Blackened Shrimp with Avocado Ranch Dip
This post has been sponsored by Marina del Rey Foods. All opinions are mine alone!
Blackened Shrimp with Avocado Ranch Dip is juicy pan fried blackened shrimp served with a cool, creamy avocado ranch dip! It’s a healthy, flavorful appetizer that’s so easy to make!
I’ve been a sports enthusiast since a very young age, so game day is big for me. It’s so fun to carve out time to spend with my family or friends to watch games together and cheer on our favorite teams.
It doesn’t matter if it’s football, baseball or basketball — I’m always down for a celebration revolving around a sporting event.
Naturally the food and beverages play a big role in the celebration, and oftentimes overshadow the game. They can make the game more lively and fun when it’s going well, and on the flip side give you that much needed distraction when it’s not.
If the game doesn’t go well, there will be no crying in your beer with this Blackened Shrimp with Avocado Ranch Dip around.
This dish is so good it will leave you saying “GAME? What game?”
The avocado ranch dip is insanely delicious, but the Most Valuable Player of this dish is the blackened shrimp!
This blackened shrimp is so special because it’s made with Wild Caught Argentinian Red Shrimp from Marina del Rey Foods. It’s the best tasting shrimp that I’ve ever tasted, and the only one that I’ll buy from now on.
If you’re a shrimp lover, you straight up have to try it!
I’m so thrilled that this wild shrimp from Marina del Rey Foods was brought to my attention because it’s everything that I want shrimp to be. Right now the shrimp is sold only at Sam’s Club in the U.S., so I got a membership in order to continue buying this amazing shrimp!
The shrimp are large and succulent, with a flavor that reminds me of lobster. They’re so incredibly juicy and flavorful and are unlike any shrimp that I’ve ever had before.
I can taste the quality, and that’s because Marina del Rey Foods goes the extra mile with their Argentinian shrimp and Icelandic scallops.
Marina del Rey Foods wild seafood is environmentally responsible and contains no added water or chemicals like other brands. There are no hormones, antibiotics, or added color like farm-raised seafood, which is just as important to me as how it tastes!
All of this said, seafood is a healthy meal option. It’s high in protein, low in calories, and rich in Omega-3’s which benefit the cardiovascular system.
I also love it because it cooks up so quickly and always makes dinnertime special!
I’ve made this Blackened Shrimp with Avocado Ranch Dip three times between now and Christmas, and it’s always met with the same excitement.
The first time I tested this recipe was right before Christmas break. My boys took their semester finals that day so they got out of school at lunch time.
They were so excited to find a plate full of this shrimp and absolutely devoured it. There wasn’t even any left for my husband!
At least I got some. 🙂
I always make a recipe a few times just to make sure it’s where I want it to be, but honestly I knew it was perfect the first time.
I’ve made this two more times since just because we like it that much, and it’s going to be made on the regular around here. 🙂
The blackened seasoning is super easy to whip up, and it really isn’t spicy. I added 1 1/2 tablespoons to 1 lb. of the shrimp and I have a spice intolerant family.
You can certainly up the amount of cayenne pepper to your spice mix if you want to turn up the heat!
The avocado ranch dip is the perfect cool, creamy dip for the blackened shrimp. There is NO MAYO whatsoever — avocado and low fat buttermilk is what makes this dip so dreamy and creamy.
The dip is really flavor forward with fresh parsley, chives and dill. It’s like no ranch dip you’ve ever had!
The avocado ranch dip is best when it’s freshest, but it does keep well in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. It will lose it’s bright green hue a bit but it still tastes great.
That’s if you have some leftover after the shrimp are gone mind you. 🙂
Blackened Shrimp with Avocado Ranch Dip is the perfect healthier game day solution. Squeeze a bit of lime juice over the warm shrimp, serve on a platter with the dip and watch the crowd go wild!
This dish is the game’s true MVP.
More shrimp recipes you’ll love:
- Grilled shrimp
- Orange shrimp by Cooking Classy
- Pineapple shrimp skewers
- Shrimp ceviche
- Shrimp louie salad
If you make this recipe I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment and rating below or snap a photo and tag me @flavorthemoments on Instagram!
Blackened Shrimp with Avocado Ranch Dip
Ingredients
For the avocado ranch:
- 1 small avocado
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the shrimp:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 lbs. [Marina del Rey Foods Wild Caught Argentine Red Shrimp] thawed according to package instructions
- 2-3 tablespoons blackened seasoning
- 1/2 lime plus lime wedges for serving
Instructions
Prepare the avocado ranch dip:
- Place the avocado, lime juice, onion powder, garlic powder, buttermilk, parsley, chives and dill in the bowl of a food processor. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and process until smooth. Adjust the seasoning as necessary and set aside.
