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 with my Grilled Chicken Brochettes and Zucchini salad. For dessert, my Plum Crumble would be an excellent finish!

Ingredients:

Shrimp Buying cooked shrimp saves time and reduces the heat in your kitchen. It makes this recipe so much easier!
Cherry Tomatoes will give you the best sweet 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 crunchy and zesty bite to this salad.
Dill is a delicious complement to the shrimp and full of summer flavor! But you could also use fresh tarragon or parsley to.
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 uses high-quality store-bought mayonnaise like Hellmann’s or Best Foods.
Avocados should be ripe but firm and not too mushy. 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!

Best Way To Cook Shrimp for Salads

If you buy your shrimp raw and need to cook it, here are my tips.
I think the easiest way to cook shrimp for any chilled salad is to bake it in the oven it’s quick and easy and will keep the shrimp moist and succulent.
Just be sure to keep the tails on, that will also prevent your shrimp from drying out. Then remove the tail and chop them into bite-sized pieces.
You can also cook shrimp this way for my classic New-England style Shrimp Roll Recipe which is another fantastic summer recipe to try.
You can bake them at 375°F for just a few minutes until pink and cooked through, and use them in any recipe calling for cooked shrimp.

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

Stuffing the Avocados

Stuffing avocados is so easy! And you can fill them with all sorts of things. Shrimp salad, chicken salad, or my Charred Corn Mexican Salad would be great, too!
Just be sure they are soft and ripe. That way, they are 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, to avoid them turning brown.

Make-Ahead Tips:

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