This tasty shrimp salad with a wonderfully creamy dressing is the perfect lunch, and it also makes a wonderful dinner in the summer.
Ready in just 25 minutes, this salad is truly easy to make, and the leftovers are great too.
Main-dish salads are a lifesaver in the summer. They are light and fresh, they are easy to make, and they save you from heating up the oven.
Much like octopus salad or lobster salad, this delicious shrimp salad is so easy to make, and it's so very flavorful. I love making it in the summer. It's so fresh-tasting.
I dress it in a lovely dressing of mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, and garlic. It's a light dish that goes really well with dry white wine.
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Ingredients
Here's an overview of what you'll need to make this salad. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
- Shrimp: It's best to use small shrimp since they are bite-size and easier to eat in a salad.
- Mayonnaise: I prefer avocado oil mayonnaise.
- Dijon mustard: Dijon is creamier and less vinegary than yellow mustard.
- White wine vinegar: Or use fresh lemon juice if you prefer.
- Kosher salt and black pepper: I use kosher salt in most of my recipes. If using fine salt, you should use half the amount listed in the recipe card.
- Vegetables and aromatics: Minced red onion, minced garlic, minced celery, and chopped cilantro.
Variations
- If you like spicy food, try adding a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to the dressing. You can also add seeded, thinly sliced jalapeno peppers. I like both options!
- Add a handful of bacon bits.
- I often add chopped hard-boiled eggs.
- Scallions are a good substitute for red onions in this recipe.
- Instead of shrimp, you can use the same amount of cooked bay scallops.
Shrimp Salad Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:
- First, boil the shrimp briefly, just until pink and opaque. Transfer them to a bowl filled with cold water. This will stop the cooking process, and will also help chill them.
- Next, in a salad bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. (Photo 1).
- Now, add the cooked shrimp, red onion, celery, and cilantro to the dressing. (Photos 2-3).
- Mix gently, then serve. (Photos 4-5).
Expert Tip
It's best to use small shrimp in this recipe - 40 per pound. Since they are bite-size, they are easy to eat in a salad.
You want them peeled and deveined, of course, but unlike warm shrimp recipes such as baked shrimp, here you also want the tails off.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can defrost them and use them in this recipe. But keep in mind that these shrimp are a compromise - they're not as good, in terms of both flavor and texture, as freshly cooked shrimp.
Yes. You can replace the mayonnaise with ½ cup of sour cream or with ⅓ cup of olive oil.
If using olive oil, to prepare the dressing, place the ingredients in a jar, seal it well, and shake vigorously until the dressing emulsifies.
Yes! You can use 2-3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped. Add them last and mix them very gently into the salad. I often do it and I really like it.
Serving Suggestions
I really like this salad just as it is, on a plate, eaten with a fork. But if you want to serve it with something, here are a few ideas that I tried and liked:
- Serve it on a bed of shredded lettuce.
- Stuff it inside a lettuce sandwich wrap.
- Serve it on thick slices of almond flour bread.
- It's great on halved cheese muffins.
- Instead of stuffing tomato with crab salad, stuff it with this salad.
- Serve it on top of avocado halves.
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to two days. I don't recommend freezing the leftovers. The texture and flavor will be off after freezing and thawing the salad.
More Shrimp Recipes
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Recipe Card
Creamy Shrimp Salad
Ingredients
Shrimp:
- 1 lb. small shrimp peeled and deveined, tails off (40 per pound)
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Dressing:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ tablespoon white wine vinegar (or fresh lemon juice)
- ½ teaspoon fresh garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Additional salad ingredients:
- ¼ cup red onion minced
- ¼ cup celery minced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro chopped
Instructions
Cook the shrimp:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and the shrimp. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook the shrimp, uncovered, until pink and cooked through, for about 2 minutes.
- Turn the heat off and use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked shrimp to a bowl filled with cold water, to stop the cooking process. You don't want them overcooked.
Make the dressing:
- In a salad bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, vinegar, garlic, kosher salt, and black pepper.
Mix the salad:
- To the bowl with the dressing, add the cooked shrimp, red onion, celery, and cilantro. Gently mix to combine. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for a couple of hours. Gently mix again before serving.
Video
Notes
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition per Serving
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
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