One of my wife’s favorite sandwiches is a shrimp salad sandwich. As a chef, my first thoughts turn to a light buttery flaky croissant for my sandwich and presentation. But my wife will have none of that and wants her shrimp salad on deli-style rye bread.
But any way you serve it, I promise rave reviews from the shrimp salad!
What ingredients do I need to make restaurant-style shrimp salad?
Let’s start by gathering our ingredients. In chef speak this is called the mise en place. The key ingredient to making restaurant-style shrimp salad is the shrimp and that’s where most people will fail.
What Kind of Shrimp should I use?
Since shrimp is the star of the dish you want to make sure you buy the best shrimp you can.
- Shrimp is either wild-caught or farmed. My first choice is always Gulf or Pacific shrimp from American waters. Farmed shrimp will be less expensive but can be a poor choice depending upon how responsible the farms are run.
- Shrimp sized under 30 per pound will have the best flavor profile and offer the best value. Small shrimp won’t have as much flavor, they are really a waste of money. My choice for shrimp salad is 26-30 sized. I use Under 15 count and 16 -20 count for shrimp cocktail and cooking.
- Shrimp get their color from what they eat. Brown shrimp will have a higher concentration of iodine and a more mineral flavor. Pink and White shrimp are generally sweeter.
- Almost all shrimp are frozen before being transported. If you see them thawed in a supermarket they were originally frozen.
- Avoid buying peeled and deveined shrimp. Cleaning the shrimp before freezing may cause a loss of flavor and texture.
- Frozen or thawed cooked shrimp that are frequently sold in local supermarkets are not a good choice. They won’t have much flavor and the texture of precooked shrimp gets worse the longer they stay thawed.
If you have a question about the sustainability and quality of seafood check the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch.
How do I thaw frozen shrimp?
Start by thawing the shrimp in cold running water. You can also leave them in a covered bowl overnight in your fridge to thaw.
How long should I cook the shrimp?
When the shrimp are fully thawed place them into boiling water with one tablespoon of Old Bay Seasoning.
Let the shrimp cook until the water comes back to a boil up to 5-6 minutes for 26-30 sized shrimp. Larger shrimp will take 1-2 minutes longer.
When the shrimp are done cooking, remove them from the pan and place the cooked shrimp into a large bowl or container filled partway with ice.
How do I make Restaurant-Style shrimp salad?
After cooking and chilling, the next step is to peel and devein the shrimp. The next step is to rough cut the shrimp, but don’t cut the pieces too small. You’re buying good shrimp and you want your guests to see nice big chunks of shrimp.
In a large mixing bowl add all the ingredients together and mix well. Chill the mixture for one hour before serving. This will the flavors time to build.
If there’s any leftover on day two you’ll find the shrimp salad bursting with flavor. The mayonnaise may look a little runny, but the flavor will make up for the appearance.
If you love seafood, you may always like these recipes:
- Clams and Linguine
- Lobster fra Diavolo
- Clams Casino
- Quick and Easy Steamed Mussels
- New Zealand Mussels served 5 ways
Shrimp Salad
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay to season the water
- 1 pound raw shell on shrimp 26-30 size cooked, peeled and deveined
- 2 stalks celery small dice
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1-2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- thaw shrimp in cold running water
- Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan, then add 1 tablespoon of Old Bay Seasoning
- Add thawed shrimp to boiling water and cook until the water returns to a boil, no longer than 5-6 minutes.
- Drain the water from the pan and cover the shrimp with ice. Let the shrimp cool down in the ice for 15 minutes, then remove from the ice. Place the cooled shrimp in the refrigerator to continue to chill for one hour (or overnight)
- Peel and devein the shrimp. Then rough chop the shrimp leaving them in big pieces.
- Mix the ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Serve with your favorite bread or roll, on a salad, or simply by itself.
Nutrition
Debbie Florio
I made this as written except I used my homemade Old Bay spice mix. I suspected mine might be a little saltier than the store bough so I went with the lower measurement in the salad prep. I have to say this is the best shrimp salad I’ve had, bar none, even better than restaurants. Now I have to keep myself from picking on it until my husband gets home for lunch. Can’t wait! Going to serve it on some homemade sourdough toast.
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my shrimp salad recipe! I just made some for my wife today. Her biggest complaint is getting tiny shrimp!
Julie Beenblossom
I made the shrimp salad with left over shrimp from appetizer tray. It was delicious and I served it on a croissant for my daughter. Sliced 1/2 avocado on each plate and a lemon slice. It was quite eloquent and fun.
Cindy
I like this on a bed of lettuce and stuff a tomato with the shrimp salad.
elizabeth larocca
Would you make a suggestion for the mayo? Any brand that you really like?
Chef Dennis Littley
I only use Hellmans, but any may you enjoy will be fine
Jeffrey Antenucci
SO SO GOOD. Easy and fast. Second time I made it. Doesn’t hurt
I work at Whole foods Market and get to pick my own big shrimp.
Rosie Jez
Chef Dennis, you make this shrimp salad just as delicious as I make mine. It’s the best ever – because I use YOUR recipe. TY!
Sandye
Do you haft to add sugar?
Chef Dennis Littley
no you don’t
Wendy
Delish!
LT
This is an AMAZING recipe!! Thank you so much for sharing! It’s super easy and family friendly! LOVE, love , love it! Make it with the wild Argentinian Trader Joe’s frozen shrimps. The French brioches are also from Trader Joe’s
Chef Dennis Littley
thanks for the great review and comment! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the shrimp salad
Peggy Powell
Looking forward to having this on a split top brioche bun that i butter and toast. Sounds like a winner!peggy
Tedricka L.
This recipe is fantastic! And it’s just as you said, allowing it to refrigerate overnight makes the flavor burst! I’m making some now for the second time. So, so good and easy!
Kacey Perez
A perfect recipe to make this time of year. Always looking for new ways to cook with seafood at home and this is a great idea!
Daniela
Your in process shots making following this recipe so simple and easy! Thanks so much for sharing :).
Jo
I go weak on my knees everytime I see any dish with shrimp and mayo. So delicious! I can easily finish a couple of these salad sandwiches. looks very tempting.
LaKita
I have never tried shrimp salad before but this looks so good and any recipe with Old Bay seasoning is a winner in my book!
Aleta
Wow, what a great shrimp salad recipe! I love the old bay seasoning and your helpful notes about thawing shrimp and what type of shrimp to buy. Honestly for me there isn’t anything better than a sandwich on a flaky, buttery croissant!
David
Looks good! I would definitely vote for the croissant version please! I like that size shrimp best as well. Always try to have a bag in the freezer for a quick meal.