As you will see, I love salsa. I have a ton of salsa recipes because A.) they’re super easy B.) they’ve got a nice kick of spice and C.) I’m a fan of any type food where utensils aren’t required. Most salsas that you buy from a grocery story have a lot of salt or fruit/veggies that aren’t great for me, but after experimenting a bit, I realized that I can successfully make my own. So over the past 3 years, I probably have attempted to make over 20 varieties of salsa (I’m only posting the successes). Yes, I know – I’m salsa crazy.
This one in particular was inspired by the fact that I made a tortilla soup for dinner one night but needed something on the side. I started to make a salsa to blend in with the Mexican theme but realized I could really use a protein. So instead of adding chicken or shrimp to the soup, I just put it into the salsa. And the combination was AMAZING.
A note about shrimp: I love shrimp but they’re tricky for me because while they’re acceptable on the CKD diet, they are higher in sodium. So when I use them, I try to use them sparingly. This recipe is great because I can chop up a few shrimp and make a little go a long way. Also, I highly recommend that if you’re going to cook shrimp, you buy the raw ones. They can be frozen or fresh, but they’re so much better when they’re not pre-cooked. You can add whatever flavor you want and they cook to be much more tender.
Also, if you don’t like spice, you won’t like this recipe (or the rest of my salsas). That said, feel free to add as much or as little spice as you want – you can make this mild or super hot, but you need to be comfortable with a little heat.
Author: Me 🙂 Jackie
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Total Time: 40 Minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Pound Raw (Fresh or Frozen) De-Veined Medium-Sized Shrimp
- 1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
- 1/2 Red Onion, diced finely
- 2 Limes
- 1 Tablespoon of Agave Syrup or Honey
- 1-2 Jalapeños (If you don’t like spice, only use 1 and remove the seeds), finely diced
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- Optional: 1/2 Fresh Avocado, Cut into Small Cubes (Note: If you have high potassium or your doctor recommends that you avoid potassium, please do not include this. I’m allowed to have some potassium in my diet and avocados are my potassium of choice.)
Directions:
- Make sure shrimp are thawed and cleaned prior to cooking. Once they are ready, heat the canola oil in a pan over low heat. Place the shrimp in. Keep an eye on them as they cook very quickly. After about 3-4 minutes, flip them to cook on the other side.
- While they are cooking, take one of the limes and zest it over the shrimp. Cut the lime and squeeze half of it over the shrimp.
- Allow it to cook all the way through so it’s a light pink throughout and there aren’t any clear parts. It should be a total of around 5-6 minutes. Pull the shrimp off the pan and allow them to cool.
- While they’re cooling, chop all of your ingredients – the jalapeños, red onion, cilantro, and avocado. Place in a large bowl.
- Once the shrimp have cooled, remove the tails (throw them in the trash). Chop up the rest of the shrimp into bite-sized pieces. Add this to the bowl.
- Squeeze the other half of the lime into the bowl, as well as the full remaining lime. Add the agave syrup/honey. Mix together.
Take a bite to assess the level of heat and if you need to add more or less. If it’s too spicy, add more agave/honey. If it’s not spicy enough, add another jalapeño. This is a recipe where if it sits in the refrigerator for a few hours, the flavors all meld together and it gets better, so I also recommend trying it again later.
Enjoy this on its own as a dip or as a topping for a salad. Or maybe on a corn tortilla. YUM!
Spilling the Beans 