Shrimp salad with lemon and dill is so refreshing and perfect for hot summer days. I love that you can make this salad in advance and just pull it out of the fridge and place it on an avocado half or a bed of arugula and you have a beautiful delicious meal. This is one of our go to meals on Friday nights, when we play golf till 7:30, make a grapefruit martini, pull dinner out of the fridge, and begin to enjoy the weekend.
I prefer to buy larger shrimp, about 16-20 shrimp in a pound, since peeling and cleaning them can be time consuming. I also like to buy wild caught, not farm raised shrimp. Primal Kitchen's avocado mayo is my new go to mayo. You also need fresh dill; dried dill will not pack the same punch in this recipe.
You need a microplane for zesting in this recipe. You can also use the microplane for Parmesan shavings in other recipes, so it is worth investing in one.
Measure out 2/3 cup of mayo in a large rimmed bowl since zesting can be messy. Zest your 2 lemons, turning the lemon as you zest to make sure you do not get the bitter white pith in your zest.
Cut your lemons in half and squeeze the juice into a small bowl. Measure 2 tablespoons lemon juice into the mayo mixture. Put the remaining juice and lemon halves into a large pot that you will boil the shrimp in. Fill the pot half up with water and bring to a boil.
Pick the dill off the larger branches.
Chop the dill finely, add 3 tablespoons to the mayo mixture.
Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, and freshly ground pepper to the mayo mixture and stir till smooth.
Prepare a ice bath for your shrimp with a large bowl filled with ice and cold tap water. Once your water is boiling add your shrimp. Set your timer or stopwatch on your phone for 4 minutes. Keep fire on high. The boiling should resume, but even if it does not, you can tell when the shrimp are done when 1 or 2 shrimp float to the top of the water. So do not overcrowd the shrimp in a small pot; use a large pot. Remove your cooked shrimp with a slotted spoon and place in the ice bath.
The ice bath keeps the shrimp from overcooking and they're easier to peel when they are cool.
Drain the shrimp and then peel them.
Cut down the top of each shrimp to clean the yucky brown poo from the shrimp. You may have to run the shrimp under water to clean it well.
Once cleaned, place the shrimp in paper towels and dry thoroughly so the mayo mixture can adhere to the shrimp.
Cut the shrimp into small pieces and add to a medium sized bowl.
Slice the celery straight across the grain as thinly as possible.
Add the celery to the shrimp mixture. Add half the mayo mixture and stir till combined. Keep adding mayo till you achieve the consistency you desire. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.
For an easy appetizer you can use this shrimp salad to fill store bought phyllo cups. Garnish with a piece of dill.
Summer in a bowl!
SHRIMP SALAD WITH LEMON AND DILL RECIPE
Serves: 5 people
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 4 minutes
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds of shrimp
2/3 cup of mayonnaise
zest of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped finely
3/4 cup thinly sliced celery, 2-3 stalks
1/4 teaspoon salt
ground pepper to taste
PREPARATION
Measure out 2/3 cup of mayonnaise into a medium bowl.
Zest the 2 lemons into the bowl with the mayonnaise. Be careful to keep turning the lemon as you zest so you only get the yellow zest and not the bitter white pith of the lemon.
Cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice into a separate small bowl. Put 2 tablespoons juice into the mayo mixture.
Put the remaining juice and lemon halves into a large pot of water in order to boil the shrimp.
Pick the dill off the big stems and chop finely.
Add the dill, salt, and freshly ground pepper to the mayo mixture and stir till smooth.
Turn the large pot of water and lemons on high heat.
In a large bowl add ice and cold tap water for an ice bath for the shrimp.
Once the water is boiling add the shrimp.
Set your timer or stopwatch on your phone for 4 minutes. The water should come back to a boil. You know the shrimp are done when 1 or 2 shrimp start to float to the top.
With a slotted spoon, place the shrimp in the ice bath.
Drain the shrimp and peel.
Devein the shrimp and wash again and dry thoroughly with paper towels.
Pull out a larger bowl to add the shrimp to as you cut them into smaller pieces.
Thinly slice the celery and add to the shrimp.
Add half the mayo mixture and combine. Keep adding more mayo till you achieve your desired consistency.
Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.