This fresh and juicy melon salad with crunchy jicama and a shallot herb vinaigrette with grilled shrimp is an easy, healthy and delicious summer dinner! The flavorful vinaigrette serves as the marinade and dressing for a low effort, high reward meal. (gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free)

grilled shrimp and jicama melon salad on a white plate with a gold fork.

When easy, breezy dinners and light, fresh flavors are the name of the game (most nights, 6 months of the year here in Texas), you can never go wrong with juicy, seasonal fruit and quick-cooking shrimp. Save this simple recipe for when you've got a fridge full of melon and need a quick, healthy meal.

Why You'll Love This Shrimp and Melon Salad

This herby grilled shrimp with a fresh jicama melon salad is everything you want in a summer meal. It's light and effortless, cooked quickly on the grill, and is made with fresh, seasonal ingredients. It's the perfect dinner for a lazy summer evening. The meal is tied together with a flavorful shallot herb vinaigrette for the melon salad that doubles as the marinade for the shrimp.

Protein rich grilled shrimp, super juicy and sweet summer watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew, plus crunchy jicama, tossed in a punchy vinaigrette - what's not to love? It's a delicious combination that is a little unexpected but totally delicious with the cilantro, mint, and lime in the marinade/dressing.

How To Make Grilled Shrimp Jicama Melon Salad

three image collage showing steps for making shallot herb vinaigrette.

Make The Herb Vinaigrette

Finely chop the shallot, garlic, cilantro and mint. Mix with the lime juice, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper.

side by side images of raw shrimp in a bowl with herb vinaigrette marinade and shrimp being grilled in a grill pan.

Make The Shrimp

Peel and devein the shrimp. Place in a large non-reactive bowl and pour in half of the vinaigrette. Toss to coat and refrigerate while you prep the salad.
Heat a grill or grill pan to medium heat. Grill the shrimp for 2-3 minutes per side, or until pink on the outside and fully cooked.

three image collage showing steps for making jicama melon salad with herb vinaigrette.

Make The Melon Salad

Dice melon and jicama into half-inch cubes.
Add the remaining vinaigrette and toss to coat.
Serve the melon salad with the grilled shrimp.

Tips and Recipe Variations

I find it easiest to thread the shrimp onto skewers for grilling on an outdoor grill. For a grill pan, skewers really aren't necessary. If you're using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes first.
If you don't have all 3 kinds of melon, use whatever you have. It will still be delicious! I've also used mango in the mix.
Feel free to try different herbs in the vinaigrette to suit your taste and what you have on hand.

overhead view of grilled shrimp and jicama melon salad on a white plate with a gold fork.

Can This Be Made In Advance?

If you chop the melon and jicama in advance, this dinner is incredibly easy and will take only 15 minutes to prepare! You can also make the vinaigrette 1-2 days in advance. Or make it all up to 2 days in advance and serve it cold.

Wine Pairing Suggestions

I'd suggest a crisp white, such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc. I like one with citrus and grassy notes, but one with tropical fruit notes would also pair well here. With any light and fresh summer dinner, you can never go wrong with a dry rosé either!

More Healthy Shrimp Recipes You'll Love

If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a star rating in the comments below!

Grilled Shrimp and Jicama Melon Salad With Herb Vinaigrette

Print Recipe

Author: Kaleigh
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Total Time: 26 minutes
Yield: 2-3 servings 1x
Category: main dish
Method: grilled
Cuisine: seafood

Ingredients

Scale

For the shallot herb vinaigrette:

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp shallot, minced
3 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
1 tbsp finely chopped mint
Juice from 1 lime (about 2 tbsp)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp avocado oil
Pinch sea salt
Pinch freshly cracked pepper

For the shrimp and salad:

1 lb jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup seedless watermelon, cubed
1 cup honeydew melon, cubed
1 cup cantaloupe, cubed
1 cup jicama, cubed

Instructions

Make the vinaigrette. In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, shallot, cilantro, mint, lime juice, red wine vinegar, oil, salt and pepper.
Place peeled and deveined shrimp in a bowl. Pour half of the herb vinaigrette over the shrimp and toss to coat. Let shrimp marinate while you make the melon salad.
Cut melon and jicama into evenly sized cubes, about ½ inch. Add melon and jicama to a large bowl and pour remaining vinaigrette on top. Stir to coat evenly and place in the refrigerator while you cook the shrimp.
Slide shrimp onto skewers. (If using wooden skewers, make sure to soak them in water for about an hour before using). If you're using a grill pan, you can omit the skewers.
Heat grill or grill pan to medium heat. Cook shrimp until pink and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from heat.
Plate melon salad and serve with grilled shrimp over the top.

Notes

I find it easiest to thread the shrimp onto skewers for grilling on an outdoor grill. For a grill pan, skewers really aren't necessary. If you're using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes first.
If you don't have all 3 kinds of melon, use whatever you have. It will still be delicious! I've also used mango in the mix.
Feel free to try different herbs in the vinaigrette to suit your taste and what you have on hand.

Keywords: grilled shrimp melon salad, jicama melon salad with shrimp

This post was originally published August 2018 and has been updated.