If you love seafood or are on a pescatarian keto diet, this keto shrimp salad is perfect as a filling lunch or dinner.
Fresh, fragrant, and creamy! These are the best words to describe this keto-friendly shrimp salad. When you want a meal that doesn’t involve complicated steps or a long prep/cooking time, I believe this recipe is just the right choice.
I have a confession to make. It wasn’t my original plan to prep this keto shrimp salad — it was supposed to be baked shrimp with garlic lemon butter sauce!
As I was about to take out the shrimps from the fridge, the thought of putting together a seafood salad crossed my mind. (If you know me, you’d understand my love for salads.)
I’ve taken a liking to salads since I went on keto in 2019. The very first one I made was a combination of ham, eggs, bacon, cheese, lettuce, grapes, and raisins. Back then, I had no idea that grapes and raisins would easily put me over my carb limit!
So instead of making just the baked shrimps, I realized, why not throw in some romaine lettuce, chopped onions, and salad dressing? That was one of the best decisions I made because I’ve discovered this delicious, creamy keto shrimp salad which I’m really proud to share with you.
This keto shrimp salad serves 2 people and has 6.2 g net carbs per serving. If your goal is to reach or maintain ketosis and experience its benefits for your health, this meat-free salad has just the right macros.
How to Make Keto Shrimp Salad
Using only a few ingredients, this salad will make you love the keto diet even more. Let’s get right into the preparation process!
The first thing you need to do is to wash, dry, and cut romaine lettuce. Place them in a salad bowl. Dice an onion into small pieces and set those aside.
Now, it’s time to bake the shrimps.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, in a baking dish, arrange the shrimps (peeled). Season them with salt and ground pepper. Pour butter mixture on them. The butter mixture is a combination of melted butter, minced garlic, and fresh lemon juice.
Bake the shrimps for about 10 to 12 minutes. When they’ve turned reddish-orange in color, sprinkle them with chopped parsley. Then mix them with the lettuce and chopped onions.
The salad dressing is super easy as well. Simply combine mayonnaise, mustard, grated parmesan cheese, minced garlic, lemon juice, and pepper. Three of those ingredients were also used for the baked shrimps.
While I served this keto shrimp salad with the whole shrimps, Charles told me that next time, he’d want them chopped. Chopping the cooked shrimps into smaller pieces would distribute their sweet, seafood flavor throughout the salad, making it even more delicious!
Here’s the final outcome of our keto-friendly shrimp salad:
Quick hack: Make this salad sweeter by choosing sweet-tasting mayonnaise! But beware: It may contain more carbs.
For the complete ingredients list:
- Romaine lettuce – Lettuce is a low-carb vegetable that’s suitable for the keto diet. It’s a source of fiber as well as vitamins A, C, and B6.
- Shrimps – Shrimps are not just keto-friendly, but they also contain astaxanthin, a powerful antioxidant that fights inflammation. This salad recipe requires you to peel the shells off and coat them with butter sauce for flavor.
- Garlic – One clove of garlic is needed for the butter sauce and another one for the salad dressing. I recommend using fresh garlic for a bolder aroma and better taste.
- Onion – This keto shrimp salad benefits from onion slices just like most salads do. You’ll only need a piece to give it a kick while avoiding overwhelming it with its flavor.
- Butter – Whenever a recipe calls for butter, I always prefer salted butter to enhance the flavor of the meat. If you can opt for grass-fed butter, that would be great since it has a higher healthy fat profile.
- Lemon juice – You’ll need a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice for the butter mixture and another tablespoon for the dressing. Personally, I find that lemons add freshness and sharpness to a recipe that’s just so delightful!
- Parsley – Because of its delicate nature, parsley is best added after baking the shrimps. This is also to keep its flavor.
- Mayonnaise – Make sure to choose keto-friendly mayo that’s carb-free and sugar-free. I’ve tried sweet mayos in the past and although they make salad dressings more delicious, they can easily increase your carb intake.
- Mustard – This yellow condiment adds bite to your salad dressing and pairs well with mayonnaise. The combination of these classic condiments can make any meal even more exciting.
- Parmesan Cheese – Add some creaminess to your salad dressing with parmesan cheese. Parmesan cheese is also a source of fats, sodium, potassium, and calcium.
- Salt and pepper – Salt and pepper are used for seasoning the shrimps prior to baking them. Add a bit of pepper to the dressing as well.
Let’s put the dressing on our salad!
Keto Shrimp Salad FAQs
1. What goes with keto shrimp salad? Good side dishes include keto cloud bread, sautéed mushrooms, and roasted brussels sprouts. For your beverage, you can have keto lemonade or strawberry smoothie.
2. What types of lettuce can I use for this salad? Romaine, iceberg, butterhead, or leaf lettuce. You can use whatever is available or what you like best.
3. How long does this keto shrimp salad last in the refrigerator? It should be able to last up to 3 days if properly kept in an airtight container.
4. What else can I add to this keto shrimp salad? Find your keto shrimp salad too plain? You can add more ingredients such as fresh dill, chopped celery, and cucumbers! For the dressing, feel free to add a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce for a more savory taste.
5. How do I tell that the shrimps are fully cooked? Cooked shrimps should be reddish-orange in color and their flesh should be slightly opaque. Be sure to bake the peeled shrimps for at least 10 minutes.
Creamy Keto Shrimp Salad
- 255 grams romaine lettuce
- 25 grams raw shrimp (peeled)
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 medium-sized onion (minced)
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp mustard
- 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Wash and cut romaine lettuce. Place in a salad bowl.
- Chop a medium-seized onion and set aside.
- Prepare a mixture of melted butter, minced garlic, lemon juice.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Arrange raw shrimps on a baking dish and season them with salt and pepper.
- Pour the butter mixture over the shrimps.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Take out of the oven and sprinkle chopped parsley over the shrimps.
- Mix the shrimps with the lettuce and onions.
- Prepare your salad dressing by mixing mayo, mustard, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and minced garlic in a small bowl.
- Your shrimp salad + dressing is now ready to be served.
- Calories: 199
- Total carbohydrates: 7.9g
- Dietary fiber: 1.7g
- Total sugars: 3g
- Total fat: 17.7g
- Protein: 3.8g
- Sodium: 220mg
