Tarragon Shrimp Salad (Video)

Tarragon Shrimp Salad uses fresh French Tarragon to bump up the flavor, and the salad also has celery, green onion, and celery seed.  And if you’re lucky enough to have tarragon growing in your herb garden, this may become one of your favorite summer salads!

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In this Tarragon Shrimp Salad the fresh tarragon really brings out the other flavors, and this is a perfect salad for a warm-weather day. This salad is reminiscent of the Shrimp and Macaroni Salad that I so often made for my dad, and I don’t think there’s any doubt that dad would have loved this salad as well.

One technique that makes my Shrimp and Macaroni Salad such a favorite in the Denny family is the trick of catching the shrimp “juice” from the frozen shrimp, then reducing it by boiling and using that to add some concentrated shrimp flavor to the dressing for the salad. I used that trick for this salad too.

But the idea for a shrimp salad with tarragon came from a recipe for Shrimp Salad Rolls with Tarragon and Chives that showed up in my e-mail as a daily recipe from Fine Cooking. And this salad doesn’t have any macaroni or other high-carb ingredients, so this one is definitely a low-carb treat!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe:

• frozen cooked shrimp (I used 50-70 count shrimp)
• celery
• green onions
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• mayo
• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice
• reduced shrimp “juice” (see notes)
• fresh chopped French Tarragon
• Celery Seed (affiliate link)

What is French Tarragon?

I had probably been growing herbs for at least 15 years before I discovered French Tarragon, but now I just can’t imagine my herb garden without this distinctive and interesting flavor.  Tarragon has a flavor that’s similar to fresh basil, but it’s more licorice flavored and slightly less spicy. It’s the herb that gives the distinctive flavor to Béarnaise sauce if you’ve ever had that in a French restaurant, and French Tarragon goes well with chicken, fish, and eggs.

What other herb can you use if you don’t have French Tarragon?

If you don’t have French Tarragon I recommend substituting chopped fresh basil, but please don’t try making this with dried tarragon, which really doesn’t taste much like fresh tarragon at all.

Want more recipes using Tarragon?

If you’re a fan of the fresh tarragon flavor, check out all my recipes using tarragon in my post on Cooking with Fresh Tarragon!

How to make Tarragon Shrimp Salad:

(Scroll down for complete printable recipe with nutritional information.)

1. I made this with cooked frozen shrimp, and because I wanted some of the shrimp “juice” to add to the dressing I drained the thawed shrimp into a colander with something underneath to catch the juice.
2. Then put the shrimp juice into a small saucepan and boil until it’s reduced to 1 or 2 tablespoons.
3. Cut the shrimp into bite-sized pieces.
4. Cut the celery and the green onions into diagonal slices.
5. I chopped up two teaspoons of tarragon, took this photo, and then I ended up chopping another teaspoon after I tasted the dressing.  (If you’re not sure how much you like tarragon, I’d use the smaller amount.)
6. Whisk together the mayo, lemon juice, reduced shrimp juice, chopped tarragon, and celery seed to make the flavorful dressing.
7. Toss all the ingredients together, stir in the dressing and mix to combine.  This is best when chilled for at least a couple of hours before serving.

More Tasty Recipes with Shrimp:

• Shrimp Cucumber Salad
• Cauliflower Fried Rice with Shrimp
• Roasted Tomatoes and Shrimp with Feta
• Spicy Green Beans and Shrimp Sheet Pan Meal
• Shrimp and Avocado Salad

Continue to Content

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Yield: 6 servings

Tarragon Shrimp Salad

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

French Tarragon from the garden perks up the flavors in this tasty Tarragon Shrimp Salad.

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 lb. frozen cooked shrimp (I used 50-70 count shrimp)
• 1 cup diagonally sliced celery (or more)
• 1/4 cup diagonally sliced green onions
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup mayo
• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 T reduced shrimp juice
• 1 T finely chopped tarragon (or less if you’re not sure how much you like tarragon)
• 1/2 tsp. celery seed

Instructions

1. Thaw shrimp (overnight in the refrigerator or in the bag in cold water) and then drain into a colander placed over a large bowl or measuring cup to catch the shrimp “juice.”
2. Put the juice into a small saucepan and boil until it’s reduced to 1-2 tablespoons.  (I usually taste to see how strong it is to decide when it’s reduced enough.)
3. Let the shrimp juice cool for a few minutes before you add it to the dressing.
4. Cut shrimp into bite-sized pieces and place in salad bowl that has a snap-tight lid.
5. Diagonally slice enough celery to make 1 cup celery slices.
6. Diagonally slice enough green onion to make 1/4 cup sliced green onion.
7. When shrimp juice has cooled, whisk together the mayo, lemon juice, shrimp juice, chopped tarragon, and celery seed to make the dressing.
8. Toss salad ingredients together, then add dressing and stir to coat all the ingredients with dressing.
9. Put lid on the salad bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours before serving.
10. When salad has chilled, season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper and serve.
11. This kept well in the refrigerator for several days.

Notes

This recipe adapted from Shrimp Salad with Tarragon and Chives from Fine Cooking.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 205Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 168mgSodium: 952mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 18g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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South Beach Diet / Low-Carb Diet Suggestions:
This Tarragon Shrimp Salad is good choice for low-carb or Keto eating plans. It can work for any phase of the original South Beach Diet, but mayonnaise is a limited ingredient, so if you use full-fat mayo for the salad you should limit portion size, especially for phase one.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
Tarragon Shrimp Salad was posted in 2011. It was last updated with more information in 2022.

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