Shrimp Salad
Shrimp Salad is a delightfully light and refreshing salad.
It’s made with perfectly cooked shrimp, onion, celery, cucumber, dill, and mayonnaise.
Tossed into a salad that can be eaten in a bowl for lunch or dinner. Or you can easily make it into a sandwich. This delicious shrimp salad is a tasty alternative to an Egg Salad!
Ingredient Notes
Please check the recipe card below for a detailed, printable ingredient list.
SHRIMP – You can buy fresh, deveined, and already peeled shrimp. Alternatively, look for frozen peeled, deveined shrimp like these. If you choose to use frozen shrimp, thaw them before.
LEMON – Make sure to wash the lemon thoroughly before zesting. This veggie wash has been a staple at our house for years.
MAYONNAISE – This is used to bind the ingredients together. You can use a low-fat version as well.
VEGETABLES – Onion, celery, and cucumber add taste and texture to the salad.
Variations and Additions
EGG – Add one to two hard-boiled eggs (learn how to make perfect boiled eggs here) for an extra boost of protein.
PARSLEY – If you can’t find fresh dill, try fresh parsley. Mince like you would the dill.
AVOCADO – If you like some extra creaminess, avocado works well.
BELL PEPPERS – You’ll often find red bell peppers in shrimp salads. I like bell peppers (especially in my Mom’s German Tomato Salad) but typically don’t include them in my shrimp salad.
How To Make Shrimp Salad
Please check the printable recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
- Boil water with lemon zest, lemon juice, wedges, vinegar, salt, and sugar.
- Remove pot from heat. Add shrimp to boiling water for 3 minutes, and transfer shrimp to ice water.
- Mix mayonnaise and mustard, then stir in celery, onion, cucumber, and dill.
- Dry shrimp, remove tails, combine with dressing, season, and serve.
Recipe Success Tips
This is one of those easy recipes you can take in a million different directions! Here are a few kitchen tips for making this classic Shrimp Salad.
The way this recipe instructs you to cook the shrimp is flavorful and makes perfectly tender shrimp. Every single time.
However, if you’d like, you can use sauteed or grilled shrimp for a different texture in your salad.
Add some little kinds of pasta like ditalini or couscous to make this a Shrimp Pasta Salad.
If you’re looking for a low-carb shrimp sandwich version, get some Bibb lettuce and shrimp lettuce wraps.
Use an olive oil blend or low-fat version of mayonnaise to make this dish healthier.
Serving Suggestions
BREAD CHOICE – A toasted baguette or soft brioche can turn this salad into an upscale sandwich.
GREENS – A bed of mixed greens or arugula adds a peppery note that complements the salad’s creaminess.
Leftovers
Once the seafood salad is made, you can store it in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
It’s best eaten cold. Don’t allow it to sit on the counter to warm up since shrimp recipes need to be kept safely in the right temperature zone.
This is one food that tastes great cold, too!
More Easy and Delicious Salad Recipes
DILL PICKLE PASTA SALALD – Delicious everyday side salad or the hit on a buffet table.
CHICKEN SALAD – We love this creamy version of crispy veggies and fruit.
CREAMY CUCUCMBER SALAD – One of the most refreshing, easy-to-make salads.
PESTO PASTA SALAD – simple, make-ahead summer salad recipe.
WATERMELON FETA SALAD – Juicy watermelon salad tossed in a minty lemon dressing.
BACON RANCH PASTA SALAD – Perfect side dish for barbecues, potlucks, and cookouts.
Shrimp Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pound shrimp peeled and deveined
- 6 cups water
- 1 large lemon zested, quartered
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 stalks celery diced small
- 1 small red onion diced small
- ½ large English cucumber peeled, seeded, diced
- 3 tablespoons dill
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
Instructions
Cooking The Shrimp
- Zest the lemon, then cut the lemon into wedges.
- Fill a large pot with 6 cups of water. Add lemon zest. Squeeze lemon juice into the water. Toss lemon wedges into the water. Add vinegar, salt and sugar. Bring to a rapid boil.
- While the water is boiling, prepare a medium bowl with ice water. Set aside. Once rapidly boiling remove the pot from heat and add shrimp. Let the shrimp sit until completely opaque. About 3 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon and transfer cooked shrimp into a bowl of ice water. Dip the shrimp into the ice water. Transfer onto a plate and dry off any excess moisture with a paper towel. Remove the tails.
Making Shrimp Salad
- Add mayonnaise and dijon mustard into a large bowl and whisk until creamy. Add celery, red onion, cucumber, and dill. Mix well. Add shrimp and toss to coat.
Nutritional Information
Nutritional Disclaimer
Cheerful Cook team members are not trained nutritionists or medical professionals. Calorie information and nutritional values are estimates. If you have nutritional concerns, we recommend using a nutritional calculator.
Maike Corbett is the founder and food blogger of Cheerful Cook, a popular recipe website featuring comfort food recipes from the US and Germany. She has been featured in numerous media outlets, including the AP Wire and MSN.
Looks so fresh and delicious! This will be perfect for dinner!
What a great party starter! Love how refreshing the ingredients are together. Such an easy way to get a salad in ;P
Oh my goodness, this shrimp salad recipe was delicious! I actually chopped my shrimp into smaller pieces and ate it as a dip with saltine crackers. Definitely going to try it in a sandwich next!
Oh wow – what a delicious salad. Perfect for a BBQ.
My daughter and I loved how flavorful and delicious this recipe was! We’ve made this a couple times now and it’s one of our favorites! Thank you for this lovely and tasty recipe!