Lemon Shrimp Salad with Romaine, Olives, Tomatoes, and More
This lemon shrimp salad is very easy to make, and I love it for a quick lunch or a lighter dinner. The chopped salad is made with romaine lettuce, olives, baby tomatoes, sweet peppers, avocado, crispy bacon, and a lemon & olive oil salad dressing. The salad is then served topped with warm lemon shrimp.
What You’ll Need
To make this lemon shrimp salad, you’ll need the following for 2 salads:
Main Ingredients
- Romaine Lettuce Heart – 1 romaine lettuce heart
- Shrimp – 8 oz (225 grams) shrimp, peeled and deveined. In the picture, I’m using Argentinian red shrimp, but you can use any kind of shrimp (just adjust the cooking times accordingly).
- Avocado – 1 large avocado
- Baby Tomatoes – 4 oz (110 grams) of sweet cherry tomatoes
- Sweet Mini Peppers – 4 sweet mini peppers or 1 bell pepper
- Crispy Smoked Bacon – 3 cooked and crispy smoked bacon rashers
- Olives – 2 tbsp Kalamata olives, pitted
- Lemon – 1 tbsp lemon juice for the shrimp, plus zest from half a lemon
- Olive Oil – 1 tbsp olive oil, for cooking the shrimp
- Parsley – 1/2 tbsp minced fresh parsley, to garnish the cooked shrimp
For the Salad Dressing
- Lemon – 1 tbsp lemon juice, plus zest from half a lemon (same lemon used in the main ingredients above)
- Olive Oil – 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Red Onion – 1/4 red onion, minced
- Parsley – 1/2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
- Salt & Pepper – a pinch of salt & ground black pepper, to taste
Substitutes. This salad also works really well with feta instead of bacon if you don’t have the time to cook bacon.
Note: Crispy bacon. You can make it in the oven, in a skillet on the stove, and even in the air fryer.
Oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Add the bacon to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper/baking paper for easier cleanup. Cook the bacon in the oven until crispy (about 15-16 minutes, but check on it after 10 minutes and take it out when done to your desired crispiness).
Stovetop: Place the bacon in a cold skillet and cook it on medium-low heat, flipping it every 3-4 minutes until it’s cooked to your desired crispiness.
Air Fryer: Place the bacon in the air fryer basket in a single layer and cook for 7-8 minutes at 400°F (200°C), flipping halfway, until crispy to your liking.
Steps to Make It (With Photos)
Step 1. Wash and chop the romaine heart. If you don’t have a salad spinner, wash the leaves first and pat them dry before chopping. If you have a salad spinner, you can chop the romaine first. Then, rinse & dry it in the salad spinner.
Step 2. Make the salad dressing by whisking the lemon juice, olive oil, a pinch of salt, and pepper until combined. Add the minced red onion and parsley.
Step 3. Prepare all remaining ingredients, except the shrimp.
- Roughly chop or crumble the crispy bacon.
- Deseed and chop the sweet mini peppers (or bell pepper).
- Chop the avocado.
- Halve the baby tomatoes (or quarter bigger ones).
- Chop the olives, adding half to the salad. Reserve the other half to add later to the shrimp.
Step 4. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and add to the hot pan, cooking on the first side until sides start turning opaque and the center is a touch translucent (about 2 minutes). Flip and cook until fully opaque, about 1-2 minutes more, depending on the type and size of shrimp. Remove the pan from the heat, add the lemon juice, and transfer the shrimp to a plate. Sprinkle the remaining minced Kalamata olives, lemon zest, and remaining minced fresh parsley.
Step 5. While waiting for the shrimp to cool down for 3-4 minutes, toss the salad with the dressing until evenly coated. Plate the salad and then place the warm cooked shrimp on top. Serve immediately.
All-in-One Recipe Card
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 romaine lettuce heart
- 8 oz shrimp peeled and deveined (Argentinian red shrimp used in the picture).
- 1 large avocado
- 4 oz sweet cherry tomatoes
- 4 sweet mini peppers or 1 bell pepper
- 3 cooked and crispy smoked bacon rashers
- 2 tbsp Kalamata olives pitted
- 1 tbsp lemon juice for the shrimp plus zest from half a lemon
- 1 tbsp olive oil for cooking the shrimp
- 1/2 tbsp minced fresh parsley to garnish the cooked shrimp
Salad Dressing
- 1 tbsp lemon juice plus zest from half a lemon (same lemon used in the main ingredients above)
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 red onion minced
- 1/2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
- a pinch salt to taste
- a pinch ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash and chop the romaine heart. If you don’t have a salad spinner, wash the leaves first and pat them dry before chopping. If you have a salad spinner, you can chop the romaine first. Then, rinse & dry it in the salad spinner.
- Make the salad dressing by whisking the lemon juice, olive oil, a pinch of salt, and pepper until combined. Add the minced red onion and parsley.
- Prepare all remaining ingredients, except the shrimp. Roughly chop or crumble the crispy bacon. Deseed and chop the sweet mini peppers (or bell pepper). Chop the avocado. Halve the baby tomatoes (or quarter bigger ones). Chop the olives, adding half to the salad and reserving half for the shrimp later.
- Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and add to the hot pan, cooking on the first side until sides start turning opaque and the center is a touch translucent (about 2 minutes). Flip and cook until fully opaque, about 1-2 minutes more, depending on the type and size of shrimp. Remove the pan from the heat, add the lemon juice, and transfer the shrimp to a plate. Sprinkle the remaining minced Kalamata olives, lemon zest, and remaining minced fresh parsley.
- While waiting for the shrimp to cool down for 3-4 minutes, toss the salad with the dressing until evenly coated. Plate the salad and then place the warm cooked shrimp on top. Serve immediately.
Finally, don’t forget to save this recipe to one of your ‘lunches’ or ‘salads’ boards.
