Jump to recipeMain Course · Seafood Salad

Shrimp and Avocado Citrus Salad with Fennel

Tender chilled shrimp, ripe avocado, sweet citrus, and shaved fennel make a crisp main-course salad with a lively Dijon dressing.

Chilled shrimp, orange, avocado, and shaved fennel cover a platter of crisp greens.

A gentle poach keeps the shrimp succulent, and a quick ice bath brings them fully cold for the salad. Citrus juice, Dijon, and olive oil form a lively dressing that coats the leaves without burying the delicate seafood.

Orange is the default citrus; ruby grapefruit can replace it when a more tart, bittersweet note suits the meal. Both branches are segmented over a bowl so their juice can sharpen the dressing.

Poach gently, then cool quickly

A quiet simmer gives shrimp time to cook through without tightening them. Move them directly into the ice bath as soon as they turn opaque and reach the listed safe temperature.

The cold bath stops carryover cooking, while draining and patting dry keeps extra water from diluting the citrus dressing.

Balance sweet citrus and crisp fennel

Orange segments bring sweetness to the briny shrimp and creamy avocado, while fennel adds a cool, lightly anise-like crunch. Ruby grapefruit is a complete alternate citrus branch when a sharper flavor is preferred.

Segment either fruit over a bowl and reserve a little of its juice for the dressing; this carries the same citrus flavor through the whole platter.

Cooked shrimp cool in an ice bath after a gentle poach to stop carryover cooking. — Shrimp move from a gentle poach into an ice bath to cool quickly and stay tender.

Make a dressing that stays light

Dijon and honey help the olive oil and citrus juice cling to the greens, while shallot and dill add savory freshness. Whisk until the dressing looks lightly creamy, then use only enough to gloss the leaves.

A little reserved orange or grapefruit juice links the fruit on the platter to the dressing without adding another flavor direction.

Assemble just before serving

Use a chilled platter and dry greens so the salad stays crisp. Keep the shrimp cold, then slice the avocados at the end to preserve their fresh color.

Add the dressing and final dill just before bringing the salad to the table; the citrus, fennel, and seafood taste brightest while everything is cold.

A close view shows tender shrimp, citrus segments, avocado, and delicate fennel shavings. — Cold shrimp, citrus, avocado, and finely shaved fennel sit over lightly dressed greens.

Shrimp and Avocado Citrus Salad with Fennel

4 servings

39 minutes total

Ingredients

• 1 lb large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 10 cups water, divided
• 2 cups ice
• 2 tsp kosher salt, divided
•
• 1 large fennel bulb
• 5 oz tender salad greens
• 2 ripe avocados
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped and divided

Method

Set up the ice bath
Combine 2 cups water with the ice in a medium bowl and set it beside the stove; the cold bath should be ready before the shrimp cook.
Look for: The ice is floating in cold water in a bowl large enough to hold the shrimp.
Heat the poaching water
Bring the remaining 8 cups water and 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt to a gentle simmer in a large saucepan, keeping the surface below a rolling boil.
Look for: Small bubbles rise steadily while the water surface stays calm.
Poach the shrimp gently
Add the shrimp and stir once; poach for 2 to 3 minutes at a gentle simmer, until opaque throughout and the thickest shrimp reaches 145 F.
Look for: The shrimp are opaque, curled into loose Cs, and register 145 F at the thickest point.
Chill and dry the shrimp
Lift the shrimp straight into the ice bath and chill for about 7 minutes, then drain and pat dry; chilling stops carryover cooking and keeps the salad cold.
Look for: The shrimp feel cold in the center and have no water clinging to their surfaces after drying.
Prepare citrus and fennel
Segment 2 medium oranges over a bowl to catch the juice, reserving 1 tbsp for the dressing; if using the grapefruit fallback, segment 2 medium ruby grapefruits over the bowl and reserve 1 tbsp juice. Shave the fennel very thinly.
Look for: The citrus is free of most pith and the fennel slices are thin enough to bend easily.
Whisk the citrus dressing
Whisk the olive oil, Dijon, lemon juice, honey, minced shallot, black pepper, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1 tbsp chopped dill, and reserved citrus juice until emulsified.
Look for: The dressing looks lightly creamy and the shallot and dill are evenly distributed.
Arrange the greens
Wash and dry the tender greens if needed, then spread them across a chilled platter or shallow serving bowl so the leaves stay crisp under the toppings.
Look for: The greens are dry and loosely spread rather than compressed in a deep mound.
Add the cold components
Scatter the shaved fennel and citrus segments over the greens, then nestle on the chilled, dried shrimp. Halve and slice both avocados just before adding them so their cut surfaces stay bright.
Look for: Shrimp and citrus are distributed across the greens, with avocado slices added fresh at the end.
Dress and serve fresh
Drizzle the salad with just enough dressing to gloss the leaves and shrimp, then scatter over the remaining 1 tbsp dill and serve immediately while every component is cold.
Look for: The greens are lightly coated, avocado remains intact, and the platter is served promptly.