The first time I made these fried shrimp I was cooking them in the galley of a boat in the Caribbean. Many of these tiny islands lack fresh produce, so I served the shrimp in warm corn tortillas with smashed avocado, sour cream and a squeeze of lime. The Chinese Five-Spice is so flavorful, it didn’t need much more – though I would have added halved cherry tomatoes if I’d had them.
Once I got back from vacation I was craving salad, but I was also missing these shrimp so I added them to a hearty main course salad. Though I’m warning you, you’ll just want to eat them straight out of the pan!
Fried Five-Spice Shrimp Salad with Black Beans and Avocados
by: Three Many Cooks
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 2 cups canola or vegetable oil
- 6 cups lettuce (your choice)
- 1 can (15 to 16 ounces) black beans, drained
- 1 avocado, cut into medium dice
- ½ red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes, halved and lightly salted
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoon five-spice powder
- 1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over low heat while preparing salad
- Meanwhile, place lettuce in a large bowl. Add beans, avocado, onion, cherry tomatoes, and cilantro; set aside.
- Turn heat under pan of oil to medium-high and heat to 350 degrees. Mix flour and five-spice powder in a shallow pan. Lightly season shrimp with salt and pepper. Working in 3 to 4 batches, dredge shrimp in flour to evenly coat. Working in 2 batches to not overcrowd pan, add shrimp to hot oil and fry until light golden brown, just a couple of minutes. Drain.
- Add oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper to salad; toss to coat. Add lime juice; toss to coat again. Taste and adjust seasonings. Place a portion of salad in each of 4 pasta plates; top with shrimp and serve.
We love five spice on anything! My husband makes some great five spice fish tacos. Will have to try this soon!
Yummy yummy! I can’t wait to try this out – I’ve been adding more and more seafood to our weekly dinner rotations now that it is warm out. I’ll add this to the line up 🙂
Do you think it’s weird that we both posted shrimp salads today? I don’t. Same page, love. <3
yum! I love using five spice powder!!! This salad sounds perfect for summer weather!
Made this for dinner tonight. Excellent!! Perfect for a hot summer night. Enjoyed the mix of southwest and Aisian flavors. We will be making this again.
i love it!
So is “five spice powder” labeled just as such at the store? I’ve never heard of it before and really want to try this salad!