Shrimp Salad with Creamy Lemon Herb Dressing

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How to Make the BEST EVER Shrimp Salad

Summer is finally here! I’m savoring every minute of it! My plan it to make it the best, most delicious summer ever! But that doesn’t mean I want to be stuck in the kitchen. I’m keeping things easy breezy with lots of make-aheads, like salads. It’s salad season! There’s nothing like having a super good salad in the fridge for nice, light lunches and dinners. Why not WOW the family with a really special salad this summer? Shrimp salad seems kind of fancy. You’d pay big bucks for it out at a restaurant. Save some dough and treat yourself to my BEST EVER Shrimp Salad with Creamy Lemon Herb Dressing at home. It’s so yummy but super easy!

My secret to making this salad extra yummy is Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning. I’m teaming up with them to help get the word out about making it a pantry staple! I shake it on everything from my potato salad to grilled chicken, burgers and even scrambled eggs. It just adds so much flavor especially to shrimp and seafood! In this recipe, I use it to give the shrimp great flavor while cooking and I also add it to the creamy lemon herb dressing.

Okay, throw on an apron because it’s time to toss this salad together. First, let’s start with cooking the shrimp. If using frozen shrimp make sure it’s thawed. You’ll need 2 pounds of raw, peeled and deveined shrimp with the tails off. I use medium size shrimp. If your shrimp are a bit bigger you can chop them up a bit after you cook them. Now get a big pot of water on the stove. I use about 6 cups.

It’s important to give that shrimp some great flavor while you’re cooking it. To do that I add about 1/4 cup dry white wine to the water. If you don’t have or don’t want to use wine, add a couple lemon wedges to the water. Now comes my Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning. I add two heaping teaspoons of it to the water. When the water starts to boil add the shrimp. Now, turn down the heat to a simmer and simmer shrimp just 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the shrimp sit in this bath of goodness for just another couple minutes or until it turns nice and pink.

Dump the pot with shrimp in a colander in the sink. Drain well. Let shrimp cool a few minutes and then get it in a bowl, cover it get it into the fridge to chill.

Time to make the creamy lemon herb dressing. Get out a big bowl. Add one cup of good quality real mayonnaise. Let’s start with one whole lemon. Use a microplane and zest the lemon right over the bowl. This really pumps up the lemon flavor.

Next, cut that lemon in half and squeeze the juice from that whole lemon (approx. 2 tablespoons, but no need to measure) into the bowl, being careful not to get any seeds in there.

Now add 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce. Finally, it’s time for the secret ingredient that makes this salad a cut above the rest. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning. Whisk it all together until it’s nice and smooth.

Get out a cutting board and dice up a few stalks of celery. I like a lot of crunch so I use 1 to 1 1/2 cups celery. It’s important to take the time and dice the celery very fine. The star of the salad is the shrimp, not the celery. LOL. Next, slice about 4 small green onions. If the onions are bigger ones, use just a couple. You’ll want about 1/2 cup sliced green onions. Here again, slice them thin and use both the green and white parts. Fresh herbs make this salad over the top amazing. I love fresh dill with seafood. I go a bit heavy on it. You can always use a bit less. I chop up about 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh dill. Reserve 1/2 tablespoon or so for garnishing the top before serving. Next, chop 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon. Sometimes fresh tarragon is a little hard to find. You can 1 to 2 teaspoons dried tarragon or 2 tablespoons fresh chopped Italian parsley instead. It will still be delicious either way. Time to get that chilled shrimp out of the fridge. Now’s the time too chop up the shrimp a bit if you want to. I like the look of the whole shrimp if using medium size but if it’s large or jumbo shrimp definitely cut it up a bit. Then, add it to the bowl. Add, celery, green onion, 2 tablespoons dill and the tarragon.

Use a big spoon or spatula to gently mix the shrimp with the creamy lemon herb dressing. Now, cover and refrigerate for at least a couple hours or overnight. It needs some time in the fridge for the flavors to come together. That’s when the magic begins to happens. If you are making a day ahead, when you remove it from the fridge, give it a taste. Sometimes a salad you made ahead can really soak up the dressing. You can always stir in a bit more mayo if needed.

Before serving sprinkle that fresh dill over the top. I love serving this salad on a beautiful bed of Boston or leaf lettuce. By the way, I’m growing lettuce this summer! My first time. So easy and fun! Add some buttery crackers on the plate so we can scoop some of the salad on top. Don’t forget to put a lemon wedge on the plate too for squeezing on top of the salad. Total yum!

How about serving this salad on a big fresh croissant with a some fresh crisp lettuce? Or you can scoop it on a toasted baguette or English muffin. It’s perfect for a lovely special lunch. We also enjoy it for dinner on a hot summer night. We sit outside, open a bottle of wine and feel kind of fancy eating this amazing shrimp salad. For parties, serve it in a beautiful lettuce lined bowl with crackers on the side. No matter how you serve it you just gotta make it this summer! You deserve a little fancy! By the way I like to serve this salad within a day or two of making it. Click Shrimp Salad with Creamy Lemon Herb Dressing for my complete and printable recipe.