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Shrimp Salad

By Brittany Mullins

4.8

8

Published Jul 27, 2021, Updated Feb 22, 2023

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GFGluten-FreeLCLow Carb

This easy shrimp salad is bright and flavorful with red onion and fresh dill. Serve it up over a bed of lettuce or in lettuce wraps for a light meal.

As you may know, I’ve been on a protein salad kick for awhile. I have made chicken salad, tuna salad, egg salad and now I figured it was time to try shrimp salad. The end result was so delicious!

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This shrimp salad is the perfect light lunch or appetizer. It’s packed with protein, but still feels light and refreshing.

Here’s What You Need

• raw shrimp – You can choose fresh or frozen and any size shrimp you prefer. I used white shrimp (size 26/30) for this recipe, but I think 21/25 would work great too. And I’ll go into more detail on this below, but I like buying peeled and deveined shrimp so it’s prep less work!
• red onion and celery – these add a nice crunch to the salad.
• fresh dill – I definitely recommend using fresh dill over dried. It adds a delicious, herby flavor!
• plain Greek yogurt – you can use whatever fat level you like for the yogurt. I buy full-fat for my daughter so that’s typically what I use. If you’re dairy-free, feel free to use dairy-free yogurt as a sub.
• avocado oil mayo – I prefer using avocado oil mayo, but any type works for this recipe.
• dijon mustard – adds just the right amount of zest!
• lemon juice – I recommend using fresh squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor!
• sea salt and pepper – to bring all of the flavors together.

tip!
Make sure you chop your onion and celery to similar sized pieces. I like to chop them finely so there aren't any large, overwhelming bites. 

How to Cook Shrimp

First things first, you’ll want to make sure your shrimp is peeled and deveined. You can buy raw shrimp where this has already been done, but if not, it’s super easy to do yourself!

Start by breaking off the shell on the underside of the shrimp and peel it away as it cracks. Pinch off the tail. Use a sharp pairing knife to make a shallow slit on the top of the shrimp – you should see a dark string-like “vein” which you should pull out and discard.

After you have peeled and deveined the shrimp, you’re ready to cook it!

Bring water and salt to a boil in a medium/large pot. Add the shrimp and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, uncovered for about 2-3 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and opaque. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.

How to Serve Shrimp Salad

This salad is perfect as a light lunch or appetizer. Here’s how I like to serve it:

• Over a bed of lettuce – start with a base of any type of leafy green and then top with the shrimp salad.
• In lettuce cups – use larger leafy greens to create lettuce cups. I like using butter lettuce for this!
• With crackers – make your own almond flour crackers or pair with a store bought cracker (I like Simple Mills!) for the ultimate crunchy treat.
• As a sandwich – add shrimp salad to a brioche hot dog bun for a shrimp roll sandwich. It’s like a lobster roll, but less expensive!

How to Keep Shrimp Salad from Getting Watery?

The best way to keep your shrimp salad from getting watery is to make sure you pat your shrimp dry with paper towels after cooking. That said, the shrimp salad may still produce some liquid as it sits in the fridge and this is totally normal. When this happens I just serve the salad with a slotted spoon and let any access drip off before plating.

More Shrimp Recipes to Try:

• Easy Shrimp Cocktail
• Caribbean Jerk Shrimp Bowls
• Cauliflower Grits with Blackened Shrimp
• Garlic Shrimp and Asparagus with Zucchini Noodles
• Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
• Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
• Thai Green Curry with Shrimp
• Easy Coconut Shrimp Curry
• Shrimp Scampi Sheet Pan Meal

Be sure to check out the full collection of shrimp recipes here on EBF!

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4.80 from 5 votes

Shrimp Salad

By: Brittany Mullins

This easy shrimp salad is bright and flavorful with red onion and fresh dill. Serve it up over a bed of lettuce or in lettuce wraps for a light meal.

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 minutes minutes

Total Time: 13 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
• ▢ ¼ cup diced red onion
• ▢ 1 stalk celery, diced
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
• ▢ ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
• ▢ ½ cup avocado oil mayo
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
• ▢ 1 lemon, juiced (about ¼ cup)
• ▢ Pinch of sea salt and pepper

Instructions 

• Fill a large pot with water and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add shrimp and reduce the heat to medium. Cook uncovered for about 2-3 minutes or until the shrimp are pink, opaque and cooked through. Prepare an ice water bath while the shrimp cook.
• Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon (or drain in a colander) and transfer to an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. Drain and pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Be sure the shrimp are dry so the salad doesn't turn out watery.
• In a large bowl whisk together yogurt, mayo, mustard, lemon juice, sea salt and pepper. Add shrimp, red onion, celery and dill and toss. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
• Serve right away if needed, but I like to refrigerate a few hours before serving so it has time to chill. Top it with additional fresh dill as a garnish. Serve it up over a bed of lettuce, in lettuce cups or with crackers. It works great as an appetizer or light lunch.
• Salad will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Notes

• Shrimp size: I recommend using size 26/30 or 21/25, whichever you can find at your local store. If you want to use smaller shrimp, feel free just know that they will cook faster!
• Chopping the shrimp: You can chop the cooked shrimp into pieces if you like. I personally like the full pieces of shrimp. The presentation is prettier!

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of recipe | Calories: 241kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 127mg | Potassium: 252mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: shrimp salad

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