This delightful prawn mango salad is the perfect Summer salad. With layers of crispy gem lettuce, marinated grilled prawns, juicy mango and creamy avocado all drizzled in a chili lime dressing is a serious show stopper.
The sweet and juicy mango slices are the perfect compliment to the salty, flavourful cooked prawns in this delicious prawn mango avocado salad. My chili lime dressing is so good with this salad, I know you're going to love it! For more Summery salad recipes you need to try my Tex Mex Salad with Corn Chips or my Chicken Chickpea Salad.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
You really can't go past this prawn salad. Salty, sweet and a little spicy, my prawn, mango and avocado summer salad is like a party in your mouth. Grilling the marinated prawns adds an extra level of flavour in this easy to throw together salad. Generally speaking I am not a big fan of fruit in savoury foods, but the sweet mango in this salad compliments the salty prawns so perfectly that I am truly converted!
- This healthy salad recipe is refined sugar free, gluten free and dairy free.
- The perfect, fresh Summer salad for entertaining!
- The dressing is made using fresh Thai style ingredients like lime juice, lime zest, fish sauce, tamari and chili.
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
All of the ingredients for this Summer salad can be found from your local grocery store. You will need:
- Gem lettuce - I have used baby Gem lettuce in this recipe because it is so crispy and mild, taking a back seat to the main flavours of the prawns and mango. You could also use Butter lettuce, Cos (Romaine) lettuce, or coral lettuce.
- Ripe Mango - there are so many different varieties of mango but my favourite Australian varieties for this salad are Calypo or Kensington Pride.
- Avocado - generally I go for a Hass avocado. Make sure to pick one that isn't too ripe as it is easier to slice when it is a little more firm (not hard though!).
- Raw Prawns - or shrimp for my US friends. You can use Tiger prawns, Thai prawns, banana prawns etc. Just make sure that you buy them raw. I like to buy them already peeled as well to save on time.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil - you could also use macadamia oil or avocado oil.
- Sweet Paprika
- Onion Powder & Garlic Powder - If onions and garlic don't agree with you, you can leave these ingredients out.
- Sea Salt Flakes
Salad Dressing Ingredients
For the Chili Lime Dressing you will need:
- Fresh lime juice
- Fresh lime zest
- Tamari (gluten free soya sauce)
- Fish sauce
- Red chilli - finely chopped
- pure maple syrup or honey
- avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt flakes
For ingredient quantities see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Prawn and Mango Salad (with process photos)
Whether you're making my prawn and mango salad as a fancy mid-week meal or a showstopping salad for the table at your next barbecue, this salad is low-fuss and easy to make. Let me show you how it's done!
Prepare the Prawns
The first step is to marinade the prawns. This might sound like a lot of effort but it is really so easy. Simply add the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and olive oil to a medium sized mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the prawns and toss with a spoon to coat the prawns.
Once the prawns are marinaded, heat some olive oil in a large frypan or skillet. Add the prawns in batches (make sure they don't touch) and fry for 2 minutes on each side. Repeat this step to cook all of the prawns.
Make the Dressing
Add the finely chopped red chili to a medium sized mixing bowl along with the fresh lime juice, lime zest, fish sauce, tamari, maple syrup and salt. Whisk to combine and then begin slowly pouring in the oil while whisking. Once the dressing has emulsified and then oil doesn't separate from the other liquid it is ready.
Assemble the Salad
I love to layer all of the components of this salad so that you get the hero ingredients in every mouthful. Start by adding a layer of lettuce leaves to a platter. Top with a third of the prawns, a third of the mango slices and a third of the avocado slices. Repeat this step again another two times until all of the lettuce, mango, avocado and prawns have been used.
Drizzle the salad with the chili lime dressing right before serving.
How to Slice Mango
A lot of prawn and mango salads use diced mangoes but I love using mango sliced into long thin strips. This is purely a presentation decision as I think it looks prettier. The easiest way to slice mangoes neatly is to:
- Slice off both cheeks of the mango.
- Hold a cheek of mango in your hand and very carefuly cut thin slices lengthways.
- Now take a glass tumbler (thin glass tumblers work best) and position it so the rim of the glass is pushed between the flesh and the skin at the bottom end of the cheek. Now slide the glass up so that it removes the mango flesh from the skin.
- Tip the mango slices out onto the cutting board and repeat with the second mango cheek.
Easy!
How to Make Neat Avocado Slices
To create neat avocado slices I like to cut the avocado in half and remove the seed. Then carefully peel the skin off the avocado flesh, place face down onto a cutting board and slice. Peeling the skin off like this works best if the avocado is only just ripe, otherwise the avocado flesh will get squished. If this is the case for you, just slice the avocado in the skin and use a large spoon to scoop it out.
How to Store Prawn and Mango Salad
Store leftover salad in the fridge covered in compostable plastic wrap, beeswax wrap or silicone wrap. Or store in an airtight container. Cooked prawns are safe to eat up to 3 days after cooking if stored in the fridge.
If making ahead of time, store the salad dressing separately to avoid the lettuce wilting. Add sliced avocado just before serving as well to avoid the avocado browning.
📖 Recipe
Equipment
- Sharp knife
- Chopping Board
- Whisk
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Serving platter
Ingredients
- 500 grams raw prawns heads removed and peeled
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
- 1 mango skin and seed removed, thinly sliced
- 3 heads baby gem lettuce
- 1 avocado thinly sliced
Chili Lime Dressing
- 50 millilitres lime juice juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon lime zest
- ¼ cup avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
- ½ red chilli seeds removed, finely chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons tamari
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Make the prawn marinade by mixing together the olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, sweet paprika and sea salt in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the peeled, raw prawns to the bowl and toss to coat evenly.500 grams raw prawns, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon sweet paprika, ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
- Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a pan on a medium-high heat. Add one prawn at a time, leaving around one inch between each prawn. Fry on each side until golden (about 1-2 minutes each side). Once cooked, remove from the pan and place into a bowl. Continue this process until all the prawns have been fried.
- Make the salad dressing by adding the lime juice, lime zest, chili, fish sauce, maple syrup and sea salt to a bowl and whisk to combine.50 millilitres lime juice, 1 tablespoon lime zest, ½ red chilli, 1 ½ teaspoons fish sauce, 1 ½ teaspoons tamari, 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Slowly add in the avocado oil while whisking until the dressing is well combined and emulsified.¼ cup avocado oil
- To assemble the salad, layer the lettuce leaves across the base of a serving platter. Top with avocado slices, mango slices and grilled prawns. Drizzle with chili lime dressing and serve.3 heads baby gem lettuce, 1 avocado, 1 mango
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