Peruvian-Inspired Shrimp Salad Sandwich Recipe

Shrimp salad is a refreshing summery dish that looks fancy enough to impress but won't keep you in the kitchen for long. There are many ways to make it, from mayonnaise-heavy versions that resemble tuna salad to lighter takes on the theme served on lettuce and topped with vinaigrette.

Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico has made a shrimp salad recipe that's flavorful and creamy while staying light. Bottalico drew inspiration from Peruvian ceviche. She says, "Ceviche is a popular dish in many cultures, and the Peruvian version includes raw shrimp, lime, red onion, garlic, cilantro, and a type of Peruvian chile pepper called ají limo. I've kept the principal ingredients for flavor, but the shrimp is cooked, and I subbed the easier to find jalapeño for the ají limo."

Peruvian ceviche is often topped with canchita, a kind of popcorn made from the large kernels of local corn called cancha chulpe, which is a popular snack food in Peru. "In order to keep corn in the recipe I've included sweet corn kernels even though they have a different texture, because canchita and cancha chulpe aren't available in all areas," Bottalico explained. The result is a delicious and bright shrimp salad that's bursting with flavor. It's perfect for summer parties, and your party prep will be easier because the dish is served chilled, so you can make it ahead and store it in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

For this recipe, you will need peeled cooked shrimp. Shrimp can be purchased already cooked, or you can opt to cook fresh or frozen shrimp yourself. The vegetables this recipe calls for are red onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapeño, and frozen corn. Make sure to defrost the corn before making this recipe. If you need to, you can substitute drained and rinsed canned corn instead. Grab some mayonnaise, lime juice, salt, and black pepper for more flavor. Finally, you'll need sandwich buns and lettuce for serving.

Place the shrimp in a large bowl.

Add the onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapeño, and corn and toss to mix.

Place the mayonnaise, lime juice, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl and whisk well to combine.

Pour the dressing over the shrimp mixture and carefully toss to coat the salad evenly.

Evenly divide the shrimp salad between two sandwich buns on top of lettuce leaves.

Serve immediately. Alternatively, you can refrigerate the shrimp salad for 2-3 days until ready to serve and assemble the sandwiches right before serving.

If you prefer not to buy pre-cooked shrimp, you can cook fresh or frozen raw shrimp yourself. Note that shrimp shrinks during cooking, so you'll need 8 ounces of raw shrimp to end up with the 6 ounces of cooked shrimp the recipe requires. If you're using frozen shrimp, make sure to defrost it first. You can do this by placing it in a sealed ziplock bag and submerging the bag in a bowl of cold water for 20-30 minutes. Peel the shrimp before cooking it, and if you've purchased peeled shrimp, remove the tails.

Fully cooked shrimp with a neutral flavor are ideal for shrimp salad, so the two cooking methods we recommend are boiling and baking, and they're both pretty quick. For the first method, just cook the shrimp in boiling water for 2 minutes until they turn pink and opaque, and then stop the cooking by placing the shrimp in a bowl of ice water. You can also cook the shrimp in an oven preheated to 400 F. Place the shrimp on a greased baking sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes. Let the shrimp cool before using them in the recipe.

No one likes overcooked, rubbery shrimp, so keep in mind some tips to recognize when shrimp is perfectly cooked. Shrimp is the same shade of pink whether perfectly tender or overdone, so use a meat thermometer and take the shrimp off the heat once it has reached an internal temperature of 165 F.

Shrimp salad piled on a soft bun as in this recipe is delicious, but it's far from the only way to serve it. For a simple yet elegant presentation, spoon servings of shrimp salad onto lettuce leaves arranged on individual plates. For small bites, scoop it onto crackers. We recommend either lining the crackers with curly lettuce or cutting the shrimp into smaller pieces to keep it from falling off. Serving the shrimp salad on small toasted pieces of bread turns it into shrimp bruschetta, which could be a welcome addition to a summer appetizer buffet.

Vegetable lovers can skip the bread entirely. An easy way to do this is to substitute thickly sliced cucumber for crackers. Otherwise, halve a few tomatoes and scoop out the flesh, being careful to leave a ¼- to ½-inch wall around the edges, and serve the shrimp salad inside. Peppers, avocados, and even cooked portobello mushroom caps can be prepared in a similar way to hold the salad.

To stick to the Latin American theme, this shrimp salad is perfect as a filling for arepas, a kind of South American flatbread that resembles a small, thick tortilla that's cut open lengthwise and stuffed. Finally, if you're undecided, we couldn't resist eating some of this tasty shrimp salad right off of the spoon, and we won't tell if you do the same.