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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Thanks Jen….this is a great recipe and the salad is awesome served on crackers or in an avacado for a breadless option. I made one small change to add a little sweetness. I added 1 tsp of cocktail sauce and that balanced the flavors nicely. In any case loved the spicing and it made a terrific stuffed avocado!
Thanks Jen, a fabulous recipe. The only change made, I roasted shrimp in my air fryer 4 minutes total.
Delicious! Quick & easy to make. Better after sitting a little longer so the flavors had time to marry.
Love the creaminess of the sauce. I am from Maryland’s Eastern Shore so I put a little Eastern Shore in the recipe. We roast our shrimp with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh lemon. We only boil if it is in a pot with crabs, crawfish, potatoes and corn on the cob. I also added a little more old bay as we love the flavor. Instead of using celery, I opted to use celery seed. I felt like it would flavor the sauce a little more since I was short on time. I also added a little fresh lemon juice to the sauce to brighten the flavor. ABSOLUTLEY FABULOUS! Love this dish and will continue to use it from now on when I make shrimp salad. Thank you very much! A big big hit!
Just made this for girls dinner tonight. Looks beautiful.
Question – do you have a suggestion for something I could make using all these shrimp shells and tails? Seems a shame to waste all that goodness.
Thanks in advance.
Hi Carol, you could use them to make a seafood stock. Here’s a very quick, easy version (please keep in mind I haven’t tried it).
A really good recipe that is perfect for those unbearable hot summer days, especially if you live .in the South. Couple of suggestions. Instead of boiling the shrimp in water, get peeled, deveined (25-30 count). Remove tails, put in a bowl and mix with about a teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning. Then steam the shrimp for 10 minutes. When done, put in a colander but DO NOT RINSE. They will cool off while you chop veggies and prepare dressing. Dressing ingredients remain the same except reduce Old Bay seasoning by 1/2tsp. If the seasoning of the dressing does not have enough Old Bay for you after adding shrimp you can always add more. I cut the shrimp in half, just a personal preference. Also used chives instead of scallions (better for my wife) in the same amount as scallions.
Thanks very much for this recipe!
I don’t eat shrimp but my hubby does. Guess what? He ate all two pounds himself today!!!
Can I substitute the wine vinegar with a non-alcoholic vinegar?
Sure – enjoy!
It turned out great ! It is so easy to make, I took it to a party and it was a hit.I made it twice in one week.
This is delicious and reminds me of the shrimp salad my grandmother used to make for holidays. She’d serve this with lettuce (different kinds). So delicious. I like to let it set for about 2-3 hours before serving. I’ve eaten it as is, over spinach, with chopped romaine, and with crackers on the side. Simple and satisfying.