Shrimp Louie Salad

Shrimp Louie Salad is both fun to eat and sure to please guests. It’s the best salad to whip up for an impromptu dinner party!

A Lovely Note from Teri

I have always loved the idea of celebration eating, and it feels so festive to have huge platters of sumptuous and delicious food. A shrimp louie is the kind of salad that feels like you totally fussed for hours, but really it comes together so quickly. It’s an easy recipe and perfectly light dish that still feels indulgent. It’s great for Spring eating, a lenten or Easter meal, or in the summer when you don’t want to heat up the kitchen.

I love making this salad because delicious shrimp packed with flavor is really the star of the show. With a perfect, simple shrimp marinade and a delicious play on thousand island dressing, you have a phenomenal shrimp louie salad recipe.

I love the presentation of doing everything on the platter and then people come up and they choose the parts that they want. It gives a fabulous presentation moment and allows you to choose the things that you really love and less of the things that you don’t. This salad would be equally delicious chopped and tossed, but it’s not quite as magnificent of a finished product.

What is a Shrimp Louie Salad?

The classic shrimp louie salad was created in the early 1900s in San Francisco. The key ingredients are similar to a shrimp cobb: shrimp, egg, and tomato with a luscious remoulade sauce that has ketchup, mayo and worcestershire. Obviously, I’m not a gal who sticks to the rules, so I love to put my own spin on it by adding some avocados, radishes, and marinated onions. Plus, I’ll give you some more ideas below of how to mix things up with this salad.

If you’re looking for other shrimp recipes, check out these salads with shrimp.

Ingredients

For the Shrimp: 

• Garlic, pressed or grated
• Lemon zest and lemon juice
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Red pepper flakes
• Olive oil
• Large shrimp, deveined

For the Remoulade Sauce:

• Mayo
• Ketchup or Chili sauce
• Green onions, sliced
• Green olives, finely chopped
• Fresh lemon juice
• Smoked paprika
• Garlic, peeled and pressed
• Kosher salt
• Chili crisp oil, optional

 For the Salad: 

• Soft lettuce
• Hard-boiled Eggs
• Radishes, sliced
• Avocados, cut into chunks
• Pear tomatoes, halved
• Chives, chopped
• Marinated red onions

Variations for your Shrimp Louie

You can use any vegetables or toppings you prefer for your shrimp louie salad. I love using a butter lettuce like bibb for this salad. You could use romaine lettuce or iceberg lettuce, but I think the softer lettuce really elevates the dish. When in season, blanched asparagus or green beans are a great addition. We used pear tomatoes, but cherry tomatoes are excellent as well.

For another spin on this salad, you could switch up the seafood and make a crab louie salad when crab is in season. Lobster would also be delicious, or even canned tuna. If you have non-seafood eaters, you could also serve some roasted chicken.

How to Make Shrimp Louie

Marinate the Shrimp and Make Remoulade Sauce

To a large bowl, add the garlic, lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Whisk in olive oil to combine then add the shrimp. Toss to coat then set aside.

Marinate for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the shrimp is marinating evenly.

While the shrimp marinates, make the remoulade sauce: Add ingredients to a small bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.

Cook Eggs and Shrimp

Soft-boil eggs. I find putting them in boiling water, cooking for 7 ½ minutes then placing them directly into an ice bath with cold water for 2-3 minutes leaves them perfectly gooey. Cook longer if preferred. Peel and cut into halves or quarters.

To cook the shrimp, heat a large pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, place shrimp in a single layer in the very hot pan and cook on one side until they start to turn pink and curl up, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Assemble Salad

Arrange bibb lettuce leaves beautifully on a large serving platter, or in a bowl, whether for one, or a group. Top with tomatoes, radishes, avocado, onions and shrimp, and drizzle a little bit of remoulade sauce over everything. Garnish with chives and serve with additional sauce alongside.

Storage

This shrimp louie salad is best enjoyed immediately. You can prepare it in advance and keep your ingredients separate. When you are ready to enjoy, assemble everything and serve!

Try these other salads with fish!

• Salmon Nicoise
• Celebration Salmon Salad
• Picante Shrimp Salad

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