This fresh and crunchy Shrimp Taco Salad is loaded with black beans, bell peppers, and a creamy avocado dressing. Plus, it’s the perfect excuse to eat crispy fried tortilla strips.
Sometimes I need an excuse to eat freshly fried tortilla strips. Tell me I’m not the only one. It seems mildly inappropriate to fry up tortilla strips on a random Thursday and spend the entire afternoon sneaking them into my face. Buuut, if I have big plans to put them on top of a giant salad for dinner, it’s totally legitimate, right?
Here’s the thing about fresh fried corn tortillas. They’re amazing. Magical, even. Crispy, golden, with just the right amount of salt, I’m always shocked that something so simple can be so irresistible. Fried tortillas are that bit of awesome that takes a boring old weeknight salad and turns it into the most anticipated meal of the week.
So let’s talk about this Shrimp Taco Salad. It’s partly an excuse to eat crispy tortilla strips, yes, but it’s also pretty fantastic in its own right. No wimpy salads in this household. This one is loaded with black beans, bell peppers, red onion, spicy shrimp, and a creamy avocado dressing. Don’t be intimidated by the long ingredient list. I promise things come together quickly.
I like to fry the tortilla strips, chop the veggies, and make the dressing early in the day while the baby is napping. The dinner hour tends to be a little hectic around these parts, and by 5 PM my energy is waning. Luckily, all that’s needed is a five minute saute for the shrimp and beans and everything is ready to go.
We’ve had this for dinner a couple of nights now, and the Mr. always comments about how much he likes it. The dressing especially, which packs just the right amount of tang and freshness from lime juice and cilantro, is a standout. You’ll have to use all the willpower you have to keep from eating all the tortilla strips before dinner time, but if you can hold out you’ll be rewarded with one heck of a crispy, crunchy, spicy, fresh Shrimp Taco Salad.
Shrimp Taco Salad
Ingredients
For the tortilla strips:
For the shrimp:
For the salad:
For the dressing:
Instructions
For the tortilla strips:
For the rest of the salad:
Gorgeous salad and sounds so delicious! Pinned. Thanks for sharing.