Caesar Shrimp Salad
February 28, 2020 by Nicole Collins
Change is a good thing.
That’s a mantra that I have not always been able to accept.
I used to be a change hater. Like, when I was first getting started in my professional career in my previous job, my boss told me he was transferring me to another location (which was for my own benefit and ended up being a catalyst to furthering my career); but I cried like a baby with a capital B-A-B-Y for days at the thought of making that move.
I’ve always struggled with some OCD issues, and small changes such as the movement of an item on a table can send me into an anxious frenzy.
But as I’ve gotten older and worked REALLY hard to accept that change is not a punishment, I’ve certainly warmed up to the idea of plans changing. I’m still a creature of habit in many ways, and there are still a lot of changes that make me super uncomfortable. But, I’m much more open to accepting that things don’t always need to be the way they are.
And, that brings me to today’s recipe. What we’re making today is a completely changed version of the vision I originally had for this meal. And, I think it came out even better than my original plan.
So today, we’re making Caesar Shrimp Salad!
This recipe started as Shrimp Caesar Salad. Then, it became Shrimp Caesar Salad Wraps. Then, flip flopping one word with another changed it into something totally different, and that’s where we’ve landed today.
As a Maryland girl, I’ve eaten shrimp salad my whole life. Mayo, celery, shrimp, and Old Bay. That’s all you need to whip up a delicious sammie filling, cracker spread, or spoonful of midnight snack. So, my brain has honestly had a little bit of a hard time accepting that I’m eating shrimp salad that tastes like something completely different than I’m used to. And, I kinda love that!
To start our shrimp salad, we need to make our Caesar base. We’re going to make a mock Caesar dressing using a mix of mayo and Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and lots of freshly shredded parmesan cheese. Caesar dressing traditionally calls for anchovies or anchovy paste; but I didn’t have any, so I left it out. To me, I think this still tastes perfectly delicious without it since we’re not actually using this mix as a salad dressing.
After we have our salad base made, we’re going to throw in some chopped shrimp that’s been roasted in salt, pepper, and garlic powder. The seasoned shrimp helps to season our whole shrimp salad, so we actually don’t need to add in much more salt or pepper after we mix this all together.
The finished product is a creamy, garlicky, flavor bomb shrimp salad that’s just screaming to be thrown in a wrap or topped on a cracker. And overall, this shrimp salad is fairly healthy. Cutting some of the fatty mayo with protein rich Greek yogurt helps save us some calories while keeping us satisfied and full. Plus, that means we can have more cheese!
Since this whole idea started as a wrap, I like to eat this shrimp salad with some lettuce in a whole wheat wrap. But, it’s also super yum scooped up on some crackers or great plopped in a big ol’ salad bowl full of romaine. Don’t you love it when we have options?
Alright everyone, that’s a wrap for today! (← an oldie but goodie joke)
Til next time, let’s eat!
Caesar Shrimp Salad
Serves: 4 Print
Ingredients:
1 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined, and thawed, if frozen
½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
¼ tsp pepper, plus more to taste
¼ tsp + ¼ tsp garlic powder, divided
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp nonfat plain greek yogurt
¼ tsp worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp dijon mustard
½ tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp freshly grated parmesan
olive oil cooking spray
crackers, whole wheat wraps, and lettuce, to serve (if desired)
Directions:
Roast the Shrimp: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Add the shrimp, and spritz the shrimp with olive oil cooking spray. Top with ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, and ¼ tsp garlic powder. Use your hands to mix everything together. Arrange shrimp in a single layer on the baking tray, and roast for 8-10 mins until opaque and cooked through. When cool enough to touch, chop shrimp, and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, add mayonnaise, greek yogurt, ¼ tsp garlic powder, worcestershire, dijon, lemon, and parmesan cheese. Whisk well to combine. Add in chopped shrimp, and mix well to coat the shrimp. Taste for seasoning, and add an additional pinch of salt and pepper, if necessary. Place in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours. Serve!
Recipe notes:
*My favorite way to eat this is in a whole wheat Flatout style wrap (Aldi brand) with a little lettuce. I also like to eat this with some wheat thin crackers.
*Freshly grated parmesan is much softer and not as salty as the grated stuff you get in a can at the store. Make sure you're grating or thinly shredding the cheese from a wedge yourself for this recipe.
*Traditional caesar dressing has anchovies in it, but we're skipping those in this recipe. We don't really miss the extra salty umami flavor that they add thanks to the roasted shrimp.
