New Shrimp Louie (Poached Shrimp Salad)
Updated Oct. 17, 2023

- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 8ounces green beans, tails trimmed
- 1½pounds large shrimp, shell on, deveined if you like
- 4large eggs
- 1small shallot, sliced
- 2tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, finely chopped
- 3tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ½large head romaine lettuce or 3 heads Little Gem lettuce, torn or cut into large pieces
- 1medium watermelon radish or 3 regular radishes (or a mix of both), thinly sliced
- 1avocado, thinly sliced
- Olive oil, for serving
- 1cup aioli or mayonnaise, for serving
Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and cook until bright green and just tender, 2 minutes or so. Remove from water and transfer to a plate to cool. (No need to use an ice bath, but if you want to, go for it.)
- Step 2
Add shrimp and cook until bright pink and just cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes depending on the size of the shrimp. Transfer to a plate to cool. Once the shrimp are cool enough to handle, peel.
- Step 3
Return the water to a boil and gently lower in eggs. Boil for 6 to 7 minutes (6 for runnier yolks, 7 for slightly firmer). Remove from heat and run under cold water for a minute or two. (Feel free to place them in an ice bath, if you wish, but I find very cold running water does the trick.)
- Step 4
Combine shallot, tarragon and lemon juice in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.
- Step 5
To assemble the salad, arrange the lettuce on a large serving platter or in a shallow bowl and scatter with radishes, avocado, green beans and shrimp. Spoon shallot mixture over everything and drizzle with olive oil. Peel and halve the eggs and nestle in the salad. Serve with aioli or mayonnaise alongside for individual dressing.
Private Notes
Comments
About the only thing I'd do differently is make this into four platters, rather than randomly serving. Why? Because there are people who will take all the shrimp and none of the egg. OR all the avocado and none of the beans. :-)
I am a huge fan of both shrimp and crab Louie and would never top it with a watery vinaigrette. Sorry. I use the sublime and perfect for seafood recipe from the Joy of Cook for the Louie dressing. No ketchup, but rather a tangy chili sauce and mayonnaise dressing with bell peppers, shallots, a squeeze of lemon, cayenne pepper and dash of Worcestershire sauce. Let it sit and there is nothing better on a seafood salad than this. It's perfect!
I used to make this dressing for a Bay Area seafood restaurant I once worked at, and the secret ingredient was a small splash of brandy! Try it, it really makes a difference.
It was helpful/enjoyable to prep everything before beginning. Including the lovely glass of wine 😊 we both LOVED this!!! Delicious flavor combination
Made pretty much exactly as written, it was great! The tarragon made the vinaigrette tasty and different, and with some faux aioli on the side, we didn’t miss a thing. Yum!
This was absolutely perfect. Yes—all summer long.
Advertisement