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    Home » Recipes » Salads

    Classic Bay Shrimp Louie

    July 20, 2022 • Updated: July 20, 2022 • by Renée • This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe
    Shrimp Louie assembled on a plate, with dressing on top, and more on the side in a small service cup. Pin overlay reads: Bay Shrimp Louie with Spicy Louie Dressing

    Bay Shrimp Louie is a classic West Coast salad, made of fresh bay shrimp, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and hard-boiled eggs on a bed of crisp lettuce. Topped with a spicy signature dressing, Shrimp Louie is a light, refreshing main dish salad especially well-suited for hot weather.

    Jump to:
    • Why You Will Love this Salad
    • What Goes into this Recipe
    • How to Make a Classic Shrimp Louie
    • FAQs & Expert Tips
    • More Shrimp Recipes
    • Classic Bay Shrimp Louie

    Why You Will Love this Salad

    Mr B and I are both big shrimp lovers! Many of our favorite recipes include this tasty little crustaceans; everything from Kahuku Garlic Shrimp to Creamy Seafood Enchiladas. This Shrimp Louie recipe rises to the top of our list on hot summer days, when the idea of turning on the oven is out of the question.

    Shrimp Louie is a refreshing, satisfying meal in itself; packed fresh vegetables and light, bright flavors. The savory, slightly spicy Louie dressing really sets this salad apart, too. While you can use Thousand Island or Classic Russian dressing on it, the creamy, spicy, tangy flavor of the signature Louie dressing highlights the shrimp and other ingredients perfectly. (It’s also great for dipping veggies and fries!)

    What Goes into this Recipe

    Shrimp Louie salad ingredients, labeled: tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, hard-boiled eggs, green onion, avocado, and lemon.

    Salad Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

    ★ Lettuce: We like a mixture of romaine and iceberg lettuce, but any mixture of crisp lettuces will work.

    ★ Shrimp: We recommend using bay shrimp (i.e., baby shrimp) for this salad. Bay shrimp are small, mild tasting shrimp that are harvested from estuaries along the Western coast of North America.

    Substitutions: Frozen cooked shrimp of any size will work, but the smaller shrimp are a classic mainstay. You can also use lump crab or imitation crab in place of the shrimp. (If you add crab, it's a Crab Louie!)

    ★ Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes are our choice for this salad, for their intense, sweet flavors.

    Substitutions: Use regular tomatoes, cut in wedges or cubes.

    ★ Cucumbers: Thinly sliced English cucumbers are our first choice. They are slightly sweeter and have smaller seeds than regular cucumbers, and they do not need to be peeled.

    ★ Green onions: Thinly slice the green onions for the salad.

    Substitutions: Thinly sliced red, shallots, or sweet onion can be used.

    ★ Avocado: Avocado brings a rich creaminess to the salad, and complements the shrimp so well!

    Substitutions: There is really no good substitution for avocado, but if you don't have one, just leave them out.

    ★ Hard-boiled eggs: Hard-boil the eggs ahead of time and chill them in the fridge. You can make the eggs up to 5 days ahead of time.

    Spicy Louie Dressing ingredients, labeled: ketchup, mayo, garlic, horseradish, sugar, Worcestershire, pickle juice.

    Dressing Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

    ★ Mayonnaise: We recommend using full-fat mayo for the dressing.

    ★ Ketchup: Any ketchup will work, but we always use Portland Ketchup for its rich depth of flavor.

    Substitutions: You can sub in chili sauce for the ketchup. If you use chili sauce instead, we recommend using Heinz brand for the best results. In this case, omit the dried red pepper flakes.

    ★ Sweet pickle juice: We use juice from our own bread-n-butter pickles! You can use the juice from any jarred sweet or bread and butter pickles.

    Substitutions: You can sub in cider vinegar for the pickle juice if you need to.

    ★ Creamy horseradish: The addition of a little bit of horseradish gives the dressing a nice kick, and is one of the primary keys to Louie dressing's classic flavor.

    ★ Sugar: Louie dressing is traditionally more savory and less sweet than Thousand Island dressing; however, we prefer to add a little sugar to the dressing. This is a personal choice according to your tastes; if you want to leave it out, the dressing will still be delicious.

