How about a crunchy salad that’s good enough for a weeknight dinner, is super refreshing and delicious year-round? Lemon Shrimp Salad is the an absolute favorite!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Aren’t we all looking for easy recipes for a light lunch or dinner? I know I am, and shrimp cooked in a saute pan is a good option for those times because it cooks in just 3 minutes! Here are some more reasons:
- This homemade lemon ranch dressing will keep in the fridge for a week, and you’ll want more of it, trust me.
- Make some quick croutons from that stale loaf in the cupboard..tossed with a little olive oil, it makes any salad extra-special.
- Crunchy, easy-to-find Romaine or Little Gem lettuce for a refreshing crunch!
Love salads? Try this favorite Rotisserie Chicken Salad too.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the full recipe and list of ingredients, please scroll the recipe card below.
- Shrimp: Large, peeled and de-veined, one pound
- Bread: Stale, with crusts removed
- Mayo and Mustard: For the homemade ranch dressing
- Lemon: And lots of it
- Greens: Crunchy, fresh and organic, if possible
- Herbs: Chives are nice, and so would be some fresh dill.
Step-By-Step Instructions
There are a couple of steps to this recipe, so lets go through them:
- Make the lemon ranch dressing.
- Make the croutons.
- Cook the shrimp.
- Prep the greens.
- Plate and serve.
Tips and Serving Ideas
- Use any kind of round artisan bread for the croutons, just make slices then remove the crusts as best you can and cut them into pieces.
- Or, just tear off one-inch pieces in a free-form style. It’ll work great!
- Extra croutons will keep for a week in an air-tight container.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Any fresh greens would be good with this recipe…experiment!
Absolutely! A lemon vinaigrette like the one in this strawberry salad would be amazing!
Fresher bread works too, and an artisan type of load works best. But don’t sweat it! Buy some good quality croutons at the grocery store!
More Recipes to Try:
- Superfoods Salad: A delicious way to reset, this one is packed!
- Summer Pasta: A reader favorite, this one is a keeper!
- Celery Salad with Hazelnuts: Light, refreshing and healthy, a great side dish!
- Banana Fig Bread: Super moist, cream cheese frosting optional.
- Shredded Chicken Burrito Bowl: Easy for weeknights and casual weekends.
- Nectarine Toast with Honey Goat Cheese: Beautiful for breakfast!
Lemon Shrimp Salad
Ingredients
- For the LEMON RANCH DRESSING
- ¾ cup Light Mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon Water
- ½ teaspoon Lemon Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Italian (flat leaf) parsley
- 1 tablespoon Chives, chopped
- for the HOMEMADE CROUTONS
- 7 slices french bread, cut into 1/2 thick pieces with crusts removed
- 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- pinch Salt
- for the SHRIMP
- 1 pound Shrimp, large, peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Lemon Pepper
- 3 tablespoons Lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- ½ teaspoon Lemon zest, freshly grated
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- for the SALAD
- 8 cups Romaine lettuce, torn
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Make the LEMON RANCH DRESSING
- Combine mayo, lemon juice, water, lemon pepper, garlic powder, salt and sugar together in a medium sized bowl and whisk together with a fork until smooth.
- Add the chopped parsley and chives and combine with a spoon.
- Make the HOMEMADE CROUTONS
- Combine the cubed bread, olive oil, garlic powder and salt and toss together in a medium sized bowl. Add the mixture to a medium size non-stick skillet on medium high heat.
- Toast the croutons in the pan, turning and shaking the pan occasionally so the croutons don't burn. If they look too dry, just drizzle a teaspoon or so more olive oil and continue toasting, turning and shaking until golden, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
- Cook the SHRIMP
- Combine the olive oil, salt, lemon pepper, lemon juice, lemon zest and garlic powder and whisk together in a medium sized bowl until combined.Add the shrimp to the mixture, toss together to combine.
- Preheat a large nonstick saute pan over medium high heat. Add the shrimp and olive oil mixture to the pan, spaced out evenly, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Carefully turn over and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes until the shrimp are pink. Remove from the pan and assemble the salad.
- ASSEMBLE the Salad
- Divide 2 cups of romaine per plate. Drizzle with a tablespoon of Lemon Ranch Dressing.
- Divide the shrimp on the plates, about 5 or 6 shrimp each plate. Add ⅓ cup of the croutons per plate. Sprinkle generously with grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with additional Lemon Ranch Dressing on the side.
Notes
- Use any kind of round artisan bread for the croutons, just make slices then remove the crusts as best you can and cut them into pieces. Or, just tear off 1″ pieces in a free-form style. It’ll work great!
- Extra croutons will keep for a week in an air-tight container.
Nutrition
- Super important to read the whole recipe before you begin
- Pay attention to the ingredient list and photos for the recipe
- If possible, prep your ingredients a little before you start
- Always use a sharp knife for safety
- Use the size of pan called for in the recipe
- For savory recipes, taste and season as you go
- Buy fresh, organic ingredients, locally sourced whenever possible
This Shrimp Salad with Lemon Ranch Dressing is a hybrid of the Caesar Salad, without that smelly little anchovy.
Glad we got that out of the way.
It’s Caesar-like due to the crisp romaine lettuce, toasty homemade garlic croutons and some shaved Parmesan cheese.
On to more important topics, I did not win the $700 million dollar Powerball lottery recently, and I’m guessing you didn’t either.
Everyone was talking about it, and though we didn’t have a chance in hell of actually winning, fantasizing about it was well worth the dollar ticket price.
And people are so serious with their plans!
A friend informed me that the first thing she needed to do right away was get a tax attorney and buy a cash cow business. Apparently she was worried about money even with a $700 million dollar payday.
She was perfectly sane in explaining this to me, as if collecting the cash from the Powerball people was just a formality.
Then a co-worker asked me not to take it personally if she didn’t show up the next day, because she’d need to go collect her prize, but there was no way she was giving her brother more than $10,000 because he really didn’t deserve it.
And her in-laws get zip.
As for me, I spaced out for a few minutes thinking about how that much money would change my life and relationships – probably for the worse – and decided I’d be happier with about $500,000 🙂
About this recipe – there are a few steps, but it’s worth the effort.
And the homemade croutons really are a snap, with leftovers for later.
The fresh herb dressing is one of my all-time favorites – and if you’ve never tasted ranch dressing spiked with lemon, then consider yourself a winner.
The text and recipe instructions were updated in this post April, 2024.
The lemony ranch dressing is fabulous. I’m all about a great salad and we loved this!
Ranch dressing is the BEST