Southwestern Shrimp Salad is a zhuzhed-up version of one of my favorite salads. I am decidedly not a salad person, so if I share one, you know it’s good. I crave and make this salad every summer.

I added shrimp and yellow corn tortilla strips to make it a more complete meal. I love making my own tortilla strips because you can control the type of oil and amount of salt, and more importantly, they taste fresh and amazing. You can make this vegan by omitting the shrimp and doubling the black beans.

Feel free to substitute extra-virgin olive oil for the avocado oil, if that’s what you have on hand. Although the MIND Diet recommends using olive oil as your primary cooking oil, you can use avocado oil when you want a more neutral flavor, such as in this salad, or when cooking with a high heat. The two oils have a similar nutritional profile, so avocado oil is an acceptable substitute when desired. I like this brand.

Southwestern Shrimp Salad is a MIND Diet powerhouse, featuring almost every color of the food rainbow, with a base of brain-boosting leafy greens and avocado. The shrimp offer a dose of astaxanthin, an antioxidant that may have “…neuroprotective effects on cognition and memory” in the hippocampus*, an area that is extremely important in the formation of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Southwestern Shrimp Salad

A MIND Diet powerhouse, featuring almost every color of the food rainbow

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Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Southwestern

Servings 4

Notes

To make ahead, prepare through step 3, storing tortilla strips, salad, and dressing separately. Combine immediately prior to serving.

Ingredients

  

Ingredients

• 6 yellow corn tortillas halved and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch wide strips
• 4 tablespoons avocado oil separated
• Kosher salt
• 1 cup cilantro stems removed and roughly chopped
• 1 avocado pit removed and fruit scooped from peel
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice about 1 lime
• 1 to 2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 1 large head romaine lettuce
• 1 orange bell pepper
• 10 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes or 1 pint
• 5 green onions
• 15 ounces canned black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 pound large peeled and deveined frozen cooked shrimp thawed, drained, and tails removed

Instructions

 

Instructions

• Make tortilla strips: Heat oven to 425 °F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss tortilla strips with 1 tablespoon avocado oil, spread out to a thin layer, and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt to taste. Bake, stirring occasionally, until crisp and golden brown, about 8 to 12 minutes. Set aside.
• Make dressing: While the tortilla strips are baking, add cilantro, avocado, lime juice, garlic cloves, 3 tablespoons avocado oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt, cumin, and vinegar to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth; set aside.
• Prepare salad: Chop romaine into 1-inch pieces and place in large serving bowl. Chop bell pepper, tomatoes, and green onions into small bite-sized pieces; add to bowl with lettuce. Add black beans and shrimp to bowl.
• Serve salad: Add dressing to salad and gently stir to coat evenly with dressing. Serve in individual bowls or plates, garnishing with tortilla strips immediately prior to serving.

Keyword Avocado, Bell pepper, Black beans, Brain health, Lettuce, MIND Diet, Rainbow, Romaine, Salad, Shrimp, Tomatoes, Tortilla

*From The Brain Health Kitchen. Annie Fenn, MD. 2023. Page 155.