    How to Make a Classic Shrimp Louie

    Combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, lemon juice, sweet pickle juice, Worcestershire, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

    Add sugar, salt, and pepper to taste. Chill until ready to use.

    The dressing will thicken over time, and can be made up to a week ahead of time.

    Bowl of Louie dressing, mixed, with a small whisk still in it.

    Run the shrimp under cold water in a colander and drain them thoroughly.

    Lay out bed of lettuce, and arrange the shrimp, tomato halves, sliced avocado and cucumber, hard-boiled egg wedges, and green onions on top.

    Shrimp Louie assembled on plate, with dressing on the side.

    Drizzle the prepared Louie Dressing over the top and serve immediately, with lemon wedges and extra dressing on the side.

    FAQs & Expert Tips

    Can you make Shrimp Louie ahead of time?

    You can prep most of the components ahead of time:

    The eggs can be hard-boiled up to 5 days ahead, and the dressing can be made as far as a week in advance. On the day you plan to serve it, slice the cucumber and green onions, chilling them if you aren't assembling the salad right away.

    Prepping it this way, all you need to do at the last minute is cut up the eggs and slice the avocado. That way, you can have the salad fully assembled and ready to serve in less than 10 minutes!

    Shrimp Louie assembled on a plate, with dressed, and more dressing on the side in a small service cup.

    More Shrimp Recipes

    • Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp (Kahuku Truck-style)
    • Spicy Thai Shrimp Salad (Applebee's Copycat Recipe)
    • Creamy Seafood Enchiladas
    • Sweet Potato Pad Thai with Shrimp

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    Classic Bay Shrimp Louie

    Bay Shrimp Louie is a classic West Coast salad, made of fresh bay shrimp, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and hard-boiled eggs on a bed of crisp lettuce. Topped with a spicy signature dressing, Shrimp Louie is a light, refreshing main dish salad especially well-suited for hot weather.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Course: Lunch, Main, Salad
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose
    Prep Time:15 minutes
    Hard-boiled eggs:15 minutes
    Total Time:30 minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 515kcal
    Author: Renee

    Equipment

    • 1 Whisk
    • 1 small mixing bowl
    • 1 serving bowl

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Metric
    Spicy Louie Dressing
    • 1 cup mayonnaise
    • ⅓ cup ketchup
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 2 teaspoons sweet pickle juice
    • 2 teaspoons sugar optional
    • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 teaspoon creamy horseradish
    • 1 clove garlic minced
    • ¼ - ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes more or less, according to your tastes
    • salt & pepper to taste
    Salad Ingredients
    • 2 heads hearts of romaine lettuce coarsely chopped
    • ½ head iceberg lettuce coarsely chopped
    • 1 pound bay shrimp
    • 1 pound cherry tomatoes halved
    • 1 large avocado or 2 small; sliced or chopped
    • 1 large English cucumber thinly sliced
    • 4 large eggs hardboiled and cut into wedges
    • 2 whole green onions thinly sliced

    Instructions

    • Combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, lemon juice, sweet pickle juice, Worcestershire, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
      Add sugar, salt, and pepper to taste. Chill until ready to use.
      The dressing will thicken over time, and can be made up to a week ahead of time.
    • Run the shrimp under cold water in a colander and drain them thoroughly.
      Lay out bed of lettuce, and arrange the shrimp, tomato halves, sliced avocado and cucumber, hard-boiled egg wedges, and green onions on top.
    • Drizzle the prepared Louie Dressing over the top and serve immediately, with lemon wedges and extra dressing on the side.

    Notes

    Shrimp Louie can be assembled on individual plates, or on a larger serving platter. 
    For the freshest flavor and presentation, Shrimp Louie should be assembled just before serving.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 515kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 15g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 341mg | Sodium: 1100mg | Potassium: 1345mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 15273IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 192mg | Iron: 4mg
    This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
    Have you tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

    Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details.

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    About Renée

    Renée is writer, music maker, artist, and storyteller. In her spare time, you can find her writing love songs about cowboys, exploring the moss-covered nooks and crannies of the Pacific Northwest, and making music with her talented singer-husband.

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