Shrimp, Mango, Avocado, Black Bean Salad with Chile-Lime Dressing

This Shrimp, Mango, Avocado, Black Bean Salad with Chile-Lime Dressing is a really fantastic dish, perfect for a pot luck or as a meal by itself.

Last summer I came across a side dish/salad recipe with black beans, mango, and avocado from Kayln’s Kitchen that I’ve made a few times and love. Every time I make it I think how delicious it would be with shrimp added. I had some shrimp and mango in the freezer that I wanted to use up so I thought now was a great time to try it out with shrimp and make this salad for a pot luck we were going to.

The basic recipe sort of reminds me of a chunkier black bean mango salsa. The addition of shrimp makes it more of a main dish summer meal. Diced chicken would also be delicious! I’m even betting it would be tasty on a bed of greens as well. There are endless possibilities. You could even make this without the shrimp as a salsa (cut the mango and avocado in smaller pieces) and add some grilled shrimp to a tortilla and have tacos! Yummmm…I think I might have to give that a try next time. If you don’t like shrimp, or don’t have any, just leave it out – it’s wonderful without it.

Shrimp, Mango, Avocado, Black Bean Salad with Chile-Lime Dressing

Ingredients

1 lb. shrimp, cleaned, shells removed
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 bag frozen mango chunks, defrosted and drained or 2 fresh mangos, cut up
2 avocados, cut in bite sized chunks and tossed with 1 Tbls. lime juice to prevent browning
2 scallions, sliced
½ C. chopped fresh mint, or cilantro, or combination of both

For the Dressing:

1 Lime, juiced
2 tsp. white balsamic vinegar
½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. chile powder
salt to taste
4 Tbls. olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place shrimp on baking sheet. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, a little salt & pepper and sprinkle of garlic powder. Roast shrimp in oven for about 6 minutes, until shrimp is pink. Be careful not to overcook shrimp or it will become tough. Set aside and let shrimp cool.
In small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside.
Add shrimp, beans, mango, avocado, scallions and mint/cilantro to bowl. Gently stir to combine ingredients (be careful that you don't mix too hard or the avocado will get mushy).
Add dressing to salad and gently stir to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Select avocados that are a bit on the firm side to prevent them from getting too mushy in the salad.

If you have fresh mango available, by all means use fresh! I had a bag of frozen mango chunks in the freezer and wanted to use them up so I just used that instead.

You could also grill the shrimp outside on the bbq or in a grill pan instead of roasting them in the oven.