Shrimp Salad
8
Published Apr 02, 2024
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This easy shrimp salad comes together in less than 20 minutes with simple ingredients. It’s creamy, refreshing and loaded with tons of flavor!
As you may know, I’ve been on a protein salad kick for awhile. I love my protein salads so I figured it was time to try shrimp salad.
The end result was so delicious! This shrimp salad is the perfect light lunch or appetizer. It’s packed with protein, but still feels light and refreshing.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Fresh and flavorful – The combination of fresh dill, fresh veggies, lemon juice and high-quality shrimp creates a refreshing dish perfect for warm days.
- Versatile – Enjoy this salad over a bed of greens, in lettuce wraps or served with crackers or bread. The options are endless!
- Healthy – Made with Greek yogurt and avocado oil mayo, this salad is a healthier alternative to traditional recipes without compromising on taste.
- Make-ahead friendly – Chill it for a few hours before serving to let the flavors meld, or store it in the fridge for up to 3 days for easy meal prep.
Shrimp Salad Ingredients
- raw shrimp – You can choose fresh or frozen and any size shrimp you prefer. I used white extra large shrimp (size 26/30) for this recipe, but I think jumbo shrimp (size 21/25) would work great too. I recommend buying peeled and deveined shrimp so there’s less 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 – we’re replacing some of the mayo with greek yogurt to lighten up this salad. If you need this recipe to be dairy-free you can use dairy-free yogurt or more mayo instead.
- avocado oil mayonnaise – 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.
How to Make Shrimp Salad
Step 1: 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.
Step 2: Mix yogurt, mayo, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl for the dressing.
Step 3: Add shrimp, onion, celery, and dill to dressing and stir to combine. Chill before serving for enhanced flavor. Serve over lettuce or with crackers.
Recipe Tip!
Try to grab peeled and deveined shrimp to save you time!
If not, you can totally do this 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.
How to Serve Shrimp Salad
This shrimp salad recipe 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!
Storing Leftovers
Store any leftover shrimp salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It’s best enjoyed within 3 days of making. If you’ve served the salad over greens or in lettuce cups, store the salad separately from any unused greens to keep both components at their best quality.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
You can use fresh or frozen shrimp for this recipe! Quality does matter since shrimp is the star ingredient in this salad, so make sure that whatever shrimp you do get is good quality. If you do use frozen shrimp you’ll probably just have to boil the shrimp for a few extra minutes. I wouldn’t recommend getting pre-cooked shrimp because it won’t be as flavorful as fresh or frozen!
More Shrimp Recipes to Try:
- Air Fryer Shrimp
- Green Curry with Shrimp
- Shrimp Scampi Sheet Pan Meal
- Easy Shrimp Cocktail
- Caribbean Jerk Shrimp Bowls
Be sure to check out all of the shrimp recipes as well as the full collection of salad recipes here on EBF!
Shrimp Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- ¼ cup red onion, diced
- 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Easy, summery, absolutely delicious!
Woo! So happy you enjoyed this shrimp salad, Rebecca! Thanks for trying it and coming back to leave a review 🙂
Easy, summery, and absolutely delicious. The fresh dill and Dijon are essential!
I’m so glad this shrimp salad was a hit, Rebecca! Thanks for the review and star rating!
Great recipe, I’ve made it a few times. This may serve 6 women, but not men. I half the recipe again to serve 6. I also use cooked “salad shrimp “ (90-100count) makes eating with crackers easier. I also serve it with tomato aspic.
Yum! Thanks for sharing your changes and review, Charles! I’m glad you’re enjoying this recipe!
Hi, I don’t see the recipe with quantities for the ingredients?
Hi Carolyn – My apologies, it must have gotten deleted accidentally. I just updated the blog post and it is back up. Hope you enjoy this recipe!