Step up your salad game with this classic shrimp Louie salad! This retro favorite is back and better than ever.
Plump, juicy shrimp steal the show. But let’s not forget those essential supporting roles of creamy avocado, crunchy cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, and crisp Romaine.
Drizzled with a creamy homemade dressing, every bite is a symphony of fresh flavors and textures.
It’s a California classic that never fails to impress!
Why You’ll Love This Shrimp Louie Salad
Retro Appeal: Circa early 1900s San Francisco, the shrimp Louie salad brings a touch of retro chic to your table.
Quick & Easy: Quick and easy, this salad is incredibly simple to assemble. Just mix, arrange, and drizzle.
Vibrant Presentation: A colorful array of shrimp and fresh produce creates a stunning presentation. It’s perfect for impressing guests at gatherings.
Versatile Meal: As a main course, light lunch, or brunch, this seafood salad is great for any occasion.
Ingredients
- Large Shrimp: Buy peeled, deveined, and cooked for convenience. Fresh or frozen both work. Be sure to thaw the latter first.
- Romaine Lettuce: It’s crisp, refreshing, and the perfect foundation for all the fresh salad fixings. Iceberg lettuce also works.
- Hard-Boiled Eggs: Creamy and protein-packed, they add a touch of richness to every bite.
- Cherry Tomatoes: They’re sweet and juicy for little bursts of flavor.
- Avocado: It’s smooth, creamy, and loaded with heart-healthy fats.
- Cucumber: It adds a cool, refreshing crunch.
- Red Onion: For a sharp, zesty kick.
- Black Olives: They’re briny and salty for a fresh Mediterranean twist.
- Radishes: They add more texture, flavor, and color.
- Louie Dressing: A blend of mayonnaise, ketchup, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, sweet pickle relish, salt, black pepper, hot sauce, and fresh parsley.
How to Make Shrimp Louie Salad
A salad like this belongs on a magazine cover! Surprisingly, it’s quite easy to make. With a quick prep, all that’s left is assembly.
1. Mix. In a mixing bowl, combine mayo, ketchup, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and relish. Add horseradish, hot sauce, salt, and pepper to taste. Whisk until smooth, and then stir in fresh parsley.
2. Assemble. On a large platter, arrange a bed of romaine lettuce. Next, add the shrimp, sliced eggs, tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, red onion, black olives, and radishes. Drizzle with the homemade dressing.
3. Serve. Garnish with lemon wedges and fresh parsley if desired. Serve immediately.
Tips for the Best Shrimp Louie Salad
Like many classics, there are a bunch of ways to put a twist on this dish. For the best results, follow these tips:
- Get ahead of the game. Want to save time? Make the Louie dressing and hard-boil the eggs 1-2 days in advance. Then, assemble when ready to serve.
- Fire up the grill. For more flavor, poach, grill, or saute the shrimp. You can also add seasoning like blackened seasoning or Old Bay.
- Keep things chilly. This salad is best cold. So I recommend chilling the cooked shrimp, hard-boiled eggs, and dressing before serving.
- Take a shortcut. For the best flavor, I use homemade dressing. But for convenience, you can use a store-bought bottle like Thousand Island dressing.
- Hold off on the avocado. If prepping in advance, wait to add the avocado and the dressing right before serving. That way, the avocado doesn’t brown and the lettuce doesn’t wilt.
- Have fun and experiment. Swap the shrimp for crab meat, bay shrimp, or a combination for a seafood Louie. Add asparagus spears, bell pepper, or green onion for extra color and crunch.
How to Store
Shrimp Louie salad is a great dish for sharing. You can even do the prep in advance, then assemble when it’s time to eat.
To Store: Store the dressing, shrimp, eggs, and fresh salad ingredients in separate air-tight containers and refrigerate. The salad components will stay fresh for up to 2 days and the salad dressing will stay fresh for up to 5 days.
Shrimp Louie Salad
4
servings15
minutes638
kcalYou can’t go wrong with this classic shrimp Louie salad! With shrimp, hard-boiled eggs, romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives, and avocados, it’s sure to please!
Ingredients
- For the Salad:
1 pound cooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, sliced
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup black olives, sliced (optional)
2 -3 radishes, thinly sliced (optional)
Lemon wedges for garnish
- For the Louie Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish (optional for a little heat)
1 teaspoon sweet pickle relish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Dash hot sauce (optional)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, ketchup, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and relish. Add horseradish, hot sauce, salt, and pepper to taste. Whisk until smooth, and then stir in fresh parsley if desired. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
- On a large platter or individual serving plates, arrange a bed of romaine lettuce. Add shrimp on top, followed by sliced eggs, tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, red onion, black olives, and radishes. Drizzle with the Louie dressing or serve it on the side.
- Garnish with lemon wedges and fresh parsley if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Shrimp selection. Use high-quality, fresh or frozen cooked shrimp for the best flavor and texture. If using frozen, thaw and pat dry before adding to the salad.
