Shrimp Salad 

By Melissa Clark

Updated April 11, 2023

Shrimp Salad 
Bobbi Lin for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Eugene Jho. Prop Stylist: Christina Lane.
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
4(785)
Comments
Read comments

Using plenty of lemon —  both the zest and juice — is the secret to this tangy, creamy shrimp salad. If you’re using this to make sandwiches, chop the shrimp into pieces before adding them to the dressing. You can also leave the shrimp whole for an elegant salad, served with lettuce, avocado, and other vegetables if you like. If you’re starting with precooked shrimp, you can skip the first step entirely. The salad can be made and refrigerated for up to 6 hours before serving.

Featured in: 20 Easy Salads for Every Summer Table

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2lemons
  • 1pound shelled large shrimp 
  • ¼cup mayonnaise 
  • 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
  • ½cup diced celery
  • ¼cup diced red onion
  • ¼cup chopped fresh dill, parsley or cilantro (or a combination)  
  • Lettuce, avocado or other vegetables, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

279 calories; 19 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 24 grams protein; 524 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a medium pot of salted water to a simmer. Slice one of the lemons and add to the pot, along with the shrimp. Simmer, never letting the water boil if you can help it, until the shrimp turn opaque, 2 to 4 minutes, depending on their size. Drain well, and discard the lemon slices. If you like, you can chop the cooked shrimp into smaller pieces.

  2. Step 2

    Grate the zest from the remaining lemon into a large bowl. Halve the naked lemon and squeeze the juice into the bowl. Whisk in the mayonnaise and oil.

  3. Step 3

    Add the celery, onion, herbs and cooked shrimp, tossing to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to eat. Serve with lettuce and avocado, if you like.

Ratings

4 out of 5
785 user ratings
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Comments

Lee K

I enjoyed this recipe and served it to family for a thank you dinner. Friendly heads up: do drain the shrimp thoroughly after simmering (do not boil), perhaps even set them on a clean kitchen towel and pat dry. I learned my lesson as my dressing was a bit watered down. #2 if you cannot find your microplane zester, use your vegetable peeler to remove the top layer of zest, avoiding the bitter pith or white part, then gently chop in every direction till you come up with a zest consistency

B

May be better to bake the shrimp for the salad, avoid any problem with watered down dressing. Baking shrimp, maybe even broiling them, dabbed with a bit of oil is so easy to do. A work of a few minutes.

Dan Findlay

Not sure yogurt would be the way to go here, but you could try it. I would substitute a lemon vinaigrette made from the lemon juice specified in this recipe, 1/4 cup additional olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt, pepper, and a pinch of cayenne. Basically mayonnaise without the egg.

Richard

Pulled this out of my saved recipes on short notice for a way to use a batch of shrimp and avocados that needed to be used. Made the shrimp salad just as listed but used it as the filling for Stuffed Avocados. Got rave reviews from the family. Thanks NYT for saving me.

JD

I used the leftover shrimp from the “Sheet Pan Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta” recipe. The lemon zest and lemon juice are wonderful in this recipe. I had a large shallot instead of red onion and dried dill instead of fresh, and it was fine.

S

We put these in puff pastry shells with some avocado and it was delicious!

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