Shrimp Salad is a cool, creamy, quick summertime dish perfect for entertaining on the patio or having lunch with the kids!
You’ll want to keep this succulent, super easy Shrimp Salad in your meal rotation all season long! Juicy shrimp, crunchy green onions, and chopped celery are tossed with a jar of creamy dill ranch, bringing a WOW factor to this summer classic. Serve on a crisp lettuce leaf with a garnish of fresh dill or as a tempting shrimp salad sandwich on a soft brioche bun. Either way, you go – YUM!
Shrimp Salad for the Win!
Shrimp is a year-round favorite at our house. Garlic butter shrimp scampi over pasta, Asian-inspired shrimp stir-fry, sweet and crunchy coconut shrimp – we adore these rich comfort foods! But in the summertime, it’s the cold shrimp recipes that get to shine!
This shrimp salad recipe is a favorite with everybody! It’s fast, fresh, and full of flavor. It’s refreshing. It’s high in protein. It’s low in carbs. And because we use a jar of prepared dill ranch dressing, it’s just so easy!
Other Recipes to Serve with Shrimp Salad
- Guacamole Deviled Eggs are a creamy twist on this classic favorite. They seem to disappear at any summertime event magically!
- You’ll have difficulty keeping little fingers out of these Herbed Cheese Cracker Bites that pair beautifully with shrimp salad!
Ingredients
Protein: Medium shrimp (fresh or frozen) – cooked, deveined, tails off
Veggies: Celery and green onion, chopped
Dressing: A bottle of dill ranch dressing
Options: Brioche buns or lettuce leaves, fresh dill for garnish
How to Make Shrimp Salad
STEP ONE: Combine the cooked shrimp, chopped celery & green onion, and 1/2-1 cup of the dressing in a bowl.
STEP TWO: Mix well and add more fresh dill to taste. Then refrigerate until ready to eat.
STEP THREE: Serve chilled as a sandwich on a brioche bun or over a beautiful lettuce leaf with a sprinkle of fresh dill.
Tips for Success
- If the Litehouse dressing is unavailable, this homemade ranch dressing is a delicious alternative (increase the dill from 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup). Another option is to add extra fresh, chopped dill to any bottle of ranch dressing or a packet of dill dip mix to a half sour cream/half mayo mixture.
- Most recipes are better with fresh shrimp, but frozen shrimp makes this recipe so easy. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
- Ensure you buy “cooked, deveined, tail off” shrimp for the utmost convenience.
How Do I Cook Raw Shrimp?
Boil 4 cups of water for every pound of shrimp. When the water is boiling, add the shrimp and cook uncovered until they turn pink – only 2 to 3 minutes. (Don’t overcook as they’ll get rubbery.) Drain and immediately transfer the shrimp to a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. If you want to add more flavor, toss in some salt, garlic, or a bay leaf to your water before boiling.
How Do I Thaw Frozen Shrimp?
The best and easiest way to thaw frozen shrimp is to put the whole bag in a bowl (so it doesn’t make a mess) and move it to the refrigerator 24-48 hours before use. But in a pinch, thaw the frozen shrimp into a colander under running cold (not warm!) water for several minutes until thawed. This works for raw or cooked frozen shrimp!
Scrumptious Summer Salads
- Summer Bounty Salad
- Easy Wedge Salad
- Summer Wild Rice Salad
- Grape Salad
- Summer Watermelon Cucumber Salad
- Classic Cobb Salad
- Summer Harvest Salad in a Jar
*This post originally posted on 05/26/2013.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds cooked medium shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 stalks celery chopped (1 cup)
- 2 stalks green onion thinly sliced
- ½ to 1 cup dill ranch dressing (see note)
- Fresh dill chopped, for garnish
- Brioche buns for serving
- Lettuce leaves for serving
Instructions
- Remove the tails from the shrimp (if needed) and then chop them into bite-sized pieces.
- Place the shrimp into a mixing bowl with the celery and green onion. Pour in 1/2 cup of dressing and stir to coat. Add more dressing as desired until the shrimp salad is as creamy as you like it.
- Stir in the fresh dill. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour in the fridge. (You can eat it right away, but I like to let the flavor marry together.)
- Seve in the bowl, in lettuce cups, or on buns with lettuce.
Notes
- Make my homemade ranch dressing and increase the amount of dill from 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup.
- Buy a bottle of your favorite ranch dressing, use it as directed, and add and extra 1/4 cup of chopped dill.
- Get a packet of dill dip mix. Follow the packet directions using half sour cream and half mayo instead of all sour cream. Use as directed.
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