Prepare the shrimp:
- Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the thawed shrimp followed by 2-3 tablespoons of the blackened seasoning and a generous pinch of salt. Stir until the shrimp are well coated with the seasoning and saute for 5 minutes or until cooked through.
- Place the shrimp on a serving platter with the avocado ranch dip and squeeze fresh lime juice over the shrimp. Serve immediately with fresh lime wedges and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- I use 3 tablespoons of the blackened seasoning per for the entire bag of shrimp. It sounds like a lot but I promise it isn’t!
- Leftover avocado ranch dip will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
38 Comments on “Blackened Shrimp with Avocado Ranch Dip”
It seems like I just get going on a healthy diet regime at the beginning of the year and then Superbowl rolls around with all the high calorie/carb eats. This is a perfect (and delicious) way to make them both work!
I hear you Chris — between Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day approaching it’s pretty hard to stay on track! This certainly helps for game day…now I just need to stay out of the chocolate. 🙂
Loving this delicious way to enjoy these beautiful shrimp! Love blackened and that dip sounds fabulous 🙂
Isn’t their shrimp the best? Thanks Jennifer!
Oh wow, and how lucky that I just happen to have a bag of Marina Del Rey shrimp in my freezer!
I always make sure to have MDR shrimp in the freezer now! 🙂
These shrimp look so delicious Marcie! And I’m LOVING that sauce!
Thanks so much Taylor!
I’m making this for Super Bowl too and can’t wait to eat it again! Thanks so much for introducing me to Marina del Rey shrimp — it’s worth having a membership at Sam’s Club just for that!
I hope you love it and thank you for introducing me t MDR shrimp!
I will admit that I’m not the biggest sports fan, though I do like watching basketball, especially the NCAA! But if there are good snacks around, then I’m ALL about the sports. This shrimp looks delicious, Marcie! I love that you can serve this as a fun appetizer. And that dip has my name written all over it! Just what I want for game day!
Basketball is one of my favorites. 🙂 Thanks Gayle!
Love this recipe. The shrimp look so succulent and that homemade avocado ranch is just perfect!
Thanks Regina!
Love this recipe! The shrimp with the ranch look delicious!
Thanks so much Teri!
What a fantastic recipe Marcie! It’s a burst of flavor and spice—YUM! Love that cool avocado ranch too! Can’t wait to make this!
Thanks Mahy — we just love this shrimp!
Wow Marcie – I love the simplicity of this recipe, and all those spices! And of course I love the Marina del Rey shrimp too! Great video and gorgeous dip. And it’s all guilt-free! Beautiful bonus!
The shrimp are totally MVP you’re right! But gahhh that sauce looks so crazy amazing too – I need to faceplant into this right meow!
Thanks so much Jenn! 🙂
Holy freaking moly, you had me with fresh parsley, dill, chives, and shrimp. My hubs isn’t a big fan of seafood but he does like shrimp. I have a feeling he would scarf down these blackened shrimps in a heartbeat because they look incredibly mouthwatering! Pinning!
If you’re able to get your hands on this shrimp you totally need to try it — I think your husband would love it! 🙂
What are scrumptious appetizer! I love your Avocado-Ranch dip too. The shrimps look so succulent and tasty!
Thank you Tania! 🙂
Marcie, YUM! First, the photos are gorgeous. Such a pretty dish. These would disappear in my house super fast, too! We love everything with blackening seasoning 🙂
Thank you so much Michelle! My kids went absolutely crazy over this!
You’ve got some lucky boys!! I would be thrilled to find a plate of this waiting for me, any day! Blackened shrimp! Yum! And that dip? This is delicious, Marcie! Another win!
This was definitely a luxury after school snack for them! haha Thank you Katherine! 🙂
Love blackened shrimp! This recipe reminds me that I need more shrimp in my life! And that avocado ranch dip?! I see myself making that all the time. Love that it’s healthier and mayo free!
I don’t make shrimp enough either so this was a great reminder to add it to the menu more often…my kids love it! 🙂
Thank you so much Allyson!
This recipe is so amazing! I seriously love the flavors!
Thank you Kristen!
Everyone loves shrimp and your appetizing dish sounds great. Question…does the dip keep its light green color if made ahead of time?
Thanks Karen! While the dip retained it’s light green color fairly well, it did dull a bit after the first day. If you’re worried about it I would suggest making it earlier the day you’re serving it and covering it tightly with plastic wrap until serving.
I love the combination of blackened shrimp and a cool avocado dip! Delicious!
Thank you Meggan!