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!