A very simple salad made with cooked shrimp, iceberg lettuce, fresh tomatoes and dressed with mayonnaise.
Shrimp and Iceberg Lettuce Salad
This is my version of what my mother and father-in-law and The Cajun call shrimp salad and I absolutely love it, even though I struggled with what to call it myself, since when I think of shrimp salad, I think of the shrimp and egg salad I grew up with and love so much.It's a very simple salad that includes nothing but highly seasoned shrimp, iceberg lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. That's it!
Now first things first. She made her salad with iceberg lettuce, so I respect that in my version.
While I primarily use romaine lettuce in all of my salads, often along with some spring greens and baby spinach added in, I don't typically keep iceberg on hand most of the time, but that's what she used and when I want this salad, I pick up a head of iceberg. Frankly, it just works much better with this particular method.
Southern Style Hissy Fit Warning: Now... there is going to be somebody who insists I should not be using iceberg lettuce, with the primary argument being "it doesn't have any nutritional value." Guaranteed they will say that. Well... it's simply not true.
First, please don't preach to other adults about what they should or should not be eating in your opinion. I have found that most adults are fully capable of making those decisions and folks often make my recipes with adaptations they need for their own dietary needs. If you can't eat iceberg for specific reasons, like drug interactions or allergies, you already know that you need to choose another option!
Second, not only does iceberg contain a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin K, a nutrient that is important for bone and blood health, it has other benefits too. It adds volume and even some fiber and protein, and it's hydrating and filling with very few calories, making it beneficial for weight loss too. So, eat iceberg lettuce if you like it and ignore the naysayers. {tucking away the soapbox}
Believe it or not, back in the day before there were hundreds of choices of salad dressings on the shelf, mayonnaise was the common salad dressing, especially here in the south. Truthfully, this is a mighty fine salad without the shrimp, though the shrimp makes it extra special. Just be sure to use a quality real mayonnaise!
Most often this salad comes about using leftover shrimp from a boil, but sometimes I just want the salad apart from that. For that, I just do a simple pan sauté in a skillet with hot oil or butter and a sprinkle of my fabulous favorite Slap Ya Mama {affil link} and some Old Bay. Either way works. I think my mother-in-law probably uses a bit more mayo than I do, but I found somewhere between a 1/4 to 1/2 cup for the full recipe is usually enough for us.
While y'all know that I use my shortcuts here and there, a few of the recipes that you see here are somewhat complex "homestyle" scratch cooking, at least ingredient-wise, because they involve building layer upon layer of flavors to reach the final result.
They're not hard - they just take a little hands-on work. Without a doubt that is delicious, and even if reserved for only weekend or vacation cooking, worth every single ounce of effort.
Sometimes though, it is the simplest of things that are just so good. This, is that.
Here's how to make this simple shrimp and iceberg lettuce salad.
For more of my favorite salad recipes, visit my page on Pinterest!
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Shrimp and Iceberg Lettuce Salad
Yield: About 4 to 6 servings
Prep time: 10 MinTotal time: 10 Min
A very simple salad made with cooked shrimp, iceberg lettuce, fresh tomatoes and dressed with mayonnaise.
Ingredients
- 1 large head iceberg lettuce
- 1 1/2 pounds small to medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and patted dry
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama), or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, or to taste
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup real mayonnaise, to taste, more or less
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped, reserving all juices
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Wash and drain the lettuce, but do not spin it. Tear it into bite sized pieces and set aside in a large lidded storage bowl.
- Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat, add the shrimp and sprinkle with Cajun seasoning and Old Bay.
- Sauté just until pink and set aside to cool.
- Toss lettuce with the mayonnaise.
- Top with the tomatoes and their juices, season with salt and pepper and add the cooled shrimp. Toss again.
- Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate, giving it a toss every now and then to mix up. Better if it sits in the fridge for a little bit.
Notes:
May also boil the shrimp unpeeled instead of pan sautéing; let cool then peel, or use leftover shrimp from a boil. We almost always use highly seasoned, leftover shrimp from a shrimp boil for this salad, so little to no additional seasoning is needed. If sautéing your shrimp, taste and adjust so that they are nice and spicy. The boiled shrimp we use are often large, cut into half or thirds for the salad.
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