Spreadable Shrimp "Salad"
This spreadable salad combines succulent shrimp with a flavorful mix of celery, onion, pickle and mayo to create a shareable snack, appetizer or meal. Keep it simple and classic, or add some herbs and spices for extra flair.
Equipment
- Blender or Food Processor
- Normal Kitchen Utensils
Ingredients
- 1 Lb Salad Shrimp (Very Small Shrimp) Cooked and Peeled
- 2 Slices White Sandwich Bread
- 1 C Celery, Diced About 3 Ribs
- 2 Tbsp Red Onion or Shallot Around 1/8 Small Onion
- 2 Tbsp Dill Relish or Finely Chopped Pickle
- 1/2 C Mayonnaise
- 1/2 Lemon, Juiced About 1 Tbsp
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- Heavy Pinch Paprika (Optional)
- Heavy Pinch Dried Dill (Optional)
- Heavy Pinch Ground Celery Seed (Optional)
- Heavy Pinch Cayenne Powder (Optional)
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- Tear the two pieces of bread into smaller pieces and pulse them in your blender or food processor until they become bread crumbs. The smaller, the better, but they should at least look like coarse sand. The goal is for them to "melt" into the salad as it chills.2 Slices White Sandwich Bread
- Either finely dice the celery or pulse it in your blender/food processor as well. 1/4 inch cubes are ideal.1 C Celery, Diced
- Process the onion/shallot and pickle in the same way (if you are using actual pickle instead of relish). Get these two ingredients to more of a minced size - much more fine than the celery.2 Tbsp Red Onion or Shallot, 2 Tbsp Dill Relish or Finely Chopped Pickle
- Mix the processed bread crumbs, celery, pickle, juice of the 1/2 lemon, pepper, and onion with the mayo. Mix well to help pulverize the bread crumbs even more.1/2 Lemon, Juiced, 1/4 tsp Black Pepper, 1/2 C Mayonnaise
- Mix in the salad shrimp. At this point, the salad is at its simplest level. To add some zest, consider including any of the optional paprika, dill, celery seed or cayenne. All of the combinations are delicious. It just depends on what you are craving at the time.Heavy Pinch Paprika, Heavy Pinch Dried Dill, Heavy Pinch Ground Celery Seed, Heavy Pinch Cayenne Powder
- Chill the salad for at least an hour, preferably two, to let everything meld together . The bread crumbs will soften over this time. Before serving, mix again and taste for salt and pepper. If you end up adding salt, consider celery salt for extra flavor.Salt and Pepper to Taste
- Serve in any way you would typically eat tuna salad or chicken salad: on crackers or toast, with some tomato in a sandwich, or even on a bed of lettuce. (I personally like it in a bowl with a spoon.)
Notes
You'll have to trust me with the breadcrumbs. You can always try the salad without them, but they really do help pull the salad together. Give them plenty of time to soak up the lemon, pickle juice and mayo, and you won't even notice they are there.
The easiest way to make the salad is in a food processor. Start by processing the bread. Then toss in the onion, pickle, celery, pepper, and lemon juice, separately in that order. Mix in the mayo and shrimp separately so the shrimp doesn't get chopped up and you don't risk breaking the emulsion in the mayo.