Greek Shrimp Salad | Simple 15 Minute Recipe

My Greek shrimp salad recipe combines simple ingredients to create a flavorful dish that can be served as an appetizer or main meal!

This Greek shrimp salad can be on the table in about 15 minutes! Serve it with homemade bread and good-quality olive oil as an appetizer or main dish. I’ll give you some ideas below!

My grandma Abruzzi was Sicilian, and I spent countless hours with her in the kitchen. Her food was simple and flavorful, and she always let the ingredients shine. She didn’t overcomplicate her food, and this simple salad is one she made over and over, and so do I. I adore Greek flavors, similar to the Italian flavors I grew up eating. Good quality olive oil, garlic, red wine vinegar, and oregano make for a simple and flavorful dressing that lets the flavor of the shrimp shine. Sometimes, I sprinkle on feta for an extra pop of flavor!

I love it when something that seems like a treat is incredibly healthy for you. Shrimp is low in calories and loaded with protein. Garlic and olive oil are antioxidant powerhouses that help reduce inflammation and boost your immune system. Olive oil is well known for being a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are the healthy fats you want!

This Greek shrimp salad comes together in about 15 minutes thanks to using pre-cooked shrimp. As we move into 2025, I will be leaning into easy recipes and taking help from the store. There’s a stigma around using pre-cooked and pre-chopped ingredients, and I want to normalize making things easier in the kitchen. Could I poach shrimp? Sure, I could. It takes less than 15 minutes. But sometimes, I don’t want to. Do you feel me?

Greek Shrimp Salad

Why We Love It

• Impressive. This is one of those appetizers that will always impress your guests!
• Delicious. Italian grandmothers knew how to do it best, and this salad is simple and delicious.
• Healthy. Shrimp is high in protein. Olive oil and garlic are full of heart-healthy fats and antioxidants.
• Light and fresh! We eat this all year, but it’s perfect for summer, especially if you allow it to chill.
• High protein. Chicken seems to be the star of the show in high-protein diets, but shrimp is a protein powerhouse. A 3-ounce serving delivers 18 grams!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Shrimp. I use cooked shrimp to keep the salad simple. To ensure you get the freshest shrimp, I suggest buying from a local market or a supermarket with a good seafood department. I almost always get mine from Whole Foods. They are always fresh and perfectly cooked.
• Olive oil. Quality ingredients matter in this Greek shrimp salad. I don’t recommend the three-dollar bottle of olive oil from your supermarket for this recipe. The olive oil is the bulk of the dressing, and you will most definitely taste it. You also don’t need the most expensive olive oil. Cobram Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil is delicious and one of my favorites!
• Red wine vinegar. We call this table vinegar in our house, as did my grandmother. It’s my vinegar of choice and the one that works best in this recipe. 
• Lemon. I like combining my acids for a more well-rounded flavor. Lemon and vinegar give the dressing the needed acidity while cutting through the richness of the olive oil. Fresh lemon juice is always best, but bottled lemon juice is fine.
• Garlic. You’ll want to use fresh garlic for this, not garlic powder. It gives the best flavor. Letting the garlic sit with the vinegar and lemon for a few minutes helps to mellow out that sharp garlic flavor. I love my small garlic grater for quick and easy mincing!
• Parsley. You’ll need a lot of Italian parsley. It’s a main component of the salad and adds a fresh, herbaceous flavor that helps balance the other flavors.
• Seasonings. Salt, oregano, smoked paprika, and crushed red pepper for heat. If you’re sensitive to heat, leave out the crushed red pepper.

How to Make Greek Shrimp Salad

1. Add olive oil, vinegar, lemon, garlic, and seasonings to a medium-sized bowl.
2. Stir the dressing to combine all of the ingredients and set it aside. Letting it sit while you prepare the shrimp allows the flavors to come together and the acids to help mellow out the garlic.
3. Prep the shrimp. You can leave the shrimp whole for a more impressive presentation or chop it up like I did. I prefer it chopped up because the dressing soaks into the meat of the shrimp. I also like a rough chop, meaning I don’t try to be too perfect, as you can see in the pictures.
4. Add the shrimp to the dressing and gently toss with a spatula to coat thoroughly.
5. Taste and adjust the salt. The recipe is written exactly how I make it every single time, and the salt is perfect. However, remember that not all salt is created equal. Sea salt, which I use in almost all of my recipes, is saltier than kosher salt.
6. I usually serve this immediately, but it’s also delicious chilled. If you prefer it that way, cover the bowl and refrigerate it for 30 to 60 minutes. Before you serve it, stir it one more time, taste and adjust the salt, and transfer it to your serving dish.

