Shrimp and Avocado Salad

By cmschnettler

Ingredients

• 1 lb bag of frozen shrimp - size unimportant
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 roma tomatoes
• 1/2 fresh pineapple
• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/2 red onion
• handful of cilantro
• zest of one lime
• juice of 2 limes
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp Sriracha
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• kosher or sea salt, to taste

Details

Adapted from lawrence.com

Preparation

Step 1

This is a simple "chop it up and throw it in" dish.

First, cook your shrimp. I peeled, then sauteed mine in a bit of olive oil (1 Tablespoon) with a little salt and garlic because I think it brings out better flavor, but if you'd like to just boil it and save yourself the oil calories, go right ahead. Shrimp cooks quickly - don't overdo it. Just a few minutes over medium heat will do the trick. I let it cool, and then gave it a rough chop with my chef's knife.

Do you know how to cut up an avocado? With a large knife, cut around the perimeter, the long way around. Separate into halves. With a chef's knife, "whack" the pit - just get the blade into the pit and pull - the pit should come right out. Carefully remove (I use an oven mitt) the pit from the knife and discard. Then slice the avocado while it's still inside the shell into a grid, and use a large spoon to scoop it out. Done.

Do you know how to cut up a fresh pineapple? This is a good tutorial. Don't be afraid to cut deeply enough to remove all of the outside. No one likes fresh pineapple with brown rind bits still attached to it. Trust me on this. Get fresh pineapple. The canned stuff doesn't even come close. My two-year-old agrees with me: fresh pineapple is nature's candy.

Chop up your cilantro (remove the stems - they're icky) and dice up your onion, and toss it all in the dish with the spices. Add a bit of olive oil (the remaining 1/2 Tablespoon) and the lime zest and juice. Stir it up, and voila. This thing is full of bright flavors and is a major crowd-pleaser. Summer in a bowl. Goes great with margaritas. Not that I know anything about that.

You want to make this just before you serve it, because the avocados, as we all know, have a tendency to get not-so-attractive if they're left too long. The lime juice helps (and a firm covering with plastic wrap) but for best results, make and serve immediately.