Layered Popcorn Shrimp Taco Salad

Name: Layered Popcorn Shrimp Taco Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 30 oz Popcorn Shrimp (1 package); 1 tbsp taco seasoning; 1 head of romaine lettuce (washed and chopped); 15 oz black beans (1 can - rinsed and drained); 15.25 oz corn (1 can - drained); 3 large tomatoes (seeded and diced); 2 avocados (diced); 8 oz Mexican blend shredded cheese; 12 oz tortilla chips (1 bag - broken up); 1 cup Catalina dressing; 1/3 cup cocktail sauce

June 11, 2015

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This delicious Layered Popcorn Shrimp Taco Salad is perfect for an easy, breezy summer time meal! Layers and layers of flavor make this a dinner the whole family will love!

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If my family had to pick one type of cuisine to eat for the rest of our lives, we would all vote for Mexican. Reece often tells me that he wants to move to Mexico so he can eat Mexican food every day of his life. Enchiladas, tacos, nachos – we love it all and although our “Mexican” is totally Americanized, it’s still totally delicious.

One thing that my boys can agree on is shrimp. They are shrimp fiends and eat it anyway they can get it. I had the brilliant idea a few weeks ago to combine their love of Mexican food with this super easy layered taco salad, with their love of shrimp to create an easy family dinner that we all would love.

It couldn’t have turned out better.

I love layered salads, especially during the summer. They’re perfect for picnics or barbecues and always look so festive! I opted to go with popcorn shrimp for this salad realizing the crunchy shrimp would be like tasty croutons in this flavorful salad.

I used popcorn shrimp for this creation. The perfect choice really. After the shrimp had finished baking (takes just 10 minutes!), I sprinkled the shrimp with taco seasoning to really enhance the Mexican flavors of the salad.

Next it was time to layer. There really is no rhyme or reason to my layering strategies. I just go with it for the most part. If your shrimp is hot (mine was), just don’t put it directly on the lettuce. Layer it on top of the chips, corn, or black beans instead. That will keep the lettuce nice and fresh and crisp.

I couldn’t resist reserving a little bit of each of the ingredients to make a pretty design on top. The boys LOVED it. And of course it makes eating this tasty salad that much more exciting.

This salad feeds a CROWD. You can totally scale it back to feed a family of four or six very, very easily. Do what works for you. I got a little creative with the dressing. We love using Catalina dressing on our taco salads (and sometimes spicy ranch!) and I thought mixing in a little cocktail sauce in with the dressing would be yummy. It totally was. The extra kick from the horseradish in the cocktail sauce is just what this salad needed.

You can serve it on the side or drizzle it over the top of the salad – it’s up to you!

I used black beans because Reece wants to marry black beans when he grows up, but you could use your favorite kind.

I love how pretty this salad is! All those fresh flavors and bright colors pair perfectly with the crunchy awesomeness of the popcorn shrimp. Delightful!!

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