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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This recipe was so worth it! The flavors were so vibrant and the combination of the pickled red onion, feta cheese with lime and shrimp really made for a delicious dish different from the usual ho hum weekday dish.
I prepared the pickled red onion a day before, and used frozen corn because I am lazy, and it was really quite quick to throw together.
I will definitely make this again!
This is our go-to summer dinner. Soooo tasty! My only modification is to mix the pickled onions into the salad right off and I cut the slices in half so they can be mixed throughout.
Tried this salad as planning a bridal shower menu. Jackpot! The flavors are so delish and light and refreshing for a warm summer night. What do you suggest to serve alongside it? Thanks!
Glad you liked it! I think it would pair nicely with one of my gazpacho recipes (Golden Gazpacho, Roasted Garlic Gazpacho, Watermelon Gazpacho). Hope you enjoy if you try any of them!
I just made this for dinner tonight and absolutely loved it!!!! Quick, easy and delish!! The only thing I did differently is the pickled onions. I did another recipe using cider vinegar, that makes a whole jar. Thank you so much for another amazing recipe.
What is the count of medium shrimp? As an aside, I have trouble keeping track of shrimp sizes by name. I wish you would include the numbers along with the name. Thanks.
Hi Susan, the count per pound for medium shrimp is 41/50. I will try to remember to include that in new shrimp recipes — hope you enjoy!
When you talk about chopped cilantro do you include the stems or only the leaves?
Really, really like this recipe but there are multiple steps and prep times seemed much longer what was listed. But the end result was worth it.
Sorry this took you longer than the recipe indicates! When the recipe specifies fresh cilantro, it means just the leaves.
Loved this recipe. I added some leftover quinoa and that worked great. I didn’t have much lime juice so added just a little rice vinegar to give a little tang. Looking forward to serving this to friends.
Absolutely delicious. I made as written and would not change anything. My husband was still talking about it the next day.
Wonderful salad! I left out the cilantro as I don’t like it. I added some orange pepper and cucumber. My husband is not usually a fan of black beans but he went back for seconds! Thanks for the recipe!
This is truly delicious and very satisfying. I had to improvise a little and use frozen corn kernels, thawed, since fresh corn isn’t yet in season and it was still excellent.
Absolutely yummy! I ended up adding the pickled onions, to the finished salad as I would any other ingredient instead of on the side. Ate leftovers for breakfast and it was wonderful – so refreshing!