Shrimp Louie

If you want to add some Mad Men-era retro chic to your summer meals, Shrimp Louie is a great way to do it. This mid-century classic is the younger sibling to Crab Louie, and given the typical price difference between shrimp and crab, it’s definitely friendlier to your budget.

The salad itself is simple and easy to assemble. It takes iceberg lettuce, a generous quantity of shrimp, and a handful of fresh vegetables. You’ll also need to make up your own Shrimp Louie dressing since it’s unavailable off-the-shelf (spoiler: this part is easy, too). It’s meant to be lunch or light dinner in its own right, but you can also serve smaller portions as a hearty starter.

Why is it called a “Shrimp Louie” salad?

There’s a lively regional debate over the origins of Crab (and Shrimp) Louie, or Louis. In Washington, it’s often attributed to Spokane hotel owner Louis Davenport. In California, it’s considered native to San Francisco, where it’s said to have been named in tribute to a popular chef named Louis Coutard after his death. Either way, early recipes in both cities predate the First World War.

Ingredients for Shrimp Louie

• Mayonnaise: Mayo is the base ingredient for the thick, old-school salad dressing.
• Ketchup: A splash of ketchup colors and flavors the sauce.
• Lemon juice: Lemon juice adds some “pucker power” to the dressing, and helps offset the richness of the mayonnaise and avocados.
• Dijon mustard: The mustard in the dressing adds pungency and a mild heat to the dressing.
• Worcestershire sauce: Worcestershire adds acidity, a peppery note and lots of savory umami to the salad and its dressing.
• Hot pepper sauce: It doesn’t take much, but a small dash of your favorite hot sauce livens and brightens the dressing.
• Shrimp: You can use small, medium, or large shrimp to top your Shrimp Louie salad, as long as they’re plentiful. In this instance we’re suggesting 41 to 60 medium-sized pieces, so you can use lots without breaking the bank.
• Seafood seasoning: The seasoning mix adds complementary flavors to the shrimp, so they can stand up to the assertive dressing.
• Lettuce: Romaine lettuce is a popular choice for shrimp Louie, and it’s usually what you’ll see in restaurants. Older recipes call for the now-unfashionable iceberg, which is a suitable substitute.
• Avocado: This is a west-coast salad, so the avocado is a must. It adds richness to complement the simplicity of the shrimp and vegetables, and it’s full of “good fats.”
• Grape or cherry tomatoes: Tomatoes add color and a pop of bright, fresh flavors to complement the other vegetables and contrast with the richness of the dressing and avocados.
• Eggs: Halved hard-boiled eggs are one of the classic garnishes for this salad. They help make it filling and add protein.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the dressing

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, ketchup, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire and hot pepper sauce to make the dressing for the salad. Set the dressing aside while you assemble the rest of the salad.

Editor’s tip: The dressing’s flavors develop more fully if it’s made at least an hour and up to a day or two, in advance. Refrigerating the dressing also helps it cling to the salad more effectively.

Step 2: Cook the shrimp

Place a large skillet over medium heat. Once it’s heated, add the oil and then the shrimp. Sprinkle the shrimp with the seafood seasoning, then cook and stir until the shrimp turn pink and are cooked through, approximately six to eight minutes.

Step 3: Assemble and Garnish the salad

To serve, arrange a large, attractive romaine leaf on each of four plates. Top the lettuce with the avocado, tomatoes, eggs and shrimp and serve the dressing on the side. Serve the salads immediately.

Shrimp Louie Variations

• Make Crab Louie: If you’re fortunate enough to get a good price on crab, substituting it for the shrimp (or better yet, using both) is a slam-dunk option. Keep the crab meat in the biggest pieces you can manage. In a pinch, you can use canned crab meat or even faux crab meat (aka “crab sticks” or “krab”). Purists may turn up their noses but go ahead and use it (the Purists can go home and make their own).
• “Family Style” Shrimp Louie: Our Shrimp Louie recipe is designed around individual servings. Alternatively you can serve it as a single large salad so diners can help themselves to as much or as little as they like (and the big salad makes an appealingly bountiful appearance). Lay the down the large outer leaves on a plate or platter as a base and then mound the platter with additional shredded lettuce. Top the lettuce with the avocado, tomatoes, eggs and shrimp, arranged attractively around the plate in mounds or lines. You may need additional dressing.
• Dial up the shrimp: You might opt to add flavor to the shrimp in several ways. Poach them with Old Bay or another seasoning mix of your choice. Try in a fish stock or make up a quick seasoned simmering liquid (court bouillon) as you would for a shrimp cocktail. You might also opt to grill the shrimp, saute or refrigerate them in a tasty marinade for 30 minutes before cooking them.
• Bling out the salad (and dressing) with optional extras: The ingredients we’ve listed here are the most universal but there are plenty of others you can add if you feel inclined. Cucumbers, poached asparagus and lemon wedges are all common additions to the salad. Anything you’d personally like alongside the other ingredients is fair game.

Can I prepare Shrimp Louie salad ahead of time?

Seafood and lettuce are pretty perishable items and avocados brown rapidly once they’re cut. So Shrimp Louie can’t be made very far ahead of time. If you dip the avocado pieces in diluted lemon juice to slow browning, you can make the salad up to a couple of hours in advance and keep it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve it. To speed the process further you can poach and cool the shrimp and make the dressing ahead of time. The dressing can be made two to three days in advance and the shrimp can be poached up to a day ahead of time (two days if they’re perfectly fresh or poached from frozen).

How should I store Shrimp Louie?

If you have leftover Shrimp Louie, it’s best to separate the ingredients for storage. Dip the avocado pieces in diluted lemon juice to slow browning and store them in an airtight wrapper or bag. The tomatoes and shrimp can go in separate containers with tight-fitting lids, leftover dressing in a sealed container, and any remaining lettuce can be kept in a loose-fitting bag or container. To serve, discard and replace any browned lettuce and then reassemble the salad in the same order. Leftovers should be eaten (or repurposed into another dish) within a day.

Shrimp Louie Tips

What do the numbers mean when you’re talking about shrimp sizes?

Shrimp are sold by the “count,” which indicates how many make a pound. In a 16 to 20 count, for example (colossal), each shrimp weighs about an ounce. We’ve suggested the large 26 to 30 count for this recipe because they’re big enough to be showy but you’ll still get plenty of shrimp for four people. Realistically you can use any size of shrimp, from the hand-sized 6 to 10 count or tiny salad shrimp at 71 to 90 count per pound. The goal is to make your salad look lavish. The only rule is to be generous.

Should I buy shell-on or shell-off shrimp?

That’s up to you. A lot of flavor lives in the shrimp shells and some of it makes its way into the shrimp as they poach. On the other hand, shelling them is extra work and you may not have the time or inclination to take it on. It’s a tradeoff of flavor and convenience. If it helps, shrimp shells can be simmered to make a flavorful shrimp stock that can be used to make shrimp bisque or elevate your shrimp and grits.

Can I use precooked shrimp?

You can definitely buy precooked shrimp instead of poaching them yourself. Poaching your own allows you to add flavor but you can get a similar effect by tossing cooked shrimp with a light marinade or your favorite spice mixture.

Can I use Thousand Islands instead of making Shrimp Louie dressing?

Thousand Islands is a common substitution so feel free to use it. That said, it only takes a moment to whisk the dressing ingredients together (and it can be made in advance) so it might pay off to make your own. Rolling your own also gives you the opportunity to make other tweaks, like substituting spicy ketchup or a simple chili sauce (Heinz, or something similar) for the regular ketchup, to liven the dressing further.