Shrimp Salad Recipes: Cobb Salad, Thai Salad and More

If your idea of shrimp salad recipes extends to frozen supermarket shrimp, iceberg lettuce and some bottled Wishbone, um, do you know they have lights now at Wrigley Field?

We've got new ideas for you. Start with the shrimp (of course!). Our Shrimp Types page shows you just how many varieties are available.

Plays Well With Others

Next, shrimp, even in all their diversity, are still a mild, sweet flavor, well-suited to any number of dishes. Recipes below range from Mexican to Mediterranean, tropical to Asian. Add a few herbs, or top your salad with shrimp cooked with our Easy Shrimp Scampi Recipe and the shrimp itself becomes your salad's superstar.

And lettuce. Shrimp make a great salad topping butter lettuce, romaine, spinach, or just a medley of spring greens. They're also, of course, the perfect addition to a chefs' salad or any number of other composed salads.

Tips

And about those salads, we've got a few tips. If you’re composing a salad (arranging the ingredients in a beautiful display, perhaps on a bed of lettuce or rice) remember to still dress all your ingredients. Unless part of your presentation involves drizzling your dressing over the top of the finished dish, we suggest tossing a composed salad's ingredients separately, before arranging them.

Tossing

For tossed shrimp salad recipes, the main rule of thumb is to toss the salad, shrimp and all, just before serving, so that your salad stays un-wilted as long as possible. And remember: contrary to common belief, it's not so much the vinegar in salad dressing that causes wilting; it's the salt and oil.

As Shirley O. Corriher mentions in her wonderful book, "Cookwise," vinegar is acidic and watery, and plants are essentially water-proof. But leave a piece of lettuce in oil for even a short time and you'll soon notice discoloration where the oil penetrates the plant -- causing it to wilt.

Bottom line? Toss as last-minute as possible and your shrimp salad recipe will stay fresh longer.

Recipes

Tomato, Mozzarella, Spinach and Shrimp Salad

• 1 lb small shrimp, cooked (50 or more per pound)
• Four coups fresh spinach leaves
• 2-3 medium tomatoes, sliced
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced

Dressing

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¼ teaspoon oregano or marjoram, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk dressing ingredients together. Toss shrimp with spinach, arrange on a large serving plate. Arrange tomato slices on top of spinach and shrimp, and place a slice of mozzarella on top of each tomato slice. Drizzle dressing over top.

Asian-Style Shrimp Salad Recipe with Snow Peas and Bell Peppers

• 1 lb medium shrimp, cooked (35 to 40 per pound)
• ½ lb snow peas, blanched
• 2 bell peppers, chopped
• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Dressing

• 3 tablespoons fish sauce or oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons ginger, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons mustard powder

Mix the dressing ingredients together. Combine the vegetables and shrimp. Toss well with dressing.

Cobb Shrimp Salad Recipe

½ lb small shrimp, cooked (50 or more per pound)

• 2 cups torn iceberg lettuce
• ½ avocado, diced
• ½ cup crumbled bacon
• ½ cup diced ham
• 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
• Bleu cheese dressing
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and serve.

A Note About Cobb Salad

Restaurants often serve Cobb Salad as a composed salad: it certainly looks prettier on the plate! But can that be how this simple dish became so popular? We think not. Tossing a Cobb salad mingles all the ingredients enthusiastically together for a surprisingly elegant dish.

Shrimp Cobb Salad Variation

Tropical Shrimp Cobb Salad

Omit bleu cheese dressing. Add ½ cup diced pineapple or ½ cup diced mangoes, ½ cup chopped macadamia nuts.

Dressing

• ¼ cup olive oil
• Juice of 1 lime
• ½ teaspoon poppy seeds

Mix dressing ingredients together. Toss salad ingredients together with dressing.

Margarita Shrimp Salad

• 1 lb medium or large shrimp shelled but with tails attached (large: 12 to 15 per pound, medium: 35 to 40 per pound)

Marinade

• ½ cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup lime juice
• ½ cup tequila
• 1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• 4 cups mixed lettuce

Dressing

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup chicken broth
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• Chipotle powder to taste

Combine marinade ingredients, add shrimp, refrigerate ½ hour before grilling. Combine dressing ingredients. Toss shrimp, lettuce and dressing together in a large bowl. Serve on a bed of tortilla chips.

Alternative Presentation

Toss salad with ½ of dressing; toss shrimp separately with remaining dressing. Place a margarita glass in the center of individual serving plates, arrange tortilla chips in a ring around the glass, arrange lettuce on top. Sprinkle a few shrimp around top of lettuce, curl remaining shrimp around the edges of the margarita glass.

Shrimp and Romaine Salad with Thai Dressing

• 1 lb small shrimp, cooked (50 or more per pound)

Dressing

• ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
• 1 chili, finely chopped
• 1 cup coconut milk
• ½ cup lemon grass, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint, minced
• 2/3 cup yogurt

In a sauce pan, combine ginger, chili, coconut and lemon grass and bring to boil. Let cool and stir in yogurt and lime juice. Mix well and toss with shrimp and lettuce.

Don't miss these related pages for more shrimp salad recipes...

Shrimp Salad Recipe Introduction Page

Shrimp Salad Recipes with Mayo and Similar Ingredients

Easy Shrimp Scampi Recipes

Spinach, Snow Peas and More Shrimp Salads

Return to the Favorite Shrimp Recipes home page