The BEST Keto Buffalo Shrimp Salad Recipe

This is by far the absolute BEST Keto Buffalo Shrimp Salad! By combining some hot sauce with mayo and spices and tossing it with some pan-fried shrimp, carrots and celery, you have the perfect healthy shrimp salad with all the flavours of buffalo wings!

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Easy Keto Recipe

I love a good shrimp dish! I can never turn down Dairy-Free Garlic Shrimp Scampi, Easy Keto Sausage Shrimp Paella or a shrimp appetizer like this Prosciutto Shrimp with Hot Pepper Jam and Brie.

This creamy, with just the right amount of spice, shrimp salad is one of my favourite ways to enjoy shrimp, and it’s so simple that it makes a quick and easy lunch or dinner!

Made with perfectly cooked chilled shrimp, crunchy celery, chopped carrots and scallions, and a flavour-packed slight spicy creamy dressing, this healthy keto buffalo shrimp salad makes the perfect lunch or light supper.

You can pile it onto a piece of Whole30 Keto Gluten-Free Bread, add it to a Healthy Crunchy Roasted Brussels Sprout Salad, or dice the shrimp up and serve it as a dip with some keto crackers. The secret to making this salad into the "BEST" is by actually quickly pan-frying the shrimp instead of boiling them to help add some extra texture to this healthy shrimp recipe.

This keto buffalo shrimp salad is an easy keto recipe that should be part of every home cook’s repertoire. It’s quick to prepare, can easily be doubled for a crowd, and always gets rave reviews!

Ingredients

One of the things I like best about this recipe is just how few ingredients you actually need!

Shrimp - You will need 2 lbs of raw shrimp for this recipe. I used Argentinian raw shrimp. Argentine red shrimp are similar to deep water shrimp, but they are larger in size. These shrimp are wild caught in the Southwestern Atlantic ocean. Unlike most shrimp, they are not gray while raw. These shrimp are redder in colour. These are my absolute favourite type of shrimp as their taste and texture are similar to lobster since they are mildly sweet, buttery and succulent. You can, however, use any type of shrimp, any size as well as shelled, deveined or even cooked! (Note: if you use smaller shrimp, make sure to decrease the cooking time)

Olive Oil - If you are using raw shrimp, you will toss the shrimp in olive oil before tossing them quickly in a frying pan to cook. By pan-frying the shrimp, the shrimp end up having a firmer quality than boiling them. If you want to boil your shrimp or if you are using cooked shrimp, you will not need any olive oil.

Spices - I used a combination of Old Bay and some extra garlic. Feel free to add whatever spices you have on hand.

Mayo - You can not possibly make any type of cold salad without using mayo. I LOVE my Avocado Oil Mayonnaise but you can always use store-bought brands such as Duke's which do not contain any sugar.

Hot Sauce - I used a combination of garlic chili sauce and Frank's hot sauce. I like my Keto Buffalo Shrimp salad on the spicier side but Mr. Grumbles prefers milder flavours. So, I start with only about 2 tablespoons of hot sauce but always serve this salad with extra hot sauce on the side for those who like the extra kick.

Carrots and Celery - Although carrots are slightly higher in carbs, I like to add them to this recipe for the extra crunch as well as all the vitamins and minerals. Feel free to eliminate either of these ingredients.

Blue Cheese Crumbles - I LOVE wings with blue cheese dressing so I added some blue cheese crumbles to this keto shrimp recipe to mimic the flavour of wings being dipped in blue cheese. If you do not care for blue cheese, you could add some shredded cheddar cheese, goat cheese or eliminate the cheese altogether.

Scallions or Spring Onions -  Scallions have a sharp, somewhat spicy, peppery flavour. Spring onions, on the other hand, possess a lot more sweetness, which makes them a good stand-in for sweet onions. Either onion adds not only flavour but a nice punch of colour to the dish

*See the recipe card for quantities.

GUIDE TO BUYING SHRIMP

For all of my shrimp recipes, I recommend buying frozen shrimp, as most shrimp are flash-frozen shortly after being caught.

