30 Minute Meals
Shrimp Salad Recipe (Easy & Fresh)
Prep
10 minutes
Cook
5 minutes
Yield
4 -6
This Shrimp Salad Recipe is a bright and refreshing mix of shrimp, crisp veggies, creamy avocado, and fresh herbs tossed in a zesty lime and olive oil dressing. Perfect for a light lunch, snack, or appetizer.
This Shrimp Salad Recipe is a bright, flavor-packed twist on a classic seafood salad, loaded with juicy steamed shrimp, fresh herbs, crisp veggies, creamy avocado, and salty feta. The salad is tossed with a zesty lime and olive oil dressing, and it’s perfect for a light lunch, snack, or even a fun appetizer to scoop up with tortilla chips.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Shrimp Salad Recipe
- Delicious: This recipe is packed with flavor and is so easy. Even beginner cooks can nail this dish! Don’t let cooking shrimp intimidate you. It’s one of the easiest seafoods to work with, and I have tips below.
- Fresh: With crisp cabbage, creamy avocado, and fresh herbs like mint, basil, and cilantro, each bite hits that perfect balance of texture and freshness. Tossed in a simple dressing, it’s light but bursting with flavor.
- Versatile: Scoop it up with tortilla chips, pile it into lettuce cups, or stuff it into a croissant for a quick lunch or snack. Plus, it’s protein-forward, gluten-free, and can be prepped ahead, which makes it great for meal prep.
🍲 Ingredients
Shrimp: The star of this recipe, shrimp is steamed to perfection. Shrimp is so easy to cook. Look for an opaque colour, firm texture, and a gentle “C” curl to know it’s done. Mid-size shrimp (31–40 count) are ideal for this Shrimp Salad Recipe, and it’s seasoned with just a little bit of lemon, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. The shrimp also adds protein to this dish, making it a well-rounded, delicious meal.
Avocado: Creamy avocado adds a rich, buttery texture that pairs perfectly with the crisp cabbage and fresh herbs in the salad. Its mild flavor balances the lime dressing, and it somehow feels indulgent and healthy all at once.
👩🍳 How to Make Shrimp Salad
Steam the shrimp –
- Prep the steamer: Add water to the bottom of the steamer pot, ensuring the water level doesn’t touch the bottom of the steamer basket.
- Give the frozen shrimp bag a few light bangs on the counter to separate any shrimps that are stuck together.
- Cover the steamer pot with the lid and bring the water to a boil over high heat.
- When the water is boiling (and you see steam starting to escape from the edges around the lid on the pot), place the frozen shrimp in the steamer basket, spreading into one layer as best you can.
- Turn the heat to medium-high to keep at a simmer and place the lid on the pot. Steam for 4-6 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked through (the shrimp will be pink and opaque), stirring every 2 minutes so that the shrimp are steamed evenly.
- Set the cooked shrimp in a bowl or on a plate to cool while you prepare the salad.
Assemble the shrimp salad –
- To a large salad bowl add the diced jalapeno, pressed garlic clove, diced green olives, diced cucumber, diced avocado, fresh chopped mint, fresh chopped basil, fresh chopped cilantro, diced green cabbage and small cubed feta cheese.
- Before chopping the shrimp, remove the shrimp tails (if any) or simply chop them off. Roughly chop the shrimp and then season the shrimp in a bowl with juice of half a lemon, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, ½ teaspoon of ground pepper and ¼ tsp chili flakes.
- Add the shrimp to the large salad bowl with the rest of the ingredients and season with juice of two limes, kosher salt, ground pepper and 2-3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and toss gently to combine.
- Scoop up the salad with tortilla chips and enjoy!
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- Steam Shrimp Until Tender: Don’t overcook the shrimp. It cooks quickly! Look for an opaque color, firm texture, and a gentle “C” curl. Avoid overcooking into a tight “O,” which can make shrimp rubbery.
- Choose the Right Size Shrimp: Mid-size shrimp (31–40 count) work best for bite-sized texture that blends well with the salad and makes everything easy to eat with just a fork.
