Best Shrimp Salad
This is my all-time favorite shrimp salad recipe. It’s absolutely delicious, thanks to perfectly cooked shrimp, fresh dill, and an out of this world homemade dressing. You will love it! This is the best shrimp salad I’ve made in a long time. I love serving it with saltine crackers (thanks for the suggestion, Lindsay), but it’s just as delicious in a sandwich, wrapped in flour tortillas, or served in lettuce cups. This cold shrimp salad keeps in the fridge for three days. I can’t wait for you to try this recipe. It’s a keeper! For more easy shrimp recipes, see my easy shrimp scampi or this fresh shrimp ceviche. Key Ingredients Shrimp: For the best shrimp salad, cook your shrimp. I poach shrimp for this salad and love how gently poaching keeps the shrimp succulent. I use large shrimp and have shown how to poach shrimp them below. (You can use pre-cooked shrimp, but cooking the shrimp yourself only takes a few minutes.) Bell pepper, celery, and green onion: Add flavor, color, and crunch. I especially love the added sweetness of the bell pepper in this salad. Mayonnaise: Is the base for our creamy shrimp salad dressing. Use a good-quality store-bought brand or make your own (here’s our recipe for homemade mayo). Lemon juice: Keeps our salad fresh and cuts through any heaviness of the mayo. Dill: A classic herb with shrimp. I add a lot of dill to this salad and love it! Shrimp: For the best shrimp salad, cook your shrimp. I poach shrimp for this salad and love how gently poaching keeps the shrimp succulent. I use large shrimp and have shown how to poach shrimp them below. (You can use pre-cooked shrimp, but cooking the shrimp yourself only takes a few minutes.) Bell pepper, celery, and green onion: Add flavor, color, and crunch. I especially love the added sweetness of the bell pepper in this salad. Mayonnaise: Is the base for our creamy shrimp salad dressing. Use a good-quality store-bought brand or make your own (here’s our recipe for homemade mayo). Lemon juice: Keeps our salad fresh and cuts through any heaviness of the mayo. Dill: A classic herb with shrimp. I add a lot of dill to this salad and love it! How to Make Shrimp Salad To poach the shrimp, I follow a similar process to poaching chicken. You’ll start by bringing water to a boil with a few aromatics (garlic, lemon, and salt). (Note that in the photo below and in our video, I am using Patagonia pink shrimp, which are pink when raw and when cooked.) When boiling, turn off the heat and add the shrimp. The hot water will poach large shrimp, like the shrimp shown in our photos, to perfection in approximately 3 minutes. Next, allow the poached shrimp to cool on a plate in the refrigerator while you gather the remaining salad ingredients (mayonnaise, lemon juice, drill, bell pepper, celery, green onion, salt, and pepper). Gently mix all the shrimp salad ingredients, and you’re done. If you are in a rush, enjoy the salad now but if you can wait an hour, the flavors will develop even more (I cover it and store in the fridge). Best Shrimp Salad PREP 10 mins COOK 10 mins TOTAL 20 mins PREP 10 mins COOK 10 mins TOTAL 20 mins This is the best shrimp salad recipe we’ve made! It’s also very simple to make. You can use pre-cooked shrimp from the store or cook it yourself. We highly recommend cooking the shrimp for the most flavorful and perfectly textured salad, which only takes a few minutes. Makes 4 servings Watch Us Make the Recipe You Will Need Shrimp Salad 1 pound poached shrimp, recipe below 1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper (Half of a large pepper) 1/2 cup finely diced celery (1 large stalk) 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion (3 to 4) 1/2 cup (100 grams) mayonnaise, try homemade mayo 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh dill 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 4 twists of pepper grinder 1 pound large raw shrimp (31-40 per pound), peeled and deveined 2 quarts water 1 lemon, cut in half 2 cloves garlic, peeled and gently smashed 1 bay leaf 3 twists pepper grinder 1 ½ tablespoon salt 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, optional Directions Poach the Shrimp 1Add 2 quarts of water to a large pot and place it on the stove over high heat. Squeeze a little lemon juice into the water and drop the lemon halves into the pot. Add the garlic, bay leaf, pepper, salt, and Cajun seasoning. Bring the liquid to a rolling boil. 2Once the water reaches a rolling boil, remove the pot from the heat and immediately submerge the shrimp into the hot water. Poach them for three minutes. 3Using tongs or a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the cooked shrimp to a plate. Allow them to cool by placing them in the refrigerator. Poach the Shrimp 1Add 2 quarts of water to a large pot and place it on the stove over high heat. Squeeze a little lemon juice into the water and drop the lemon halves into the pot. Add the garlic, bay leaf, pepper, salt, and Cajun seasoning. Bring the liquid to a rolling boil. 2Once the water reaches a rolling boil, remove the pot from the heat and immediately submerge the shrimp into the hot water. Poach them for three minutes. 3Using tongs or a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the cooked shrimp to a plate. Allow them to cool by placing them in the refrigerator. Make the Salad 1Once the shrimp have cooled, place them in a large bowl with the bell pepper, celery, green onion, mayonnaise, lemon juice, dill, salt, and pepper. 2Gently mix the ingredients until they are well combined. 3Allow the salad to sit in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving, which allows the flavors to marinate and develop. Make the Salad 1Once the shrimp have cooled, place them in a large bowl with the bell pepper, celery, green onion, mayonnaise, lemon juice, dill, salt, and pepper. 2Gently mix the ingredients until they are well combined. 3Allow the salad to sit in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving, which allows the flavors to marinate and develop. Adam and Joanne's Tips Storing: Shrimp salad lasts up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Store it in an airtight container. I love having this salad ready in the fridge for an easy lunch or dinner! We do not recommend freezing shrimp salad. Bell pepper substitute: If you do not want to add bell peppers, leave them out. The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. Storing: Shrimp salad lasts up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Store it in an airtight container. I love having this salad ready in the fridge for an easy lunch or dinner! We do not recommend freezing shrimp salad. Bell pepper substitute: If you do not want to add bell peppers, leave them out. The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1/4 of the recipe / Calories 319 / Total Fat 21.2g / Saturated Fat 3.3g / Cholesterol 225.8mg / Sodium 464.3mg / Carbohydrate 4.7g / Dietary Fiber 1.2g / Total Sugars 1.6g / Protein 28.4g AUTHOR: Joanne Gallagher We’re Adam and Joanne, a couple passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? To inspire you to get in the kitchen and confidently cook fresh and flavorful meals.More About Us