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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Made this today (cut in half for fewer servings) and it was fabulous!
Simple and delish! Old bay is the difference maker.
Wow! We are big fans of shrimp salad in the summer and our favorite place to buy it closed. I “cheated” and used pre-cooked shrimp which I bought by accident and why I tried the recipe. What a lucky mistake! This flavor is so fabulous that I didn’t even know it was pre-cooked shrimp. Thank you! Here’s to summer 2022!
Really fast, easy and delicious. Also Weight Watchers friendly.
That was great and definitely creamy. Added one additional ingredient, mustard. Just a tad though.
I made this. I was looking for a recipe for shrimp salad. I had some shrimp that was overcooked and I froze it.
I put the shrimp in the food processor thinking that is the only way you can eat overcooked shrimp,chopped up. I followed the recipe and put it on romaine lettuce leaves and it was very good, will make again but hopefully not with overcooked shrimp even though you couldn’t tell the shrimp was overcooked after being in the food processor.
Is Old Bay available in New Zealand?
If not, is there a substitute available here please?
Regards,
Richard.
Hi Richard, If it’s not available there, you can make your own – here’s a recipe. (And it’s a delicious seasoning for all kinds of other foods including popcorn, fries, and egg salad.) Hope that helps!
Fantastic shrimp salad. I used 2 lbs raw shrimp that were already peeled/deveined and it was perfect. Served with croissants and lettuce. Thank you!
Can you use Miracle whip instead of mayo?
Sure. It will have a slightly different flavor but will still be good. Enjoy!
It’s not fair for me to actually rate the recipe because I didn’t follow it very closely. I’m a firm believer in James Beard’s famous advice that: “it’s always a good idea to follow the directions exactly the first time you try a recipe. But from then on, you’re on your own.”
I am a very experienced cook and seldom follow recipes, whether they’re mine or someone else’s. I generally use them more of a checklist or a suggestion to be sure I didn’t forget something.
There are two reasons I’m posting a review. First, the Old Bay seasoning is a great, non-traditional addition. I added it to taste and probably used more than the recipe called for. It was a really nice change to the traditional shrimp salad which can be a little bland. I usually use Old Bay seasoning in the cooking liquid but seasoning the prepared shrimp salad really works so long as you don’t add too much.
Secondly, and much more important, is to comment on how to buy shrimp. If at all possible, buy frozen shrimp and keep it frozen until you plan to cook it.
You can’t buy fresh shrimp that hasn’t been previously frozen unless you live on the coast near where the shrimp boats come in. Shrimp is extremely perishable and is almost always frozen on the boat or as soon as possible after the shrimp boat comes in.
The “fresh shrimp” you see in the seafood case is always previously frozen. Don’t buy it! Instead, ask for it frozen and defrost it at home when you are ready to cook it. Shrimp is easy and quick to defrost.
Next, which shrimp should you buy? Wild caught shrimp are always better. My favorite is Key West pink shrimp but any wild caught shrimp is fine.
Again, I didn’t follow the recipe so can’t comment but I hope my suggestions are helpful.