Unless you live on the coast, the “fresh” shrimp you see in the seafood case is typically thawed frozen shrimp. For the freshest shrimp, it’s best to buy frozen shrimp and defrost it yourself. The best way to defrost it is overnight in the fridge.

If you need to save on time, you can always thaw shrimp in cold water. You can also buy shrimp labelled “shell-on and deveined.” The shrimp will have more flavour and better texture when cooked shrimp. Plus, if the shrimp are already deveined, it will also save you time.

HOW TO PEEL SHRIMP

This recipe calls for raw shrimp which are quickly cooked in a pan to remove any excess water.

I typically buy my raw shrimp with the shells still on the shrimp. To remove the shell, simply pull the main part of the shell off with your fingers, then remove the tail end of the shell.

If you see a black line, this means that you will also have to devein your shrimp.

My shrimp was not deveined so I needed to devein it myself. To devein shrimp, use kitchen shears to cut through the shell along the back of the shrimp, from the head to the tail, then use a paring knife to remove the vein. Check out this blog post for more details on how to devein shrimp.

Instructions

This keto shrimp recipe literally takes only about 5 minutes to prepare. You can choose it eat it either warm or place it in the fridge to cool.

Hint: By pan-frying the shrimp, you are removing some excess moisture from the shrimp which eliminates a "soggy" salad. You can also bake the shrimp at 360 degrees F. for about 8 minutes or until they turn pink and begin to curl into a "C" shape.

Substitutions

One of the things I love most about this healthy shrimp recipe is just how easy it to customize depending on which ingredients you have readily available.

• Spices - use a combination of your favourite spice blends, such as smoked paprika, onion powder, or any other type of spice mix
• Hot Sauce - use any type of hot sauce such as Franks or Hot Chili sauce. You can also add as much or as little hot sauce as you wish
• Vegetarian - You can use pressed tofu and simply toss it into the sauce for a plant-based version of this easy keto recipe.

Storage

You can store this Keto Buffalo Shrimp Salad in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3-4 days.

If you want to make this salad ahead of time, store the cooked shrimp separately from the creamy keto buffalo sauce. When you are ready to serve this healthy keto recipe, simply toss the ingredients together and add any chopped green onions, carrots and/or celery.

FAQ

What size shrimp do you need?

You can use any size shrimp that you want. Just make sure to not overcook the shrimp. Small salad shrimp will only need about 3 minutes to cook.

Why do you pan-fry the shrimp?

When you pan-fry the shrimp, any excess moisture is removed which eliminates the risk of the shrimp salad from becoming water-downed or soggy.

Can I use pre-cooked shrimp?

Of course. You can simply toss the cooked shrimp in the creamy buffalo sauce and add any additional fixings for a really quick keto recipe!

How do I know if the shrimp is fully cooked?

Shrimp is cooked when it turns pink. If you are using Argentinian reds which are pink when raw, you can tell the shrimp are cooked when they begin to curl into a "C" shape.

TIPS FOR SHRIMP SALAD

• I use 21-30 count shrimp for this recipe because they’re they are nice and large. You can always use 31-40 count for more bite-sized shrimp. You can also always use larger shrimp, and serve them whole or cut into pieces.
• I recommend making sure your green onion is finely chopped so that you don’t get large pieces in each bite. You can also use diced red onion instead for a stronger flavour.
• You can use sour cream instead of the mayo for less tang

WAYS TO SERVE SHRIMP SALAD

You can eat this shrimp salad as-is, or serve it in a variety of different presentations.

• Lettuce: Spoon your salad into a romaine lettuce leaf.
• Crackers: Serve your salad with a side of keto crackers.
• Sandwich: Add your shrimp salad to a keto toasted bun along with some green leaf lettuce.
• Avocado: Spoon your shrimp into an avocado half.
• Pasta: Add 8 ounces of shirataki macaroni for a keto shrimp pasta salad
• Cucumber: Spoon onto cucumber slices for an easy party snack.
• Tomato: Hollow out a tomato and fill it with shrimp salad.

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