30-Minute Shrimp and Crab Salad
A Louisiana-inspired composed salad combining Gulf seafood with crisp mixed greens, fresh vegetables, and a tangy Creole mustard vinaigrette. Medium shrimp and lump crabmeat crown layers of romaine, cucumber, radish, and tomato, finished with hard-boiled eggs, toasted almonds, and green onion for textural contrast.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveinedlarge shrimpequalprotein
adjust cook time slightly
- Old Bay Seasoning(optional)
- Creole or Cajun seasoning(optional)
- 6 cups assorted mixed lettuces, romaine, red and green leaf, mixed baby greens
- ¼ cup chopped celery
- 1 large cucumber, peeled and chopped
- 4 radishes, sliced
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 8 ounces crabmeat
- 2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
- 1 green onion, sliced
- 3 tablespoons sliced almonds(optional)
- ⅝ cup salad oil, vegetable, canola, peanut, corn oil or any light oil
- ½ cup Creole mustardyellow mustard0.75condiment
less tangy
- ⅓ cup red wine or apple cider vinegar
- kosher salt(optional)
- freshly cracked black pepper(optional)
Instructions
- 1
Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.
- 2
Add shrimp, season with Old Bay and Creole or Cajun seasoning, and cook until opaque pink. Remove and set aside.
- 3
Rinse and spin dry the lettuces.
- 4
In a large salad bowl, combine lettuce with celery, cucumber, radish, and tomato.
- 5
Add cooked shrimp and crabmeat, tossing gently.
- 6
Whisk together salad oil, Creole mustard, and vinegar until combined.
- 7
If serving immediately, dress the salad gradually, transfer to chilled plates, and garnish with egg, green onion, and almonds.
- 8
If preparing ahead, reserve dressing and refrigerate the lettuce mixture; dress and garnish when ready to serve.
Tips
Do not overcook the shrimp to avoid tough, rubbery texture.
Chill the salad plates before plating to keep greens crisp.
Add dressing gradually to prevent over-saturating lettuces.
Good to Know
Refrigerate dressed salad up to 2 hours. Store undressed components separately up to 1 day.
Prepare vegetables and hard-boiled eggs up to 1 day ahead. Cook shrimp up to 8 hours ahead. Assemble and dress just before serving or up to 2 hours prior.
On chilled plates garnished with eggs, green onion, and almonds. Serve with crusty bread or cornbread.
Common Mistakes
Do not overcook shrimp to avoid loss of tender texture and turning gray-white rather than pink.
Do not dress salad too far in advance to avoid soggy lettuces.
Do not omit spinning lettuces dry to avoid watered-down dressing.
Substitutions
Dairy-Free Swaps
General Alternatives
adjust cook time slightly