Grilled Shrimp Salad With Melon and Feta

Published Aug. 17, 2022

Grilled Shrimp Salad With Melon and Feta
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(343)
Comments
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A colorful mix of juicy fresh melon, salty feta and grilled shrimp, this easy-to-make salad is perfect for a quick and light summer dinner. A little minced chile adds heat, balancing the sweetness of the melon and shrimp, while the toasted whole coriander seeds lend a nice crunch. You can use any one type or a combination of melon here, and the riper the better. Serve this with something to catch all the tangy sauce — bread, rice or even a spoon.

Featured in: The Best Summer Dinner Is Assembled, Not Cooked

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2teaspoons coriander seeds
  • 2limes
  • 2garlic cloves
  • 1Fresno chile, serrano or other fresh chile pepper, minced
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1pound cleaned extra-large shrimp
  • 1pound cubed melon (about 4 cups; any kind, or a combination)
  • 1small cucumber, preferably Persian or kirby, thinly sliced
  • ¼cup thinly sliced red onion or shallot
  • cup crumbled feta
  • ½cup chopped soft herbs, such as mint, basil or cilantro, plus more for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

322 calories; 17 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 27 grams protein; 832 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Light a charcoal or gas grill or heat the broiler. Make the fire as hot as it will get and, if using a broiler, put the rack close to the heat source.

  2. Step 2

    While the grill heats up, lightly crack the coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle, or with the side of a knife on a cutting board. (Careful: They can roll around.) Put them in a small dry skillet over medium heat and toast, shaking the pan once or twice until fragrant, 1 to 3 minutes. Pour into a small bowl.

  3. Step 3

    Using a Microplane or other grater, grate zest from both limes straight into the bowl with coriander. Grate in the garlic (no need to wash the grater in between), then add the chile and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk in oil.

  4. Step 4

    Pat shrimp dry, then transfer to a medium bowl and season with a pinch each salt and black pepper. Give the coriander mixture a stir, then pour half of it over the shrimp, reserving the rest for the salad. Toss shrimp to coat and set aside while preparing the other ingredients.

  5. Step 5

    Cut the zested limes in half, squeeze out 2 tablespoons juice and whisk into the coriander mixture to make a dressing. Cut leftover lime into wedges.

  6. Step 6

    Arrange the shrimp in a grill basket or on skewers (or just on a sheet pan if broiling), and grill or broil shrimp until well browned on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook until just opaque and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a plate and squeeze a wedge of lime all over.

  7. Step 7

    In a large bowl, combine melon, cucumber, onion, feta and herbs. Pour in coriander dressing and toss to combine. Taste, and add more salt or lime juice to taste. Top melon salad with grilled shrimp and more herbs, if you’d like.

Ratings

4 out of 5
343 user ratings
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Comments

Maybe the rest of America needs to learn how we do thing in the Arizona summer: we'd never stand out in 100-degree+ weather to grill anything, but instead would grill the shrimp early in the morning and add it, chilled, to the salad just before serving.

Was planning on making a Greek Salad anyways, so combined the 2 with addition of cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives. Did a quick pickle of the red onion, but made the dressing as the recipe. Served on a bed of butter lettuce. When I sat down to eat it, I thought, this looks good, but....well, from the first bite until the plate was clean, it was one flavor explosion after the other, from creamy to slightly sweet to salty to herbaceous, to piquant, this tasted way better than it looked!

This was fresh and flavorful, and absolutely delicious. I had no coriander seed but forged ahead, promising myself to make this again when I do. The melon and cucumber play their parts brilliantly, and the lime is gorgeous. Thanks Melissa Clark.

Made this with watermelon. Doesn’t look half as artful as the pro photos, but oh man is it tasty. Only used basil and mint, but might add some dill next time. Tastes like summer, served with a basil gin smash!

Have made a few times and really enjoy the flavor combo. Never would have put together on my own! I like adding a bit of fish sauce in place of salt for some funk and serving over rice to make it a bit more filling. Didn’t have the coriander seeds on hand but subbed in some fried onions for crunch

This was a hit with the family! We added a tomato that needed using and it really added to the dish. Also substituted scallions for the red onion and part of a poblano for the chili pepper as that is what we had in the fridge. Used chipotle olive oil as well. Very refreshing and easy dinner on a HOT summer evening. The flavours come together well here!

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