Sometimes you just have to go BIG, and recently at a family party this proved true with the menu. When ordering the food (over-ordering the food), it was somehow miscalculated that everyone in attendance might need a metric ton of shrimp cocktail. Luckily for all involved, there was an abundance of fresh shrimp remaining, and I inherited a good amount to take home. Normally, my go-to leftover would be tacos, but being that I was out of tortillas these little guys were headed for a new destiny. On this Sunday morning, I envisioned something light & easy (insert, Commodores song HERE). I really can’t explain why a 1970’s archive of soul music resides in my subconscious, but enjoy this jam anyhow.
Since these were already cooked & peeled, a cold seafood-style salad was my next choice. I’m a fan of both crab & mixed seafood versions, but shrimp happens to be one of my favorite ocean proteins.
This light mix is perfect for lunch or an appetizer before a dinner. I decided to serve this as part of a brunch with friends. To make it easier to eat—and frankly more attractive—a few lemons were sacrificed as single-serving cups to hold our crustacean creation. What’s even better, is that this only takes a few minutes to prepare, chill and serve (and that means more time having a mimosa welcoming your guests). I wanted to highlight fresh, summer flavors such as lemon, dill, and chives. Many cold & creamy seafood salads boast a heavy addition of mayo, but keepying this a little cleaner, I used light sour cream, and a little bit of light mayonnaise. Not that I don’t love some good ol’ mayo (this excludes demonic Miracle Whip however), but the flavors here are subtle, so I want to taste the shrimp & fresh seasonings.
This is too simple, and even if you don’t have a surplus of leftover shrimp cocktails, boiling some is pretty quick to do.
- ~1.5 cups cooked shrimp, chopped (~20 cocktail shrimp, boiled)
- ½ cup celery, finely chopped
- 1 T fresh chives, finely chopped
- ½ tsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp fresh lemon zest
- 1 tsp fresh dill leaves
- 1.5 T Light Mayonnaise, (Best Foods preferably)
- 1.5 T Light sour cream (I prefer Daisy brand)
- ¼ tsp dried mustard powder
- kosher salt to taste
- finely ground black pepper to taste
- *Lemon rind (1/2) as cup (for serving), optional
- *red lettuce leaves as serving garnish, optional
- Chop, pre-cooked cocktail shrimps, into ~ 3rds per shrimp.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine chopped shrimp, celery, chives, lemon juice & zest, dill leaves. mayo, sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste.
- combine well and chill salad for about 1 hour or more preferable.
- Serve in small bowls or festive, hollowed lemon cup halves, with a lettuce leaf, or eat with crackers.
- Saves well in an airtight container, in fridge for ~2 days.
Wasn’t that refreshing? Well, it will. I plan to enjoy my next helping with some sourdough bread and glass of white wine—cheers to the end of another great weekend!
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can’t remember the last time i had a shrimp salad like this, looks delicious! definitely need to recreate the recipe.