This recipe reimagines the classic shrimp cocktail into a hearty main dish salad, complete with a tangy twist on traditional cocktail sauce. Featuring crisp romaine lettuce, sliced avocado, fresh tomato wedges, cucumber, sweet onion, and sautéed shrimp, this salad comes together in under 30 minutes for a quick yet satisfying meal.
Notes From the MGC Kitchen
We always keep frozen shrimp on hand because they’re such an easy option for a fast dinner. Shrimp can be defrosted in cool water in about 15 minutes and cooked to perfection in about 3, so they really are the ultimate choice for an impromptu meal like this salad. Prep time for this dish is only 25 minutes, and that includes time to cook the shrimp. We enjoy the contrast of the slightly warm shrimp with the cool, crisp greens, but if you wanted to use pre-cooked, chilled shrimp you definitely could.
Shrimp Cocktail Salad
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 lbs jumbo shrimp (21 to 30 per pound), peeled and deveined, tails left on
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
For the dressing:
- 1/2 cup bottled chili sauce
- 1 to 4 tablespoons prepared horseradish, see notes
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1-1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the salad:
- 1 large head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
- 8 Campari, or 2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
- 2 ripe Hass avocados, pitted, peeled and sliced
- 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
- 4 paper-thin slices sweet onion, separated
Instructions
- Place the shrimp, garlic, oil and lemon juice in a mixing bowl Season lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper and toss to combine.
- Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and sauté until they turn pink and opaque, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Prepare the dressing by whisking the chili sauce, horseradish, lemon juice and mayonnaise together in a small bowl. Add just enough milk to produce a creamy consistency, season with a bit of freshly ground pepper and set aside.
- To assemble the salads, arrange a bed of lettuce on each of 4 plates and top with tomato wedges and slices of avocado, cucumber and onion. Divide the shrimp between the salads and drizzle each with a portion of dressing.
This is a great recipe! My family and guest loved it and that’s saying a lot since they don’t like eating vegetables. On New Years Eve this was the first dish to disappear!
Hi Myrl,
Happy to hear your family liked the salad even though veggies are not a favorite. Thanks for taking the time to tell us!