This cool & creamy Cucumber Shrimp Salad is a protein-packed recipe. Plump juicy shrimp and crisp cucumbers in a creamy dill dressing is light & refreshing. This delicious chilled seafood salad is the best lunch or side dish for shrimp lovers.
This healthy cucumber salad with precooked shrimp is a summer favorite. It's served cold, requires no cooking, & keeps you & the house cool. Enjoy it for lunch, as a lettuce cup appetizer, as a sandwich filling, or as a side dish - the options are endless.
If you like ceviche, this recipe is for you. All the ingredients in this recipe are cup to bite-sized pieces. Like my recipe for Italian Chopped Salad, it is so easy to prepare & fun to eat. It has delightful flavors similar to my Creamy Lemon Dill Butter Chicken recipe, it's herby, citrusy, & bright.
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Cucumber Shrimp Salad Ingredients
The beauty of this seafood salad is the simplicity of the ingredients. The combination of flavors is amazing & it is all from easy-to-find ingredients. Nothing complicated here. All you need are a few ingredients & 15 minutes - so what are you waiting for?
Here is what you need to make cucumber salad with shrimp:
- Cucumber - peel & cut into chunks or leave the peel on if using English or Persian cucumbers.
- Shrimp - defrosted, pre-cooked, tail-off, & deveined medium-sized shrimp is cut into chunks.
- Sour Cream - for a tangy base to the dressing.
- Mayonnaise - just a touch for added creaminess & a bit of fat.
- Lemon Juice - freshly squeeze for the perfect citrus punch that goes so well with shellfish.
- Red Onion - diced small for crunchy sweet & pungent flavor.
- Chives - the fresh herb pairs well with the dill dressing & seafood.
- Dill - dried dill weed holds up best when whisking the dressing.
- Salt & Pepper - for the dressing & more to season to taste
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Creamy Cucumber Shrimp Salad
Make sure the precooked frozen shrimp is defrosted & drained. The best way to defrost packages of cooked shrimp is in the refrigerator overnight. It is then ready to go the next day.
Here are the easy steps for making cucumber shrimp salad:
- Prep & Chop the Ingredients
- Make the Creamy Dill Dressing
- Toss the Salad
1 - Prep & Chop the Ingredients
It only takes 15 minutes to cut and prep the ingredients & whisk together the dressing. Most of the time goes to peeling & chopping the vegetables.
Using a vegetable peeler, remove the cucumbers and cut them into large dice, as seen above.
Mince the onion & cut the shrimp into bite-sized pieces. Place all 3 ingredients into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
Also, wash & dry the fresh chives. Set them aside until it is time for topping the salad. The next step will be making the dressing.
2 - Make the Creamy Dill Dressing
This creamy dressing has a sour cream base with a little bit of mayonnaise. It gives it more tang plus keeps it low-fat & healthy. I like to use dried dill since it stands up well in a dressing versus fresh dill that wilts when soggy.
Here are the items needed for the homemade sour cream dill dressing.
Whisk all 6 ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
What I love about this dressing is there are no added sugars or additives. Just a simple savory dressing with real whole dairy ingredients, herbs, & spices.
3 - Toss the Salad
Once you make the dressing from scratch, it is time to toss together all the ingredients. After the cucumber, onion, & shrimp are coated with the dressing, season with additional salt & black pepper to taste.
Finally, sprinkle on the fresh minced chives. An additional squeeze of fresh lemon juice for a pop of tartness is so good over shrimp salad too!
Serve immediately in the large bowl buffet style. You can also divide it among 4 plates for a light meal or 6-8 plates for a side salad.
Make Ahead Tips
If you are not serving this right away, you can store the salad & dressing ingredients separately. It is also ok if you dress the salad and serve it later since the hearty ingredients stay crisp for hours (even days) & do not wilt.
Hint: Do not add fresh chives or season with additional salt & pepper until right before serving - the salt can draw moisture out of the cucumbers making it a bit watery. This will also keep the chives fresh.
Substitutions & Variations
Here are some great recipe variations & ingredient substitutions that can be made. Add, omit, or use one of these alternatives for other delicious recipe ideas for cucumber salad with shrimp. These may help you enjoy this recipe even with dietary, health, or personal nutritional preferences.
- Shrimp - instead of cutting medium shrimp, you can substitute with tiny bay shrimp which is often a cheaper option at the store.
- Dill - this is a key ingredient for flavor but you can use any alternative from the differences between dill, dill seed, or dill weed.
- Sour Cream - use a brand without dairy for a lactose-free or dairy-free version.
- Red Onion - if raw onion is not your friend, substitute with chopped green onion/scallions or simply use diced celery instead for crunch without the onion flavor which is kid-friendly too.
- Spicy - add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce to the dressing.
- Avocado - dice up a pitted & peeled avocado & gently stir in just before serving.
- French-Inspired - add 1 teaspoon dijon to the dressing & use a combination of fresh minced chives & tarragon for topping.
This recipe is already paleo, keto, low-carb, low-fat, & gluten-free. At under 250 calories a serving, this low-calorie recipe can be enjoyed often without any worries.
