Black Bean Shrimp Salad with Corn & Pickled Onions
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This flavor-packed black bean shrimp salad is the perfect light weeknight supper, and it also screams summer potluck.
Inspired by the lovely cookbook Salads: Beyond the Bowl by Mindy Fox (Kyle Books, 2012), this main course black bean shrimp salad is the perfect light weeknight dinner or summer potluck dish. The recipe does involve a bit of preparation – first, you quick-pickle the onion, boil the corn, and sauté the shrimp – but, I promise, it all comes together quickly and easily. And it’s worth the effort: each separate element really makes the salad sing. For best results, use only high-quality canned beans, like Bush’s or Goya.
What you’ll need to make black bean shrimp salad
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by making the pickled red onions. In a medium skillet, combine the vinegar, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil, whisking to dissolve the sugar.
Add the sliced onion.
Reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, gently stirring, until the onions have wilted slightly, 1 to 2 minutes.
Transfer the onions and pickling liquid to a heatproof bowl and let cool.
Next, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the corn, then cover the pot and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove the corn from the water and let cool.
Holding the cooled corn upright in a large mixing bowl, cut the kernels off the cob in strips.
To the bowl of corn, add the beans, scallions, cilantro, 5 tablespoons of the oil, the lime juice and lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the cumin.
Toss well and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the shrimp and season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Cook for 1 minute, then add the garlic.
Cook, stirring occasionally, just until the shrimp are cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes.
Transfer the shrimp to the mixing bowl with the corn, scraping all of the garlicky oil from the pan into the bowl.
Toss the salad, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary (be sure to taste the salad with the pickled onions and feta; they balance the flavor).
Transfer to a serving bowl. Crumble the feta over the salad, gently toss, and sprinkle with extra cilantro and fresh ground black pepper, if desired. Remove the pickled onions from their pickling liquid and serve on the side.
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Black Bean Shrimp Salad with Corn & Pickled Onions
This flavor-packed black bean shrimp salad is the perfect light weeknight supper, and it also screams summer potluck.
Ingredients
For the Pickled Onions
- ¾ cup distilled white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
For the Salad
- 2 ears fresh corn
- Two (15-oz) cans black beans, best quality such as Bush's or Goya, rinsed and well-drained
- 3 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¾ teaspoon salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, thawed if frozen
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
- Freshly ground black pepper, for serving
Instructions
For the Pickled Onions
- In a medium skillet, combine the vinegar, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil, whisking to dissolve the sugar. Add the onion, reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, gently stirring, until the onions have wilted slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the onions and pickling liquid to a heatproof bowl and let cool.
For the Salad
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the corn, then cover the pot and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove the corn from the water and let cool. Holding the cooled corn upright in a large mixing bowl, cut the kernels off the cob in strips.
- To the bowl of corn, add the beans, scallions, cilantro, 5 tablespoons of the oil, the lime juice and lemon juice, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and the cumin. Toss well and set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the shrimp and season with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook for 1 minute, then add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Transfer the shrimp to the mixing bowl with the corn, scraping all of the garlicky oil from the pan into the bowl. Toss the salad, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary (be sure to taste the salad with the pickled onions and feta; they balance the flavor). Transfer to a serving bowl. Crumble the feta over the salad, gently toss, and sprinkle with extra cilantro and fresh ground black pepper, if desired. Remove the pickled onions from their pickling liquid and serve on the side. The salad may be served room temperature or cold.
- Make-Ahead: The salad is best served on the same day of assembling, but it can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Taste and adjust seasoning again before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 459
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Sugar: 10 g
- Fiber: 11 g
- Protein: 23 g
- Sodium: 805 mg
- Cholesterol: 112 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Made this for a quick summer dinner at it was absolutely delicious. The instructions were so easy to follow which helped to speed up the process. We decided to add avocado since we needed to use the one we had. The kids loved it and we will definitely make this again!
This was so good! I fixed it for a brunch with some friends, and everyone loved it! I bought pickled onions because I was short on time. It was still delicious.
Subbed 1 can of garbanzos for one of the black beans, and added fire roasted red peppers for color. Served the salad on a bed of arrugula. A huge hit. Thanks for the recipe!
just made your pickled red onions…can I use them in this dish? It looks so lovely the way you have it plated Should I stir the onions and feta into the salad or leave the onions as you have them in the picture?
Hi Carol, you really can go either way. But I prefer serving them on the side — it allows people to use as much or as little as they want and to distribute them themselves.
If made as a dinner, what sides would go well with this? Excited to try this one!
Hi Lisa, this would be nice with crusty bread or cornbread. Hope you enjoy if you make either!
I’ve made this delicious recipe multiple times. We love it. We love it as a salad without the shrimp, too. Now I’m considering making it tomorrow with chicken breasts or tenders cut into shrimp size pieces. I’d love your thoughts or suggestions for that alternative.
Thank you.
I think that sounds like a nice twist (and glad you like it)!
Hello..
Do you have a suggestion for another kind of bean? Not a fan of black beans.
Sure, any beans you like will work here. Hope you enjoy!
Has anyone tried to make this a couple days early? I was wondering how it holds up. I’d like to take it to an event I’m traveling to.
HOME RUN!!!!! I made this the other night. The next day, when I asked him what he would like for dinner, he said he wanted me to make the same dinner again. This is a direct quote from a man of few words,
“That is the best dish you have cooked in 5 years!” (And…..I do a lot of cooking of international foods which he likes as well.)