The hotter it is outside, the more refreshing and delicious this Spicy Shaved Cucumber Salad with Avocado and Shrimp will be! A lovely contradiction between spicy and cool, and crunchy and smooth. It makes a wonderful side dish to grilled fish or even a heavier pork tenderloin. While you can always tailor the level of spice to suit, this salad shines when you give it as much punch as you can handle.
Spicy Cucumber Salad with Avocado & Shrimp:
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon green onion, thinly sliced
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon chili paste (sambal oelek)
- ⅛ teaspoon ground tumeric
- ¼ teaspoon yellow mustard
- ¼ teaspoon sriracha sauce
- A large avocado, peeled and diced
- A large English cucumber, peeled
- 1 cup medium shrimp, peeled, cooked and deveined
- Dash of pepper
- Dash of salt
- In a medium bowl, add lime juice, green onion, cayenne pepper, chili paste, tumeric and sriracha and stir to combine.
- Peel a large English cucumber.
- Shave the cucumber into paper-thin coins and add to dressing, stirring to coat.
- Peel and cube a large ripe avocado into the salad.
- Add peeled, deveined and cooked shrimp to the salad and gently toss.
- Top with dash of ground pepper and salt to taste.
Have you ever noticed that the hotter the country, the spicier their cuisine? There are a few reasons for that. Firstly, spicy food makes you sweat – and sweat is how your body cools itself. Secondly, spice increases your appetite, which is otherwise suppressed by heat. And lastly, certain spices have anti-microbial properties which help prevent spoilage in hot climates. Whatever the reason, they’re on to something – spicy is good!
And, okay, true confession time here … although this salad serves four I’ve been known to cut down on the shrimp and avocado I add and eat the whole salad myself for lunch. There. I said it.
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 168