Name: Shrimp Stuffed Avocado
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 32 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 lb (450g) of cooked shrimp, cut into bite sized pieces; 1/2 cup (113g) cherry tomatoes, diced; 2 Tbsp (30 ml) shallots, diced; ¼ tsp (1.25 ml) fresh lemon zest; 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh dill, minced + more for garnish; Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste; 1/4 cup (60 ml) mayonnaise; 2 ripe avocados

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A Shrimp-Stuffed Avocado is the perfect “no-cook” recipe when it’s too hot to cook and all you feel like doing is “assembling.”

It can be served as a first or main course for lunch or dinner. As a first course, I recommend one avocado per person, and if served as a main course, I would increase the portion to two avocados per person.

If serving as a first course, follow up with my Grilled Chicken Brochettes and Zucchini salad. For dessert, my Plum Crumble would be an excellent finish!

A stuffed shrimp avocado on a plate with lemon slices. — Shrimp Stuffed Avocados are hearty, refreshing and full of summer flavor!

Ingredients:

Shrimp: Buy cooked shrimp to save time and reduce the heat in your kitchen. It makes this recipe so much easier! If buying raw shrimp, see my tips for cooking below. Buy a little extra raw shrimp to make my delicious Shrimp and Broccoli Stir Fry!
Cherry Tomatoes: This time of year, cherry tomatoes are at their peak of sweetness! They will give you the best flavor, and they are easier to cut too! For a shrimp recipe with a wonderful cherry tomato sauce try my Shrimp Scampi Recipe.
Shallots provide a nice little crunch and zesty bite to the salad. I prefer shallots over red onions because they are sweeter and more subtle in flavor, which works well with the delicate flavor of the shrimp. For another crunchy addition, you could also add some diced cucumber.
Dill is a delicious complement to the shrimp and full of summer flavor, but you could also use fresh tarragon or parsley. For a spicy kick, add some diced jalapeno pepper.
Lemon Zest will give you a nice lemony kick. For the best flavor, be sure to use a grater that is a bit bigger than a traditional zester.
Mayonnaise: For the best flavor, buy high-quality store-bought mayonnaise, like Hellmann’s or Best Foods. You could substitute the mayonnaise for crème fraiche or sour cream, but I find the mayonnaise provides a silkier texture. This is really the only dressing you need—it’s what makes this salad so easy! To make the dressing even better, add a squeeze of lemon juice.
Avocados should be ripe but still a bit firm. Buy them unripe a day or two ahead and let them ripen on your counter; this will prevent them from becoming bruised by other shoppers squeezing them to check for ripeness! The combination of shrimp and avocado is such a delicious flavor pairing! But you could also use lobster, too, for a fancier occasion.

Best Way To Cook Shrimp for Salads

If you buy your shrimp raw and need to cook them, here are my tips.
The easiest way to cook shrimp for any chilled salad is to bake it in the oven. Not only is it quick and easy, but it also keeps the shrimp moist and succulent.
Be sure to keep the tails on; this will also prevent your shrimp from drying out. Then, remove the tails and chop the shrimp into bite-sized pieces.
Bake the shrimp on a sheet pan tossed with olive oil to prevent sticking at 375°F (190C) for just a few minutes until pink and cooked through. Then, use them in any recipe calling for cooked shrimp.
I also cook shrimp this way for my classic New England-style Shrimp Roll Recipe, which is another fantastic summer recipe to try.

Diced shrimp on a cutting board with a bowl of cooked shrimp and a knife. — Slice the shrimp in thirds to create nice bite-sized pieces for the shrimp salad.

Mixing up the Shrimp Salad

Place everything in a large bowl, and then add the mayonnaise last. This will ensure that the mayonnaise covers all the ingredients in the shrimp mixture.
Since most of the ingredients, like the shrimp and the tomatoes, are moist, the mayonnaise is diluted nicely, creating a thinner sauce.
Don’t mix the salad too far in advance, or the moisture in the ingredients will dilute the mayonnaise too much.
It’s better to prep all the ingredients, toss them in the bowl, refrigerate them, and then add the mayonnaise just before serving.

Stuffing the Avocados

Stuffing avocados is so easy! And you can fill them with all sorts of things; tuna salad, Chicken Salad, or my Charred Corn Mexican Salad would be great, too!
Just be sure they are soft and ripe. That way, they will be easier to handle and scoop out.
Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit with a chef’s knife, and scoop out the avocado with a large serving spoon. Then place it on a plate.
Don’t cut the avocados until you are ready to serve them, to prevent them from turning brown.

A person spooning out an avocado from it's shell with a large spoon. — I prefer to remove the avocados from their shells to serve; that way, the dish is easier to eat and enjoy!

Make-Ahead Tips:

If you need to cook the shrimp, cook it a day ahead, cover and refrigerate
You can prep the rest of the ingredients the day you plan to serve the salad. Place the shrimp and vegetables in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
Then right before serving, toss the ingredients with the mayonnaise and add the dill, salt, and pepper.
Prep the avocados and serve immediately.