- Flavor Variations: Try a Mediterranean twist with olive oil and herbs, a zesty lemon-dill version, or a spicy kick with chili flakes to mix up the flavor profile.
- Serving Options: Serve in lettuce cups, on crackers or toast, stuffed into avocado halves, or with tortilla chips for dipping—perfect for lunch, snack, or casual entertaining.
- Diet-friendly: This recipe is naturally gluten-free, protein-forward, and can easily be made dairy-free by skipping the feta or using a dairy-free alternative.
🗒 Substitutions
- Shrimp: Instead of shrimp, try poached or grilled chicken, cooked crab, or chickpeas for a vegetarian option.
- Dressing: Swap the olive oil and lime dressing for a classic mayo and lemon mix, Greek yogurt, or a dairy-free mayo for a creamier texture.
- Veggies: Swap cabbage for romaine, kale, or mixed greens, add celery, red onion, or scallions for extra crunch, or mix in roasted bell peppers for sweetness. This recipe is super versatile, so make it your own!
- Cheese: Replace feta with goat cheese, a dairy-free cheese, or skip entirely for a lighter version.
🍽️ Best served with
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Once the ingredients are all mixed together, the cabbage will hold with the dressing on it for a couple of days, but then it starts to get soggy, so it’s best if you keep the dressing separate or you consume it within 2-3 days.
🤔 Common Questions
Mid-size shrimp (31–40 count) are ideal. They’re bite-sized, cook evenly, and mix perfectly with the other salad ingredients.
Yes! Just steam or poach the frozen shrimp directly, separating any stuck pieces, and cook until opaque, firm, and gently curled into a “C.”
Absolutely! You can use olive oil and lime (as in this recipe), Greek yogurt, or a dairy-free mayo alternative for a creamy dressing.
Shrimp salad is typically served cold or at room temperature, though the shrimp are cooked hot before being chilled and tossed with the other ingredients.
Yes! You can steam the shrimp and prep the veggies ahead of time. For the best texture, toss the shrimp with the dressing and assemble the salad shortly before serving.
Shrimp Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the shrimp
- 300-340 gram bag of peeled and deveined frozen shrimp,
- Water for steaming
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- ¼ tsp chili flakes
For the salad
- 2 jalapenos, seeds & ribs removed, finely diced
- 1 large garlic clove, pressed
- ½ cup diced green olives
- 3 mini / persian cucumbers, finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups diced)
- 2 avocados, peeled, cored and diced
- ¼ cup fresh chopped mint (about 20 leaves of mint)
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped basil
- ¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro
- 3 cups diced green cabbage
- ¾ cup cubed feta cheese
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- 2-3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Tortilla chips for serving
Instructions
Steam the shrimp –
- Prep the steamer: Add water to the bottom of the steamer pot, ensuring the water level doesn’t touch the bottom of the steamer basket.
- Give the frozen shrimp bag a few light bangs on the counter to separate any shrimps that are stuck together.
- Cover the steamer pot with the lid and bring the water to a boil over high heat.
- When the water is boiling (and you see steam starting to escape from the edges around the lid on the pot), place the frozen shrimp in the steamer basket, spreading into one layer as best you can.
- Turn the heat to medium-high to keep at a simmer and place the lid on the pot. Steam for 4-6 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked through (the shrimp will be pink and opaque), stirring every 2 minutes so that the shrimp are steamed evenly.
- Set the cooked shrimp in a bowl or on a plate to cool while you prepare the salad.
Assemble the shrimp salad –
- To a large salad bowl add the diced jalapeno, pressed garlic clove, diced green olives, diced cucumber, diced avocado, fresh chopped mint, fresh chopped basil, fresh chopped cilantro, diced green cabbage and small cubed feta cheese.
- Before chopping the shrimp, remove the shrimp tails (if any) or simply chop them off. Roughly chop the shrimp and then season the shrimp in a bowl with juice of half a lemon, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, ½ teaspoon of ground pepper and ¼ tsp chili flakes.
- Add the shrimp to the large salad bowl with the sliced avocado and season with juice of two limes, kosher salt, ground pepper and 2-3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and toss gently to combine.
- Scoop up the salad with tortilla chips and enjoy!
