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    Home » Recipes » Shrimp Salad with Lettuce, Feta, and Lemon-Garlic Dressing

    Shrimp Salad with Lettuce, Feta, and Lemon-Garlic Dressing

    Published: Sep 1, 2018 · Modified: Feb 23, 2022 · by Debra with Leave a Comment · 1265 words. About 7 minutes to read this article. · This post contains affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This lighter take on shrimp salad, made with lettuce and without mayo can be customized to your taste and ingredients you have on hand. The shrimp cooks in less than 15 minutes!

    Large round plate of=hrimp salad with romaine lettuce, cherry peppers, pepitas and feta cheese, garnished with a half a lemon.

    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my full disclosure policy here.

    Here's to a shrimp salad with lettuce that is crunchy, a dressing that is lemony, and add-ins that are fresh and briny and salty like the sea!

    We are making this without mayo to keep it light and simple, using the garlicky olive oil that the shrimp cooks in to form the base of the dressing. Yum.

    This recipe actually came about because I had leftovers of my garlic shrimp recipe and wanted to turn it into something new. So I've added zippy cherry peppers and feta, and created a lemony, garlic dressing to turn it into a green salad with shrimp that's a flavor bomb!

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Substitutions
    • Related Recipes
    • Recipe
    Romaine lettuce leaves, feta cheese, garlic, cherry peppers, lemon and raw shrimp displayed on a wooden cutting board.

    Ingredients

    • Shrimp: Look for head off, tail-on shrimp, about 21-30 per pound. You can get shell on, or peeled and de-veined, whatever is most affordable. (Just so you know, the vein won't hurt you, and will have little to no effect on the taste of shrimp this small, so there's no real need to pay more.)
    • Garlic: Big luscious slices of garlic will flavor the shrimp as it cooks and then get added to the dressing for a mellow, roasted garlic flavor.
    • Olive oil: The olive oil does double duty, as the cooking agent for the shrimp and the base of the dressing, so use a good one with good flavor.
    • Red pepper flakes, parsley and kosher salt: This adds a little spice and a bit of freshness to the shrimp.
    • Romaine lettuce: Romaine has such a wonderful crunch, it provides a great contrast to the tender shrimp and holds up to the lemony-garlic dressing.
    • Feta cheese: The salty brininess of feta pairs well with shrimp. (This busts the rule about cheese and seafood, sometimes they do go together.)
    • Cherry peppers: Cherry peppers are a bit spicy, but they're also sweet. You can find them in Italian markets or order them online.
    • Pepitas (pumpkin seeds): I love the crunch, nuttiness, creaminess and lovely green color that these bring to the salad.

    Instructions

    Remove shells from shrimp, leaving tails on.

    Toss in a bowl with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, let stand 10 minutes.

    Add the garlic and olive oil to a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet over moderately low heat. You are gently and slowly infusing the olive oil with the garlic flavor. Poaching the garlic, really.

    Stir occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant and has just barely started to brown.

    A cast iron pan is filled with sliced garlic and crushed red pepper that have been simmered in olive oil.

    Throw in the pinch of red pepper flakes and give it a stir.

    Add the shrimp to the skillet, keeping the heat moderately low. Keep them all in one layer, don’t pile them up.

    When they are barely pink on one side, flip them all over and let cook for maybe a minute. When they have all barely turned pink, remove from heat immediately and allow to finish cooking in the warm oil.

    The cooking time will vary depending upon the size of the shrimp you buy. But it generally goes pretty fast. Don’t walk away! Just remember you don’t want to overcook shrimp, but you also should NOT be eating grey shrimp…

    Top with the parsley and set aside to cool.

    In a dry skillet over medium-low heat, toast pepitas for a couple of minutes until warm and fragrant. Transfer to a plate to cool.

    Chopped romaine lettuce on a wooden cutting board.

    Chop romaine lettuce into wide ribbons.

    Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and cherry peppers on a white plate.

    Slice cherry peppers into thin slivers. 

    Once the oil has cooled a bit, make the dressing. Spoon off ¼ cup of olive oil from the shrimp into a bowl, making sure to grab a generous amount of the garlic slivers.

    Squeeze the juice from half the lemon into the bowl and mix thoroughly. Taste and add a pinch of kosher salt and more lemon juice if necessary.

