Shrimp Salad
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Old Bay kicks up the flavor of this classic shrimp salad. Pile it onto a croissant, scoop it over lettuce, or serve it with crackers.
Made with perfectly-cooked, chilled shrimp, crunchy celery and scallions, and a flavor-packed creamy dressing, this shrimp salad makes the perfect lunch or light supper. You can pile it onto a croissant or toast, scoop it over lettuce, or dice the shrimp up and serve it as a dip with crackers.
The secret ingredient is Old Bay seasoning, a spice blend that contains celery salt, pepper, paprika, and mustard, to name just a few. Sold near the seafood department in most supermarkets, Old Bay is great on seafood, especially in crab cakes and peel n’ eat shrimp, but we shake it on everything here in Maryland, from fried chicken to popcorn. It really kicks up the flavor of this shrimp salad a few notches.
Table of Contents
“My husband and I made this for New Year’s Day and are delighted to tell you it’s the best shrimp salad we have ever tasted!”
What You’ll Need To Make Shrimp Salad
Buying Shrimp
For all of my shrimp recipes, I recommend buying frozen shrimp, as most shrimp are flash-frozen shortly after being caught. Unless you live on the coast, the “fresh” shrimp you see in the seafood case is typically thawed frozen shrimp. For the freshest shrimp, it’s best to buy frozen shrimp and defrost it yourself. The best way to defrost it is overnight in the fridge, but if you’re in a time crunch, you can run the shrimp under cool water.
I also recommend buying shrimp labeled “shell-on and deveined.” The shrimp will have more flavor and better texture when cooked in the shell – and it’s much easier to buy shrimp already deveined. If for some reason you need to devein the shrimp yourself, use kitchen shears to cut through the shell along the back of the shrimp, from the head to the tail, then use a paring knife to remove the vein.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by bringing a pot of water to a boil.
Add the shrimp and cook until bright pink and cooked through, about 1-1/2 minutes (the water needn’t return to a boil).
Drain the shrimp in a colander and then immediately plunge them into the ice water to shock them and stop the cooking process. Let sit until chilled, about 15 minutes.
Peel the shrimp and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Old Bay, wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce.
Whisk to combine.
Add the cooked shrimp, celery and white and light green scallions.
Toss well, then taste and adjust seasoning.
Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Before serving, sprinkle the salad with the dark green scallions and a dash of Old Bay. The salad will keep for two days, covered, in the refrigerator.
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Shrimp Salad
Old Bay kicks up the flavor of this classic shrimp salad. Pile it onto a croissant, scoop it over lettuce, or serve it with crackers.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds large raw shrimp (31-35 per pound), shell-on and deveined, thawed if frozen
- ½ cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellman's or Duke's
- 1½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup finely diced celery
- ¼ cup finely sliced scallions, light and dark green parts separated
Instructions
- Fill a large bowl with ice and cold water and set next to the sink.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until bright pink and cooked through, about 1½ minutes (the water needn't return to a boil).
- Drain the shrimp in a colander and then immediately plunge them into the ice water to shock them and stop the cooking process. Let sit until chilled, about 15 minutes. Peel the shrimp and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Old Bay, wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in the shrimp, celery, and light green scallions. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Before serving, transfer the salad to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the dark green scallions and a dash of Old Bay. The salad will keep for 2 days, covered, in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 244
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 4g
- Sugar: 0g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 21g
- Sodium: 979mg
- Cholesterol: 198mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I (and you) am officially famous for my shrimp salad sliders! I used 13/15 size shrimp and put on toasted Artesano brand dinner rolls. I make per the recipe with extra celery! EVERYBODY loves them! Thank you Jenn!
This was fabulous, spices spot on! Didn’t have white wine vinegar so used rice vinegar and it was so good. Also added 1/2 of a grated carrot for a little color. I had made my mom’s shrimp salad recipe where she added a whole grated carrot and eggs, but this recipe was just so flavorful. I wasn’t afraid to try it because your recipes haven’t disappointed. Thank you!
Delicious! Didn’t feel like cooking because it’s 5,000 degrees in Baltimore and was in the mood for a restaurant quality shrimp salad wrap. I used a 2lb bag of cooked shrimp from Wegmans. Plan to make and take to 4th of July cookout next week. Will be added to the summer dinner rotation. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Loved it made it a couple of times already 😁
Wasn’t a fan of shrimp salad until I tried this — amazing on toasted hawaiian rolls!
I have the palate of a 10 yr old so please bear with me. I love chicken salad and have tried a few times to make a similar shrimp salad various ways and have yet to find the right one. I had skilled grilled shrimp with shell on I had stir fried the previous night with Worcestershire sauce salt pepper butter lemon juice slap ya momma seasoning cumin chili powder. I did not have white rice vinegar but had red. Used the RV, Dukes mayo, a touch of spicy mustard, old bay seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, slap ya momma seasoning and chopped pickles. I really enjoyed it. I think the white rice vinegar was what I was missing. I think for any seafood needing this type of sauce I would use the exact recipe for friends and family who can eat and enjoy food like an adult. Thanks for sharing I had to make some amendments with what I had and like but this is obviously a great recipe I can’t wait to use it for others! XOXO
My husband and I made this for New Year’s Day and are delighted to tell you it’s the best shrimp salad we have ever tasted! Deveining the shrimp took a bit of time but it was well worth it to use fresh, local shrimp here in Charleston. This is a new family favorite!
Carolyn & Sanders
I didn’t have celery but I used celery salt. Also, didn’t have worcestershire sauce on hand. It was delicious. I added dried parsley and basil.
This is a great dressing for any seafood! Just the right amount of zing….using Old Bay is a super idea…
Hi Jenn, do you think I could use this recipe as a basis for crab salad? I acquired some nice fresh crab and was looking for a recipe and of course I always check your site first. Thanks!
Sure, Ellen, I think it would work. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
I did try it with crab. It was so wonderful. I had one lb. lump crab so I halved the dressing. The dressing enhanced the crab but didn’t overpower or mask its delicious taste. Just perfect. I am going to make this whenever I am fortunate to have crab, and definitely with shrimp as originally written. Thanks so much for your wonderful recipes.
So glad it came out well with the crab — thanks for taking the time to report back! 🙂