcium: 12mg (1%) | Iron: 0.7mg (4%)

The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.

Comments or questions about the recipe?
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Little Cooking Tips

Wednesday 20th of April 2016

Beautiful salad dear Kate! We'd LOVE to try that one out on the weekend, we bought some jumbo shrimp and the avocados are ripening on the counter:) Thank you for another fantastic recipe! xoxoxo

Ciao Florentina

Monday 13th of April 2015

You had me at Shrimp! 5 people I know made shrimp this weekend, including myself! Wow I could eat this right now, shrimp and avocados have a thing for each other !

Amber @ The Bewitched Baker

Thursday 9th of April 2015

Cajun seasoning is amazing with salad - the greens just seem to bring out the flavor. YUM. This salad looks great.

Maureen | Orgasmic Chef

Tuesday 7th of April 2015

Those shrimp are definitely the main attraction and hero of this salad. I love that dressing too!

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