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Delicious Seafood Salad Recipe for a Fresh, Flavorful Meal

Delicious Seafood Salad

Tender shrimp and flaky crab are folded into a creamy lemon-Dijon dressing with crisp vegetables and fresh herbs. This chilled seafood salad is ideal for lunch, entertaining, sandwiches, crackers, or a refreshing side dish.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Seafood
  • 1 pound Medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
  • 8 ounces Lump crabmeat or imitation crab, drained and flaked
Dressing
  • 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons Fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Vegetables and Herbs
  • 1/2 cup Finely diced celery
  • 1/4 cup Finely diced red onion or scallions
  • 2 tablespoons Chopped fresh dill or parsley
Seasonings and Serving
  • 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, optional
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon Black pepper
  • as needed Lemon wedges
  • as needed Lettuce leaves or mixed greens, optional

Method
 

Step-by-Step
  1. Bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to a simmer. Add the shrimp and cook for about 2–3 minutes, just until pink, opaque, and cooked through.
  2. Drain the shrimp and immediately transfer it to ice water to stop carryover cooking. Drain again, pat dry, and chop larger shrimp into bite-size pieces.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream or Greek yogurt, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, optional Old Bay seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Continue whisking until the dressing is smooth and evenly seasoned.
  4. Fold in the shrimp, crabmeat, celery, onion, and fresh herbs. Mix gently so the crab remains flaky instead of becoming mushy.
  5. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This resting time allows the seafood and dressing flavors to blend.
  6. Serve the seafood salad chilled over lettuce or mixed greens with lemon wedges. It can also be served as a sandwich filling or with crackers.

Notes

Do not boil the shrimp vigorously, since gentle simmering helps keep it tender. Chill cooked shrimp promptly in ice water, and do not leave the finished seafood salad at room temperature for more than 2 hours.