Healthy Mediterranean Shrimp Salad Recipe (Low Carb)

Are you trying to eat healthy and low carb but also really love to eat good food? I feel you. This Healthy Mediterranean Shrimp Salad Recipe is so satisfying and full of great flavors, you’ll almost forget that you’re eating healthy.

It’s got juicy shrimp, ripe tomatoes, briny olives and salty feta cheese on a big ol’ bed of leafy spinach. And the sun dried tomato vinaigrette gives it that sun-soaked flavor without adding any sugar, gluten or dairy. This is one of my favorite healthy recipes!

Shrimp is a great a food for weight loss. It’s low in carbs and high in protein, and it’s a nice change-up from the typical grilled chicken. Don’t worry if it’s not warm enough outside to grill your shrimp. You can cook it right in the oven in minutes. I’ll provide different ways to cook shrimp in the recipe card below.

Ingredients for this Low Carb Mediterranean Shrimp Salad Recipe

Here is what you’ll need to make this delicious salad:

• Jumbo shrimp. Go for raw shrimp instead of pre-cooked shrimp. We want the seasonings to have a chance to cook into the shrimp. Shrimp is a great choice for weight loss, as it is very low in carbohydrates and high in protein.
• Grape tomatoes. You could also use cherry tomatoes.
• Feta cheese. Choose a block (not crumbles) of good quality Greek or Israeli feta that you can break into cubes yourself.
• Kalamata olives. If your grocery store has a prepared food bar, you may be able to find a Greek assortment of olives. They’re always fun to add to this salad. Just be sure they’re pitted!
• Spinach. The extra vitamins and minerals that spinach provides are a nice bonus, but you could create a bed of lettuce with any green you like. I always tell people, if you want to get your kids to love salad, don’t throw spinach or kale at them right away. Ease them in with romaine or spring mix, then gradually introduce the more interesting greens. My kids have come to love spinach as a result of breaking them in slowly.

THE SUNDRIED TOMATO VINAIGRETTE dressing ingredients

Our whole family really loves this salad dressing. It’s tangy, herby and totally safe for those eating low carb or following a keto diet. Here’s what’s in it:

• extra virgin olive oil
• white wine vinegar. You could also use apple cider vinegar.
• sun dried tomatoes, dry or packed in oil. Both will work.
• shallots. A cousin of the onion, shallots have a more mellow flavor that’s perfect for salad dressings
• garlic
• honey
• Dijon mustard
• fresh parsley

Throw it all into a food processor and in just a minute, you’ve got a delicious dressing. This sun dried tomato vinaigrette also works as a marinade for chicken and fish and as a dip for crusty bread.

How to cook Shrimp

Shrimp cooks super quickly. It can be grilled, sauteed or even baked in the oven. Cook it over medium-high heat, and pretty much when it turns pink, it’s done.

For tender shrimp that won’t taste rubbery, cook it for about 1 minute after it turns pink and then remove it from the heat source.

How to Serve this Mediterranean shrimp salad

The exact measurements below are for two entree-sized salads or four appetizer-sized salads. You could also serve the entire thing in a large salad bowl and let everyone help themselves. Give it a squeeze of lemon juice just before serving, if desired.

If you’re not grilling your shrimp, there’s no need to use wooden skewers, unless you like the look of them.

To keep things low carb and heart healthy, serve this salad with hummus and raw vegetables, marinated artichokes or roasted red peppers.

How to Quickly Defrost Shrimp

To defrost frozen shrimp, simply place them into a large bowl of cold water for 20-30 minutes.

Frozen shrimp are much less expensive than fresh shrimp. Grab a big bag of frozen shrimp at Costco and have it on hand any time you’re in the mood for a low calorie appetizer or meal.

How to Store this Mediterranean Shrimp Salad

A dressed salad won’t keep, but the individual components of this salad will. Store everything individually in the refrigerator and dress it just before serving.

If you have leftover shrimp, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat it in a pan over medium heat, or serve it cold. Leftover shrimp can also be used for shrimp cocktail, so make extra!

When you make this Mediterranean Shrimp Salad, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy!

For more low carb salad recipes, try these:

• Best Ever Chicken Salad Recipe
• Seared Tuna Nicoise Salad with Creamy Tarragon Vinaigrette
• Italian Antipasto Salad with Parmesan Peppercorn Dressing
• Southwest Chicken Salad
• Salmon Miso Salad

Healthy Mediterranean Shrimp Salad Recipe (Low Carb)

Grilled shrimp over a bed of fresh spinach with briny olives, salty feta cheese and juicy tomatoes in a tangy dressing

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 5 mins

Total Time 25 mins

Course Main Course, Salad

Cuisine Mediterranean

Servings 2 entree salads

Ingredients

  

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The Salad

• 12-15 jumbo shrimp cleaned and deveined
• 1 cup grape tomatoes halved
• 1/2 cup quality feta cheese cut into cubes
• 3/4 cup kalamata or other Greek olives
• 3 cups spinach leaves
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. garlic minced
• 2 Tbsp. fresh basil chopped
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

The Dressing

• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes chopped
• 1/4 cup shallots chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
• 1 Tbsp. garlic
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. capers
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

Instructions

 

• Make the dressing: Pulse all ingredients except for the olive oil in a food processor. With the motor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube until incorporated.
• Preheat grill to 400 degrees. Thread shrimp onto skewers and place on a tray or baking sheet. Whisk the olive oil, basil, garlic and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Brush onto the shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Grill 2-3 minutes on each side. Shrimp should be nice and pink. Remove from grill.
• To assemble the salad, divide spinach leaves between 2 salad bowls. Top with tomatoes, feta, olives and shrimp. Drizzle with dressing.

Oven Instructions

• For step 2, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange shrimp in a single layer on a baking sheet. Brush with the herb oil and roast 3-4 minutes. Flip and roast another 3-4 on the other side, until shrimp are pink throughout. Remove from oven.

Stove Top Instructions

• For step 2, brush the shrimp with herb oil and place in a pan set over medium-high heat. Cook 2-3 minutes and flip. Cook another 2-3 minutes until pink. Remove from heat.

Keyword entree salad, gluten free

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