Low-Carb Shrimp Salad Cabbage Cups

Low-Carb Shrimp Salad Cabbage Cups were inspired by the Denny family favorite Shrimp and Macaroni Salad, that I’m always asked to make for the family Super Bowl party! 

PIN Low-Carb Shrimp Salad Cabbage Cups to try them later!

In my family there’s no doubt that Family Favorite Shrimp and Macaroni Salad is the most-requested recipe for our annual Super Bowl Party menu! And that’s guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser if you’re not so concerned about carbs on Super Bowl Sunday. But a few years ago I came up with these Low-Carb Shrimp Salad Cabbage Cups that use all the tricks that make my Shrimp Salad such a winner, served in a low-carb cups made of cabbage. If you’re wondering about the cabbage, think about how cabbage with mayo dressing is so good on fish tacos, and you’ll see how it can work.

You can also serve these Shrimp Salad Cabbage Cups in lettuce cups if you prefer, or make Shrimp Cocktail Lettuce Cups if you’re more a fan of spicy cocktail sauce than mayo-based dressing on shrimp. And my love of lettuce wraps is pretty well-documented; you can find more recipes like this one in the round-up of Delicious Low-Carb and Keto Wraps with Lettuce, Collards, and Cabbage!

And since I first made and photographed these Shrimp Salad Cabbage Cups a few years ago when I had a broken arm, I think it’s safe to say that it’s a super-easy recipe, especially if you buy pre-cooked tail-off frozen shrimp and thaw them overnight in the fridge like I did! Hope you enjoy trying this one!

How to Make Low-Carb Shrimp Salad Cabbage Cups:

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

1. Thaw shrimp in the fridge overnight; then drain and catch the “juice.”
2. Simmer the collected shrimp “juice” until it’s reduced and the flavor is concentrated.
3. Pull the tails off the shrimp.  (I only had 3/4 pounds of shrimp, but I wished I’d had more so I’m making the recipe for one pound.)
4. I used Kitchen Shears (affiliate link) to cut the shrimp into small pieces.
5. Finely chop a cup of celery and slice about 1/2 cup green onion.
6. Mix the mayo, concentrated shrimp “juice”, lemon juice, and celery seed to make the dressing.
7. The hardest part of making this with a broken arm was cutting the core out of the cabbage. Use a small, very fresh head of cabbage for best flavor.
8. Carefully pull off whole cabbage leaves to make cups.
9. Mix the dressing with the shrimp, celery, and green onion, and fill each cabbage cup with a scoop of the mixture.  Yum!

More Low-Carb Shrimp to Enjoy!

Easy Garlic and Lemon Shrimp
Quick and Easy Spicy Broiled Shrimp
Shrimp Cocktail with Low Sugar Cocktail Sauce
Spicy Roasted Green Beans (or Broccoli) and Shrimp
Easy Low-Carb Shrimp Ceviche

More Tasty Recipes for Lettuce Wraps:

The BEST Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Lettuce Wraps ~ Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker
15+ Low-Carb and Keto Wraps with Lettuce, Collards, and Cabbage ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
The BEST Instant Pot Lettuce Wraps ~ Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker

Print

Shrimp Salad Cabbage Cups

Yield 8 cabbage cups

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Shrimp Salad Cabbage Cups are a great idea for a low-carb lunch or game-day food.

Ingredients

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. frozen cooked shrimp, thawed overnight in refrigerator (see notes)
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
• 1 small head green cabbage

Dressing Ingredients:

• 5 T mayo
• 1 T concentrated shrimp “juice”
• 1 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp. celery seed
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Thaw frozen shrimp in the refrigerator overnight or longer.
2. Drain the shrimp into a colander that’s placed over a bowl to catch the shrimp “juice.”
3. Put the juice into a small pan and cook over a low simmer until it’s reduced by at least half to concentrate the shrimp flavor.
4. While the shrimp liquid reduces, cut the shrimp into small pieces, chop the celery and thinly slice the green onion.
5. Use a sharp knife to cut the core out of the cabbage and carefully pull off whole cabbage leaves to make cups.
6. When the shrimp liquid has reduced, turn off heat and let it cool a few minutes.
7. Then whisk together the mayo, light mayo, shrimp “juice”, lemon juice, celery seed, salt, and pepper.
8. Put the shrimp, celery, and green onion into a bowl and combine with the dressing.  (You may not want all the dressing; use the amount you prefer.)
9. Fill cabbage cups with a generous scoop of the shrimp mixture and serve right away.
10. The shrimp mixture will keep in the fridge for a day or two if you don’t eat it all at one meal.

Notes

I used 26/30 size shrimp, but smaller ones would be fine too. Use mayo or light mayo, whichever fits your dietary preferences.

This recipe created by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 155Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 126mgSodium: 713mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 14g

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.

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Shrimp, celery, and cabbage are all great low-carb foods and also perfect for the South Beach Diet. Mayo is a limited food for South Beach, but as long as you use portion control, I would eat Shrimp Salad Cabbage Cups for any phase of the South Beach Diet and it’s also great for most other types of low-carb eating plans.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Appetizers to find more low-carb appetizers like this one. Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.