Juicy Ina Garten’s Shrimp Salad

If you ask me, a good shrimp salad is one of life’s simple pleasures.

This Ina Garten recipe turns plump roasted shrimp into a light meal that works for lunch or dinner. The shrimp get a quick roast with olive oil and seasoning before mixing with a creamy dressing.

The dressing is where things get interesting. It’s made with mayonnaise, fresh orange juice and zest, capers, and dill. A bit of red onion and Dijon mustard round out the flavors.

It’s the kind of dish that feels fancy but comes together without much fuss, perfect for a summer afternoon.

SAVE NOW

What Kind of Shrimp Should I Use?

For this shrimp salad, you’ll want to grab medium to large shrimp, which are usually labeled as 31-40 or 21-30 count per pound at the store. Fresh shrimp is great if you can find it, but frozen shrimp works just as well and is often more affordable and convenient. If you’re buying frozen, just thaw them overnight in the fridge or give them a quick cold water bath before cooking. You can buy them already peeled and deveined to save yourself some time, or if you don’t mind a little extra prep work, shell-on shrimp tend to have slightly better flavor.

SAVE NOW

Options for Substitutions

This shrimp salad is pretty forgiving when it comes to swaps:

• Shrimp: While shrimp is the star here, you could use cooked lobster meat or lump crab meat for a different seafood twist. Just keep the same weight and skip the cooking step since those are usually sold pre-cooked.
• Mayonnaise: If you want to lighten things up, you can replace half the mayo with Greek yogurt or sour cream. The texture will be slightly thinner but still tasty.
• Orange zest and juice: Don’t have oranges? Lemon works great too – use the same amounts of zest and juice. You’ll get a brighter, more citrusy flavor instead of the subtle sweetness from orange.
• Fresh dill: Fresh tarragon or basil can stand in for dill if needed. You could also use about 1 tablespoon of dried dill, though fresh really makes a difference in this recipe.
• Capers: If you’re not a caper fan, try chopped cornichons or dill pickles for that same briny punch.
• White wine vinegar: Apple cider vinegar or regular white vinegar will work just fine as a substitute.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Cooking

Overcooking shrimp is the biggest mistake you can make with this recipe – they should be opaque and just cooked through, not rubbery, so pull them from the oven as soon as they turn pink and curl slightly.

Skipping the step to pat your shrimp completely dry before roasting will cause them to steam instead of getting that nice roasted texture, so use paper towels and really press out any moisture.

Adding the dressing to warm shrimp might seem tempting, but the heat will make your mayonnaise separate and turn oily, so be patient and let the shrimp cool to room temperature first.

Finally, don’t skip the 30-minute resting time after mixing everything together – this allows the flavors to blend and the shrimp to soak up all that citrusy, herby goodness.

SAVE NOW

What to Serve With Shrimp Salad?

This shrimp salad is perfect stuffed into a buttery toasted roll for a classic New England-style shrimp roll – just lightly toast split-top hot dog buns with butter until they’re golden. If you want to keep things low-carb, serve it over a bed of butter lettuce or in endive leaves for a lighter option. I also love pairing shrimp salad with crispy kettle chips or sweet potato fries on the side, and a simple cucumber and tomato salad dressed with lemon juice makes a refreshing accompaniment. For a fancier presentation, you can serve the shrimp salad on top of avocado halves or with crackers as an appetizer.

Storage Instructions

Store: Keep your shrimp salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Since it’s made with mayo and seafood, you’ll want to eat it pretty quickly for the best flavor and food safety. I like to make this the morning of serving, or the night before at most.

Make Ahead: You can cook the shrimp a day ahead and store them separately from the dressing. When you’re ready to serve, just toss everything together. This keeps the shrimp from getting too soft and the flavors nice and fresh.

Serve: This salad tastes best when it’s nice and cold, so pull it out of the fridge just before serving. If it’s been sitting for a bit, give it a quick stir to redistribute the dressing and fresh herbs.

