This fresh and flavorful arugula salad is topped with sautéed shrimp, sliced fennel and creamy white beans.
I love arugula salads and almost always order one when I see it on a restaurant menu. Since my boys love shrimp and white beans I decided to turn my favorite side salad into a more hearty and satisfying entree salad.
The dressing in this arugula salad with shrimp is nothing more than my favorite lemon vinaigrette made with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. You can always add in crushed garlic for more flavor but the shrimp is so delicious you won’t need it.
Speaking of shrimp, they are tossed in a sweet and smoky spice blend before being sautéed in a hot pan. The combination of brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder and cayenne turn create a BBQ shrimp that pairs perfectly with the spicy arugula and lemony vinaigrette.
To add a crunchy texture and subtle, anise flavor I add in thinly sliced fennel. For creaminess, protein and fiber, I toss in drained and rinsed cannellini beans. Any white bean would do including navy beans or white pinto beans.
This dish is delicious with hot shrimp, room temperature shrimp or cold shrimp so feel free to serve it any way you wish.
Not a fan of beans? Leave them out. Want to skip the onion? Go right ahead.
Make it your own. Your fork is waiting.
Arugula Salad with Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp (raw, peeled and deveined )
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- 6 cups baby arugula
- 2 cups white beans (drained and rinsed, such as cannellini)
- 1 fennel bulb (cored and thinly sliced)
- ½ cup onion (thinly sliced)
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, toss together raw shrimp with next five ingredients (brown sugar through cayenne). Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray. Add shrimp to pan in single layer and saute until pink, about 3 minutes. Flip shrimp and cook on other side additional 3 minutes; remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, toss together arugula with beans, fennel, onion, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add shrimp before serving.
Nutrition
Want more delicious salad recipes? Check out my Pinterest board!