Shrimp Caesar Salad

I recently reshot the photos for this shrimp Caesar salad recipe that I originally showcased in mason jars as an easy portable salad option. While you can still do that of course, I’ve never been super fond of mason jar salads — you just can’t fit enough in them! So this time around, it’s getting served like a normal salad.

When I originally posted this recipe (almost 10 years ago), I went on and on about how Caesar salad was my husband’s go-to order at any restaurant. This was not a lie, but it was (thankfully) a phase. For a solid three years, the man would order Caesar salad everywhere we went, sometimes not even bothering to look at the rest of the menu. It infuriated me.

I don’t know what eventually snapped him out of that, but I’m glad it’s over. Caesar salads have their time and place, but most don’t live up to one like this. The typical restaurant Caesar salad features goopy dressing (and usually far too much of it), subpar croutons and pre-shredded Parmesan cheese.

If you’re going to have a Caesar salad, let it be a good one, right? This shrimp Caesar is exactly that. With fresh plump shrimp and a spicy twist to the homemade Caesar dressing, it beats any restaurant version.

I’m pretty confident you’ll love this simple salad recipe and here’s why:

• It’s a healthy, quick meal you can make in minutes.
• The homemade Caesar dressing is the real deal featuring egg yolk and anchovy. It puts the bottled stuff to shame.
• The spicy sriracha twist adds lots of flavor to the shrimp and the creamy dressing for something a little different.
• It’s such an easy way to get in your greens!

It’s a Caesar salad at the end of the day so it’s not complicated, but here’s what you’ll need.

• Shrimp — Use fresh or frozen. Tails on is prettier, but tails off (and certainly deveined) makes your life a lot easier when shoveling this salad into your mouth.
  
• Parmesan cheese — I have major issues with pre-shredded cheese. Please use a fresh block of real Parmesan cheese and shave off slices using a vegetable peeler. Pre-shredded cheese has additives and non-caking agents and it’s just not the same.
  
• Croutons — No Caesar is complete without croutons. If you have some leftover stale bread, chop it up into cubes and toast it or bake it off. Otherwise, store-bought croutons are fine. You can make any Caesar salad gluten-free friendly by using gluten-free bread or croutons.
  
• Sriracha — This is optional if you don’t want too much spice, but cooking the shrimp in a touch of sriracha brings a nice added punch of heat.
  
• Caesar dressing — What makes a homemade Caesar salad so much better is the ability to make your own dressing. This one uses an anchovy filet, garlic, salt, egg yolk, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, extra virgin olive oil, Parmesan cheese, black pepper and sriracha. If you don’t want a spicy Caesar dressing, simply omit the sriracha.

Mince and mash the anchovy, garlic and salt together using a sharp knife. Place the mixture in a small bowl then add the remaining dressing ingredients except the olive oil. Whisk until smooth and creamy while pouring the olive oil in slowly.

Alternatively, you can add everything to a blender and blend until smooth.

For spicy shrimp, toss the shrimp with sriracha in a bowl. Add the coated shrimp to a hot skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes per side until the shrimp become opaque and curl up.

You can also grill the shrimp on skewers if preferred and get a nice smoky charred flavor that pairs well with the other ingredients in this shrimp Caesar salad.

No Caesar salad is super complicated to make, but I’ve got a few tips up my sleeve that takes this recipe from good to great:

1. Make sure the Romaine lettuce is very dry after washing. This keeps it nice and crunchy instead of soggy and one of the best features of a proper Caesar salad is super fresh and crunchy Romaine. A good salad spinner like this Oxo one I have and love is a must for a recipe like this or my Caesar salad stuffed sweet potatoes.
   
2. Don’t overcook the shrimp. A minute or two on each side is all they need. Overcooking leads to rubbery shrimp and the shrimp in this salad should have plenty of “bite” to them.
   
3. For the best crouton experience, leave bread out on the counter overnight and toast it off while assembling the salad. Fresh bread doesn’t make for as crunchy a crouton as bread that’s allowed to go a bit stale.

If you’re not a purist, you can definitely make a few swaps in this salad.

• Swap Romaine lettuce for iceberg. It’s got a similar crunchy texture that will still give you that classic Caesar crispness.
  
• Sliced ripe avocado makes a wonderful creamy topping and adds a bit of healthy fats to the salad.
  
• Counterbalance the spicy kick in this recipe with fresh lemon juice squeezed on top before serving.
  
• Swap out the shrimp for salmon, chicken, scallops or a hardboiled egg for different protein options. You can also add cooked crumbled bacon on top.
  
• Cherry tomatoes and sliced red onion (or pickled red onion) pair well with any Caesar recipe.

When the shrimp are the main feature of the salad, like in this Caesar recipe, I like to use large or extra-large shrimp at minimum. Jumbo shrimp are also great, you’ll just need less of them.

It’s also a lot easier to overcook smaller shrimp so sticking to the large-size helps avoid that. 16-20 count shrimp is what you’re looking for on the bag or sign at the fish market. This means that you’ll get 16-20 shrimp in one pound and that’s typically a decent sized shrimp.

If you want to get a little ahead with this salad recipe, you can make the Caesar dressing a few days in advance and keep it refrigerated. Give it a good whisk before serving.

The shrimp taste best the day they’re made and since they only take a couple minutes to cook, it’s best to leave the rest of the salad assembly until right before you plan to serve it.

There are plenty more fresh and healthy salads like this shrimp Caesar to enjoy if you’re in the mood for something else.

Feeling more exotic? Try our Pad Thai salad that features the classic peanut sauce in dressing form.

This summer barley salad is another way to enjoy shrimp in a hearty salad form.

Craving crunch? This bok choy salad has so much of it, your jaw will get a workout by the time you’re finished. The sesame soy dressing is light and delicious.

Shrimp are a great light and healthy summer salad option and there’s no better recipe to showcase that then this shrimp avocado mango lime salad.