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 3900-4400
• Protein: 340-380 g
• Fat: 290-320 g
• Carbohydrates: 20-30 g

Ingredients

For the shrimp:

• 2 lb shrimp (peeled and deveined, 16-20 count per pound)
• 1.5 tbsp olive oil
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 0.25 tsp pepper

For the dressing:

• 0.75 cup mayonnaise (I prefer Hellmann’s mayonnaise)
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 0.25 cup dill (freshly minced for best flavor)
• 2 tbsp capers (I use Nonpareil capers by Mezzetta)
• 2 tbsp red onion
• 0.5 tsp Dijon mustard

Step 1: Prepare Mise en Place and Roast the Shrimp

• 2 lb shrimp
• 1.5 tbsp olive oil
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 0.25 tsp pepper

Preheat your oven to 400°F.

Pat the shrimp completely dry with paper towels—this is crucial for getting a nice golden exterior when roasted.

Spread the shrimp in a single layer on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper.

Roast for 6-8 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the shrimp are just cooked through and lightly golden (they should curl and turn opaque).

Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely while you prepare the dressing—this prevents the heat from breaking down the mayonnaise.

Step 2: Make the Citrus-Herb Dressing

• 0.75 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 0.5 tsp Dijon mustard
• 0.25 cup dill
• 2 tbsp capers
• 2 tbsp red onion
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

While the shrimp cool, combine the mayonnaise, orange zest, orange juice, and Dijon mustard in a bowl, whisking until smooth.

Fold in the minced fresh dill, capers, red onion, and white wine vinegar.

I like to taste and adjust the seasoning here—a pinch more salt or a squeeze of lemon can brighten the whole salad if needed.

The dressing should be creamy but not heavy, with bright citrus and herbaceous notes.

Step 3: Combine and Chill

• cooled shrimp from Step 1
• citrus-herb dressing from Step 2

Once the shrimp have cooled to room temperature, gently fold the dressing from Step 2 into the cooled shrimp, being careful not to break them up.

Let the salad rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving—this allows all the flavors to meld beautifully and gives the salad a pleasant chilled temperature.

I find that shrimp salad actually tastes better the next day, so don’t hesitate to make it ahead.

Juicy Ina Garten's Shrimp Salad

Delicious Juicy Ina Garten's Shrimp Salad recipe with step-by-step instructions.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Servings 4 servings

Calories 4150 kcal

Ingredients

  

For the shrimp

• 2 lb shrimp (peeled and deveined, 16-20 count per pound)
• 1.5 tbsp olive oil
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 0.25 tsp pepper

For the dressing

• 0.75 cup mayonnaise (I prefer Hellmann's mayonnaise)
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 0.25 cup dill (freshly minced for best flavor)
• 2 tbsp capers (I use Nonpareil capers by Mezzetta)
• 2 tbsp red onion
• 0.5 tsp Dijon mustard

Instructions

 

• Preheat your oven to 400°F. Pat the shrimp completely dry with paper towels—this is crucial for getting a nice golden exterior when roasted. Spread the shrimp in a single layer on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 6-8 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the shrimp are just cooked through and lightly golden (they should curl and turn opaque). Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely while you prepare the dressing—this prevents the heat from breaking down the mayonnaise.
• While the shrimp cool, combine the mayonnaise, orange zest, orange juice, and Dijon mustard in a bowl, whisking until smooth. Fold in the minced fresh dill, capers, red onion, and white wine vinegar. I like to taste and adjust the seasoning here—a pinch more salt or a squeeze of lemon can brighten the whole salad if needed. The dressing should be creamy but not heavy, with bright citrus and herbaceous notes.
• Once the shrimp have cooled to room temperature, gently fold the dressing from Step 2 into the cooled shrimp, being careful not to break them up. Let the salad rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving—this allows all the flavors to meld beautifully and gives the salad a pleasant chilled temperature. I find that shrimp salad actually tastes better the next day, so don't hesitate to make it ahead.