Helpful Tips

• Salt brings out flavor. However, not all salt is created equal. Redmond Real Sea Salt, which I use in almost all of my recipes, is saltier than kosher salt. I always recommend starting with less salt (in ANY recipe) and adding more. You can always add more but can’t remove it once you’ve added too much.
• Keep a bag of good-quality frozen shrimp in your freezer when you need an easy appetizer to impress your guests. Frozen shrimp thaw out very quickly. Typically, they come in a bag. Place the whole bag in a big bowl of warm water. Flip the bag around and replace the water every five minutes or so until they are thawed. Then, transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess moisture.
• You can make this in advance, but I suggest adding the parsley just before serving. Otherwise, it will lose its freshness. 

Used In This Recipe
Extra Virgin Olive Oil	Organic Red Wine Vinegar	Smoked Paprika

Variations and Ingredient Substitutions

• I like to use large shrimp, but you can use shrimp of any size. Leaving smaller shrimp whole makes a nice presentation.
• I love the salad’s simplicity, but I’ve also added olives, capers, and various thinly sliced red onions, which can stretch it a bit if you’re serving a crowd.
• Thinly sliced celery, bell pepper, or fresh fennel are other things you could add to stretch the salad and add some texture.
• If you love fresh dill, it would be delicious in the salad. My grandmother never added it, so I don’t!

Serving Suggestions

• My Greek shrimp salad is the perfect light dinner. You can serve it as a filling for lettuce cups or over fresh greens. The extra dressing will be at the bottom of the bowl, which you can drizzle over the top.
• I love using this in salads and rice bowls. Add some shrimp to a bowl with cooked rice, and whatever fresh or cooked veggies you like. If you need more dressing, use the same ingredients to make more.
• If you love a good shrimp sandwich, spoon the salad into toasted brioche rolls. The dressing soaks into the rolls, and toasting them adds texture. It’s so good! You could add some tender greens to the sandwich for color and crunch.
• For an easy shrimp pasta salad, make some extra dressing, toss the entire salad with your favorite cooked pasta, the dressing, and extra parsley, and enjoy!

How To Store

• You can keep this Greek shrimp salad in the refrigerator for up to three days. The flavors improve as they sit, but I wouldn’t let it go any longer. For the best texture, I prefer to eat it within two days.

How To Make This More Budget-Friendly

• Although the ingredients are simple, this salad can be pricey if you don’t shop sales. I like to buy my shrimp at Whole Foods and I snagged the shrimp for this salad when it was on sale for $12.99 per pound. My favorite olive oil was recently buy-one-get-one-free at Sprouts, so I grabbed two bottles. Stocking up on products you know you’ll need again when they’re on sale will save you money!

If you’ve tried my Greek Shrimp Salad recipe or any recipe on my site, please leave a comment below!

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Greek Shrimp Salad Recipe

Greek shrimp salad combines simple ingredients to create a flavorful dish that can be served as an appetizer or main meal!

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Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 15 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Calories: 325kcal

Equipment

• Smoked Spanish Paprika
• Organic Red Wine Vinegar
• Cobram Estate Olive Oil
• Mini Ginger & Garlic Grater
• Mini Silicone Spatulas
• REDMOND Real Sea Salt

Ingredients

• 1 pound large, cooked shrimp
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 large garlic clove, grated
• 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley, loosely packed
• 3/4 teaspoon Redmond sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Instructions

• Add the olive oil, vinegar, lemon, garlic, seasonings, and parsley to a bowl.
• Using a whisk, stir well to combine the ingredients.
• Add the seasonings and mix again. Set the dressing aside.
• To prep the shrimp, remove the tails, roughly chop them.
• Add the shrimp to the dressing.
• Stir well with a spatula to coat the shrimp with the dressing.
• Taste and adjust the salt.
• Serve immediately or allow it to chill for an hour.

Notes

• I like to mix the dressing before chopping the shrimp. It allows the flavors to come together and the acid to mellow out the garlic.
• When chopping the shrimp, I don't try to do it perfectly. I like the different shapes and sizes because they absorb the dressing better.
• Also, think about how you're gonna serve it. If you're serving this with crackers, it will be easier To eat if you chop them small. You can leave the pieces a little bigger if serving this as a salad or side dish. A more dramatic presentation is to leave the shrimp whole, but I like the dressing to soak into all the nooks and crannies of the chopped shrimp.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Greek Shrimp Salad Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 325 Calories from Fat 252

% Daily Value*

Fat 28g43%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Cholesterol 143mg48%

Sodium 1086mg47%

Carbohydrates 2g1%

Fiber 0.4g2%

Protein 16g32%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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