Healthy Southwest Shrimp, Avocado and Cucumber Bites

Healthy Southwest Shrimp, Avocado and Cucumber Bites

Looking for a healthy and flavorful snack? Need something quick and easy that will impress your guests and their taste buds?

My healthy Southwest Shrimp, Avocado and Cucumber bites are your ticket!

Southwest flavors make this shrimp pop and the avocado and cucumber provide for a nice lightness to your snack or appetizer.

Defrost and Peel Shrimp

If you are using fresh shrimp – awesome! You’re good to go. For frozen shrimp, I typically like to thaw my shrimp by putting them in the refrigerator overnight. They are usually perfect by next day.

For this recipe, I used 16-20 count shrimp. The count indicates the size of the shrimp. So, in this case there would be 16-20 shrimp per pound (this is on the larger end but not the largest).

You can use smaller shrimp depending on budget or the size of the cucumber (for example, I cut my cucumber on a bias (angled), but if you cut them into circles they would be smaller to accommodate a smaller shrimp.

You can buy your shrimp peeled and deveined. Or, if they have tails on them (try to get the deveined kind), you should feel off the tails and any outer coating.

Mix Spice Mix

Mix your spices as indicated in the recipe below. I do not include an exact amount of salt and pepper because I find that people have varied tastes so you can add those in the amount you generally enjoy to season.

You can also alter the other seasoning to your liking. For example: I like a little heat so I might add more cayenne pepper. Whereas, you may choose to omit all together.

Take a little taste when you mix and if it tastes good, you are all set (and it will taste even better when cooked as the spices are awakened by the oil and sauté).

If you don’t want to make your own spice mix, you can use a pre-mixed variety. You might consider Simply Organic Southwest Seasoning Blend (affiliate link which means I may receive commissions if you choose to purchase through this link (at no extra cost to you).

I find that Simply Organic tends to have nice spice blends.

Slice Cucumber and Avocado

Cucumber: Slice your cucumber about ¼ inch thick (about the size of a pencil eraser). You want your cucumber to be thick enough to hold the avocado and shrimp but not overly thick that they take over.

Avocado: Slice your avocado a little thicker than ¼ inch thick. I cut my avocado in half (length wise) and cut half-moon shaped slices. 2 slices per cucumber (or fit accordingly depending on size of your cucumber slices).

Prepare & Sauté Shrimp

Mix shrimp in a mixing bowl with 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or any other oil of choice). If you are trying to watch the calorie content, you can use less oil as the shrimp will be wet so the seasoning will still stick (it just gets a little stickier and may not coat quit as evenly – but that is no biggie – follow your heart.

Sprinkle seasoning mix evenly over shrimp and mix until fully coated.

Add 2-3 tablespoons of oil to the pan and turn on medium/high heat. Let the pan heat for a couple minutes until the oil is hot. Tilt the pan to make sure the oil fully coats the bottom of the pan.

Place the shrimp in pan (you should hear it sizzle). If you don’t, you can let it heat a little longer before adding the remaining shrimp.

Add all shrimp to pan and cook for approximately 2-3 minutes on each size. Try to flip each shrimp only once so each side gets a nice brown. Once done, move to plate.

You should test one of your shrimp to be sure it is thoroughly cooked. The exterior should be pink with red tail and the flesh is white (slightly opaque). Cut in half to be sure cooked through and if it is, eat the bonus!

Arrange the Bites

Place the cucumber slices on your serving plate. Top with two slices of avocado per bite. Place one shrimp on top.

Enjoy!!!