Shrimp Salad – amazingly delicious and easy shrimp salad with the best flavors of summer. Perfect for BBQ party, picnics, potluck or for light dinner. Creamy, vibrant, and outrageously delicious!
Shrimp salad is the lighter way to enjoy the goodness of shrimps during warmer season. I couldn’t count how many times I’ve prepared this recipe just so I can get good photos. Well, it’s more like of an excuse to enjoy this easy vibrant salad in this warm sunny LA.
It’s creamy, packed with so many bright flavors from the dressing and that distinct fresh-from-the-ocean shrimp flavor. How can I stop myself from eating the whole plate? See what I mean? 😉
How To Make Shrimp Salad
When it comes to making this Shrimp Salad, the first rule of thumb that you need to learn by heart is: DO NOT OVERCOOK the shrimps. Overcooked shrimps are like washing your money down the drain. They’re rubbery and, obviously, unpleasant to eat. Other than that, you can simply adjust the other half of this recipe to suit your preference.
Now if you want to ensure that the shrimp doesn’t continue to cook even when removed from the heat, simply rinse them with cold water or place in an ice bath. Here’s how you make this easy peasy shrimp salad.
- Cook the shrimp until opaque and pink. SEE RULE ABOVE. Drain after cooking and set aside.
- Mix the rest of the ingredients (except for the dill) to make a vibrant dressing to coat the shrimp.
- Add the cooked shrimp into the creamy mixture until fully combined. Garnish with dill.
- Place in the fridge until ready to serve.
What Else Can I Add in This Salad?
There’s no standard way of making this Shrimp Salad. You can actually make it your own and add whatever makes you happy. Yes, your happiness is my happiness. 😉 But if you’re kinda hesitant, don’t worry, I got you.
Some of the popular ones that goes well in this fresh classic Shrimp Salad, aside from what’s on the list are:
- finely diced celery
- finely diced bell pepper or cucumber
- chopped avocado
- cooked pasta (either rotini or macaroni coated with a bit of oil first so it won’t soak up all the dressing)
- diced hard boiled egg
What Goes with Shrimp Salad?
Ooohhh.. I get so excited when writing this part ’cause honestly I could go on and on. There’s just a ton of other dishes to serve with this shrimp salad. But my top fave would be this Macaroni Salad, Baked Beans, Caesar Salad, Coleslaw or even this Three Bean Salad. Light pasta also makes a good side dish along with Roasted Broccoli. And don’t forget to serve some fresh fruit salad or pineapple ring. And, of course, a good drink like white wine like Pinot Grigio. Oh my goodness, my stomach did just growl. 😂
Ways to Serve Shrimp Salad
If you think I’d stop right there, well you’re wrong. I’ve had the privilege of serving this Shrimp Salad to a couple of my hubby’s good friends, and they were blown away with the options I gave them to enjoy this salad. Here are some of the ways to serve this salad to your guests or family.
- You can serve this shrimp salad the usual way (as shown in some of my photos) on a bed of lettuce with chopped avocados, sliced lemons or tomatoes.
- Spoon your salad into an avocado half
- Stuff it on hollowed bell peppers or tomatoes.
- Serve it with your favorite crackers as an appetizer
- Use it as a filling for toasted and buttered croissants, baguettes or rolls (sort of like this Shrimp Po Boy Sandwich here)
- Fill up some puff pastry with this shrimp salad
- Spoon them over on individual lettuce to make lettuce tacos or cups
- Pair them with some tortilla chips
Did I just pique your interest? This Shrimp Salad is truly a crowd-pleasing, elegant yet super simple to prepare dish. I don’t think you’d only try making this once for this coming summer. You can’t go wrong with this!
Can I Make This Shrimp Salad Ahead of Time?
You bet you can. What I usually do is make them in the morning, let it chill in the fridge to allow the flavors to meld well and serve them by lunch or dinner. Or store this salad in an airtight container and in the fridge for a luncheon the next day.
Tip: Do not buy those pre-cooked shrimp as they’re rubbery. Nothing taste better than fresh-from-the-ocean kind of shrimp. Frozen shrimp work fine, too.
More Shrimp Recipes
Mango Avocado Shrimp Salad with Mango Dressing
Coconut Shrimp ( with video)
Shrimp Stir-Fry (with video)
How To Prepare Shrimp Salad
In a medium-size pot, bring 3 quarts of water with 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil over medium high heat. Add the shrimp and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the pan and simmer for about 3- 5 minutes, until the shrimp are opaque and pink. Do not overcook. Drain immediately and transfer to a bowl. Cool completely, set aside. In a large mixing bowl, mix together onion, mayonnaise, mustard, Creole seasoning, lemon juice and zest.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add in the shrimp and chopped green onions.
Mix until fully combined then garnish with chopped dill. Cover bowl with a transparent plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Serve on a bed of lettuce, mixed greens, avocado or tomato wedges, if desired.
Shrimp Salad
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Ingredients
- 3 quartz (2.8 l) water
- 1 tablespoon (17 g) salt
- 1 pound (453 g) medium-sized shrimp
- ¼ cup (29 g) finely diced onion
- ⅓ cup (77 g) mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) Creole seasoning
- 1 tablespoon (6 g) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) lemon zest
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1-2 green onions , finely diced
- 1 tablespoon (3 g) dill , chopped
Instructions
- In a medium-size pot, bring 3 quarts of water with 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil over medium high heat. Add the shrimp and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the pan and simmer for about 3- 5 minutes, until the shrimp are opaque and pink. Do not overcook. Drain immediately and transfer to a bowl. Cool completely, set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together onion, mayonnaise, mustard, Creole seasoning, lemon juice and zest. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add in the shrimp and chopped green onions. Mix until fully combined and garnish with chopped dill. Cover bowl with a transparent plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Serve on a bed of lettuce, mixed greens, avocado or tomato wedges, if desired.
Tips & Notes:
- It is important that you avoid overcooking the Shrimp; overcooked shrimp is rubbery and unpleasant to eat. To assure that they stop cooking you can either rinse with cold water or place in an ice bath.
- Do not buy those pre-cooked shrimps as they're rubbery. Nothing taste better than fresh-from-the-ocean kind of shrimps. Frozen shrimps work fine, too.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
Jazz says
Is the dill amount for fresh or dried?
ImmaculateBites says
Great question! The dill amount in this shrimp salad is for fresh dill. Fresh herbs generally have a milder flavor compared to their dried counterparts, so if you’re planning to use dried dill, you’ll want to reduce the amount. A good rule of thumb is to use about one-third of the amount when substituting dried herbs for fresh.
Hope this helps
Ramona Edwards says
Is the sodium content correct for the Shrimp Salad? It is listed as 3679 mg.
Fiona Manoon says
Healthy and tasty salad.
Glad to know about this dish.
I must appreciate your creativity.
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe with us.
Keep Blogging
imma africanbites says
Thank you so much for your encouraging words and thank you for dropping by. Happy weekend!