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    Place chopped romaine lettuce onto serving plates and drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle with feta, pepitas, and slivered peppers. Top with shrimp and drizzle with a bit more dressing. Serve the salad with lemon wedges on the side.

    If you like, spoon more of the garlic olive oil from the shrimp into a bowl with crusty bread for dipping.

    Substitutions

    • I love the crunch of romaine lettuce, however, butter lettuce would also work well and be beautiful on the plate.
    • If you can't find cherry peppers or don't want the spice, you can substitute piquillo peppers or roasted red peppers instead. Fresh red bell peppers would be great, too!
    • Instead of pepitas, you could try sunflower seeds, toasted almonds, or cashews.

    Related Recipes

    If you love shrimp, you'll love these recipes, too!

    • Cilantro Lime Shrimp with Tequila Butter is a quick and simple dinner.
    • Shrimp Scampi with Tomatoes, Corn and Fresh Basil is summer on a plate!

    Recipe

    Shrimp salad with romaine lettuce, garnished with a lemon wheel on a white plate.

    Shrimp Salad with Lettuce, Feta and Lemon-Garlic Dressing

    This lighter take on shrimp salad, made with lettuce and without mayo can be customized to your taste and ingredients you have on hand. The shrimp cooks in less than 15 minutes!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: Spanish
    Diet: Gluten Free
    Keyword: green salad with shrimp, shrimp salad with lettuce
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Calories: 407kcal

    Equipment

    • chef's knife
    • cutting board
    • small non stick skillet
    • 12" cast iron skillet
    • mixing bowls

    Ingredients

    Salad

    • 2 heads romaine lettuce or butter lettuce
    • ¼ cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
    • 6 cherry peppers
    • ¼ cup feta cheese

    Shrimp:

    • 1 pound shrimp 21-30 per pound size
    • 1 ¼ cup olive oil
    • ¼ cup garlic thinly sliced
    • ¼ cup parsley minced
    • pinch crushed red pepper flakes
    • kosher salt

    Dressing

    • ¼ cup olive oil that was used to cook the shrimp
    • 1 lemon
    • pinch kosher salt
    US Customary - Metric
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    Instructions

    • In a dry skillet over medium-low heat, toast pumpkin seeds for a couple of minutes until warm and fragrant. Transfer to a plate to cool.
    • Chop romaine lettuce into wide ribbons. 
    • Slice cherry peppers into thin slivers
    • Remove shells from shrimp, leaving tails on. Toss in a bowl with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, let stand 10 minutes.
    • Add the garlic and olive oil to a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet over moderately low heat. You are gently and slowly infusing the olive oil with the garlic flavor. Poaching the garlic, really. Stir occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant and has just barely started to brown.
    • Throw in the pinch of red pepper flakes and give it a stir.
    • Add the shrimp to the skillet, keeping the heat moderately low. Keep them all in one layer, don’t pile them up.
    • When they are barely pink on one side, flip them all over and let cook for maybe a minute. When they have all barely turned pink, remove from heat immediately and allow to finish cooking in the warm oil.
    • Once the oil has cooled a bit, make the dressing. Spoon off ¼ cup of olive oil from the shrimp into a bowl, making sure to grab a generous amount of the garlic slivers. Squeeze the juice from half the lemon into the bowl and mix thoroughly. Taste and add a pinch of kosher salt and more lemon juice if necessary.
    • Place chopped lettuce onto serving plates and drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle with feta, pumpkin seeds, and slivered peppers. Top with shrimp and drizzle with a bit more dressing. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.
    • Spoon more of the garlic olive oil from the shrimp into a bowl with crusty bread for dipping.

    Notes

    • You can make the shrimp up to two days ahead and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 
    • You can substitute piquillo peppers or roasted red peppers for the cherry peppers. 
     
    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my full disclosure policy here.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 407kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 294mg | Sodium: 1015mg | Potassium: 951mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 27620IU | Vitamin C: 24.8mg | Calcium: 334mg | Iron: 6.3mg
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    Hi, I'm Debra! I love to cook and eat and travel, and cook the things I eat when I travel! I'm a detail-oriented Virgo, so it's my jam to simplify recipes and break them down into easy to follow steps. I help you bring the world to your table!

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