My restaurant-style shrimp salad makes the perfect lunch or light supper. Whether you serve it as a sandwich or as a salad, you won’t believe how easy my shrimp salad is to make and how much better it is than most of your favorite restaurants.
Just look at those big pieces of shrimp. They are so much tastier and have a better appearance than small shrimp. Using the right ingredients makes all the difference in the world!
Ways to serve shrimp salad!
My shrimp salad was delicious, served on a buttery, flaky croissant. It also makes a great sandwich filling, for a pita pocket, multigrain roll, or as a lettuce wrap. My wife’s favorite way to eat it is between two slices of good rye bread.
You can enjoy this creamy shrimp salad in several ways. Add a scoop to your favorite salad. Or, serve it on top of a bed of lettuce or salad greens. And, of course, crackers go really well with shrimp salad.
If you love shrimp, my delicious shrimp cocktail recipe and golden brown deep-fried shrimp will rock your world!
Ingredients to make shrimp salad
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make shrimp salad. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”
Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
What Kind of Shrimp should I use?
Since shrimp is the star of the dish, you want to make sure you buy the best shrimp you can, and for shrimp salad, I always use jumbo shrimp.
- Shrimp is either wild-caught or farmed. My first choice is always Gulf or Pacific shrimp from American waters. Farmed shrimp will be less expensive but can be a poor choice depending upon how responsible the farms are run.
- Shrimp sized under 30 per pound will have the best flavor profile and offer the best value. Small shrimp won’t have as much flavor, they are really a waste of money. My choice for shrimp salad is 26-30 sized. I use Under 15 count and 16 -20 count for shrimp cocktail and cooking.
- Shrimp get their color from what they eat. Brown shrimp will have a higher concentration of iodine and a more mineral flavor. Pink and White shrimp are generally sweeter.
- Almost all shrimp are frozen before being transported. If you see them thawed in a supermarket, they were originally frozen.
- Avoid buying peeled and deveined shrimp. Cleaning the shrimp before freezing may cause a loss of flavor and texture.
- Frozen or thawed cooked shrimp that are frequently sold in local supermarkets are not a good choice. They won’t have much flavor and the texture of precooked shrimp gets worse the longer they stay thawed.
If you have a question about the sustainability and quality of seafood, check the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch.
How do I thaw frozen shrimp?
Start by thawing the shrimp in cold running water. You can also leave them in a covered bowl in your fridge overnight to thaw.
How long should I cook the shrimp?
When the shrimp are fully thawed, place them into boiling water with one tablespoon of Old Bay Seasoning.
Let the shrimp cook until the water comes back to a boil up to 5-6 minutes for 26-30 sized shrimp. Larger shrimp will take 1-2 minutes longer.
When the shrimp are done cooking, remove them from the pan and place the cooked shrimp into a large bowl or container filled partway with ice.
How to make shrimp salad
After cooking and chilling, the next step is to peel and devein the shrimp. The next step is to rough cut the shrimp, but don’t cut the pieces too small. You’re buying good shrimp and you want your guests to see nice big chunks of shrimp.
In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients together and mix well. Chill the mixture for one hour before serving. This will the flavors time to build.
What else can I add to the shrimp salad dressing?
Adding your favorite seasonings and condiments is a great way to customize this easy-to-make shrimp salad. Try adding Dijon mustard, green onions, chopped red onions, fresh dill, lemon juice, or other fresh herbs. This is about making something you enjoy eating, it’s all up to you!
If there’s any leftover on day two, you’ll find the shrimp salad bursting with flavor. The mayonnaise may look a little runny, but the flavor will make up for the appearance.
Other delicious salads you can try are my Blackened Salmon Salad and my Nicoise Salad Summer Salad.
More Shrimp Recipes You’ll Love!
Easy Shrimp Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay to season the water
- 1 pound raw shell on shrimp 26-30 size cooked, peeled and deveined
- 2 stalks celery small dice
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1-2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- thaw shrimp in cold running water
- Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan, then add 1 tablespoon of Old Bay Seasoning
- Add thawed shrimp to boiling water and cook until the water returns to a boil, no longer than 5-6 minutes.
- Drain the water from the pan and cover the shrimp with ice. Let the shrimp cool down in the ice for 15 minutes, then remove from the ice. Place the cooled shrimp in the refrigerator to continue to chill for one hour (or overnight)
- Peel and devein the shrimp. Then rough chop the shrimp leaving them in big pieces.
- Mix the ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Serve with your favorite bread or roll, on a salad, or simply by itself.
Wendy
Delish!
LT
This is an AMAZING recipe!! Thank you so much for sharing! It’s super easy and family friendly! LOVE, love , love it! Make it with the wild Argentinian Trader Joe’s frozen shrimps. The French brioches are also from Trader Joe’s
Chef Dennis Littley
thanks for the great review and comment! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the shrimp salad
Peggy Powell
Looking forward to having this on a split top brioche bun that i butter and toast. Sounds like a winner!peggy
Tedricka L.
This recipe is fantastic! And it’s just as you said, allowing it to refrigerate overnight makes the flavor burst! I’m making some now for the second time. So, so good and easy!
Kacey Perez
A perfect recipe to make this time of year. Always looking for new ways to cook with seafood at home and this is a great idea!
Daniela
Your in process shots making following this recipe so simple and easy! Thanks so much for sharing :).
Jo
I go weak on my knees everytime I see any dish with shrimp and mayo. So delicious! I can easily finish a couple of these salad sandwiches. looks very tempting.
LaKita
I have never tried shrimp salad before but this looks so good and any recipe with Old Bay seasoning is a winner in my book!
Aleta
Wow, what a great shrimp salad recipe! I love the old bay seasoning and your helpful notes about thawing shrimp and what type of shrimp to buy. Honestly for me there isn’t anything better than a sandwich on a flaky, buttery croissant!
David
Looks good! I would definitely vote for the croissant version please! I like that size shrimp best as well. Always try to have a bag in the freezer for a quick meal.
Paige
This looks great and exactly what I would expect if I was in a restaurant! Looks very easy to put together at home too….a keeper!!
Loreto and Nicoletta Nardelli
This restaurant-style shrimp salad looks delicious! We would love to serve this for an appetizer. Our friends and family would love it!
Tedricka
Great recipe. Can’t wait to try it. Question, though. Are the a measurements for teaspoon or tablespoon? You have the abbreviation for teaspoon in the ingredients list, but tablespoon in the directions.
Chef Dennis Littley
sorry about that. I use an additional 1 tablespoon in the water to cook the shrimp. The teaspoon is to season the salad.
Tanya
Living in the Lowcountry, shrimp is a staple in most diets. I’ll have to give this recipe a try when it’s shrimp season again and use fresh shrimp!
Gloria
We are shrimp lovers. This looks incredible. Easy to make and totally delicious. You certainly can save so much money making wonderful dishes like this at home. Perfect for entertaining too.