What to Serve with Cucumber Shrimp Salad
Here are some great serving ideas & recipes to pair with this recipe for a complete meal.
- Cream of Celery Soup - This recipe has hints of dill for a "dillicious" soup & salad pairing.
- Toaster Oven Grilled Cheese - beat the heat with this salad sandwich combination.
- Wagyu Burgers - gourmet BBQ pairing for the ultimate summer party.
- Lettuce - serve over leaves of romaine or iceberg lettuce for a green salad or as a shrimp lettuce cup appetizer.
- Stuffed Avocado or Tomato - serve cucumber shrimp salad on top or inside a hollowed-out avocado half or large beefsteak tomato.
Lobster roll fans, this recipe makes a great inexpensive substitute for the traditional lobster salad. Try it in my Poor Man's Lobster Roll Sandwich recipe & fall in love.
Equipment Needed
The right ingredients, supplies, & equipment help recipes taste amazing & turn out well. Here are recommendations for products that are needed for making this recipe. Shop this recipe & buy these top-rated items today.
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Storage
One of the awesome things about this salad is that it holds up well. No wilting or browning here. Cucumber salad with shrimp is a great make-ahead recipe. Pack it for picnics, camping, lunch at work, or potlucks.
Place it in an air-tight container with a lid & keep it cool in an ice chest to transport. Or store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. (if the cucumbers release a lot of juices, drain the extra liquid before serving)
I do not recommend freezing this salad to enjoy later or to save leftovers.
Top Tips
All of these great tips are shared in the post. But these are so important that they are worth mentioning again so you don't miss them.
- Defrosted pre-cooked frozen shrimp makes for a great shortcut for this fast 15-minute recipe.
- Use full-fat dairy so the dressing is thick, rich, & creamy.
- The dressing and salad can be kept separately for one of the best make-ahead recipes - simply combine when ready to serve later.
- Store for up to 4 days in an air-tight container.
- Keep chilled on ice for travel, picnics, or potlucks.
FAQ
Here are answers to some common questions. I hope you find what you need but if not, you are always welcome to send me a comment and I will get back to you.
If you have super juicy cucumbers, they will release a lot of liquid. Here are two tricks you can try -
1 - After chopping the cucumbers place them on paper towels to absorb some of the juices.
2 - Do not salt the salad until ready to serve. Salt draws moisture out of ingredients & could cause extra juices to release.
If you have raw shrimp instead of precooked frozen shrimp, use that as a substitute. Make sure not to overcook the shrimp & let it cool completely before adding to the salad. Make sure the shrimp is peeled, deveined, & the tails are removed.
Since the dressing has sour cream & mayo, it is best to not let this salad sit at room temperature for too long. If you are packing this salad to travel with, keep it on ice. When serving for parties & on a buffet, only let it sit out for less than an hour (based on the weather/temperature etc). Serve it chilled & cold for safety & best taste.
The count of shrimp in a pound will depend on the size of the shrimp. This recipe calls for medium shrimp, which is about 40-50 per pound. You can substitute other shrimp sizes but I would only recommend going smaller, not larger. The larger the shrimp the more expensive typically and in this salad you do not need to splurge. Large prawns are best with gourmet recipes such as pan-seared garlic shrimp.
Cucumber Shrimp Salad
Equipment
- Vegetable Peeler
- chef's knife & butting board
Ingredients
- 1 pound precooked medium shrimp, peeled & deveined defrosted & drained
- 2 cups cucumber peeled & cut into bite-sized chunks
- ½ cup red onion finely chopped
Creamy Dill Dressing Ingredients
- ½ cup full-fat sour cream
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon dried dill weed
- ¼ teaspoon salt additional for taste at the end
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper additional for taste at the end
- fresh chives for topping
Instructions
- Using a vegetable peeler, remove the cucumbers and cut them into large dice, as seen above.
- Mince the onion & cut the shrimp into bite-sized pieces.
- Place all 3 ingredients into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Set aside & begin making the dressing.
- In a small bowl add the 6 ingredients for the dressing: sour cream, mayo, lemon juice, dill weed, salt, & pepper. Use a whisk to combine until blended and creamy.
- Wash & dry the fresh chives and set them aside.
- Using a rubber spatula, scrape the dressing into the bowl with the salad ingredients. Gently fold the ingredients together to coat all of the cucumber, shrimp, & onions evenly with the dressing.
- Dice or chop the fresh chives & sprinkle them on top. Serve immediately. Either serve in the large mixing bowl with a spoon or divide onto individual plates or bowl
- This recipe makes 4 servings for a lunch meal. Or it can be served as a side salad for 6-8 people.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator in a container with a tight-fitting lid for up to 4 days.
Notes
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 4 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 240 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 10.5g | 13% |
| Saturated Fat 4.8g | 24% |
| Cholesterol 253mg | 84% |
| Sodium 494mg | 21% |
| Total Carbohydrate 8.2g | 3% |
| Dietary Fiber 0.7g | 2% |
| Total Sugars 2.1g | |
| Protein 27.4g | |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% |
| Calcium 153mg | 12% |
| Iron 1mg | 4% |
| Potassium 345mg | 7% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
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