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This shrimp roll recipe takes everything that’s great about a lobster roll…and makes it with shrimp! Serve it on a warm, toasted bun.
Who doesn’t love a lobster roll? They’re a pinnacle of deliciousness: that savory, creamy tender filling encased by a warm, buttery bun. Here in the Midwest though, lobster is a bit of a delicacy. So we wondered, why not make it with shrimp?
This shrimp roll takes all the goodness of a lobster roll and makes it with more economical, easy to find shrimp. We first served it for a dinner party with corn on the cob and watermelon sorbet, and everyone raved.
Ingredients in a shrimp roll
Researching this recipe, we found that the filling for a shrimp roll is actually a shrimp salad. Not a green salad, of course, but the shrimp version of a 1950’s mayonnaise-based tuna salad or egg salad. It’s got crunchy veggies and just the right amount of savory, creamy sauce, with a short ingredient list:
- Shrimp
- Celery
- Green onions
- Chopped chives or dill
- Mayonnaise and Dijon mustard
- Lemon juice
- Old Bay seasoning
Old Bay is a seasoning blend that’s traditionally used in New England seafood recipes (like a shrimp boil). We added a hint of it to this recipe, and rounded out the flavor perfectly! In the US, you can find Old Bay in the spice aisle or buy Old Bay online. If you can’t find it, make homemade Old Bay.
The key: a toasted split-top bun
What makes a shrimp roll is not just the filling: it’s the warm, buttery toasted bun. Do not skip the step! We taste tested it on a plain old bun and it didn’t even compare. Don’t waste your time on itβit doesn’t taste like a shrimp roll! Here’s what you’ll need to pull this off:
- Find split top hot dog buns. Split top buns are loaded from the top down, and are customary in a lobster roll.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Place the buns cut-side down into the skillet and cook for 20 to 30 seconds until browned. Flip and continue frying about 10 to 15 seconds on the other side.
Serving size notes
Most of our recipes are for 4 servings. But this shrimp roll recipe is so good, we like making it serve 6 to 8 sandwiches. Here’s why you may want to make a big batch:
- The shrimp rolls are so good, you’ll probably want to eat two. You can also eat the extra filling without a bun.
- Leftovers also save well. Extra filling lasts up to 3 days refrigerated.
Boil the shrimp, or use leftovers
You can use fresh shrimp for this shrimp roll recipe, or it’s actually a great use for leftover cooked shrimp! Boiling is the quickest method to get from raw shrimp to cold shrimp, but you can use whatever cooking method you like.
- Boil the shrimp for 2 minutes, then remove to an ice bath. The ice bath stops the cooking immediately, and gets the shrimp cooled down and ready for the salad.
- Or, use leftover cooked shrimp. This is actually a great use for shrimp leftovers, which can be unappetizing on their own. Got leftover shrimp cocktail? Make shrimp rolls!
Dietary notes
This shrimp roll recipe is pescatarian and dairy free. For gluten-free, use gluten-free buns.
Shrimp Roll
This shrimp roll recipe takes everything that’s great about a lobster roll…and makes it with shrimp! Serve it on a warm, toasted bun.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Seafood
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pound medium or small shrimp, peeled and deveined*
- 2 ribs celery
- 2 green onions
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives or dill
- 5 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon Old Bay (optional)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 6 to 8 split top hot dog buns
- 2 tablespoons butter (or coconut oil or vegan butter for dairy free)
Instructions
- Boil the shrimp: Boil 2 quarts of water, seasoned with ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Add the shrimp and cook about 2 minutes (more or less time depending on size of shrimp), until bright pink and cooked through. Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon and place it directly into an ice water bath to stop the cooking.
- Chop the shrimp: Remove the shrimp from the ice bath with a slotted spoon. Pat the shrimp dry with a few paper towels as you place them onto the cutting board. Then chop the shrimp into bite-sized pieces.
- Make the filling: Finely mince the celery and thinly slice the green onions. Finely chop the chives. Stir together the chopped shrimp with the celery, green onion, chives, mayonnaise, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Old Bay, kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper.
- Toast the buns: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Place the buns cut-side down into the skillet and cook for 20 to 30 seconds until browned. Then flip and continue frying about 10 to 15 seconds on the other side.
- Serve: Place the shrimp filling into the buns and serve. Leftover filling keeps for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.Β
Notes
*You can also use leftover cooked shrimp for this recipe: it’s an ideal use!
More shrimp recipes
Love shrimp? (Us too.) Here are a few more tasty recipes to add to your repertoire:
- Make up a skillet of delicious Cajun shrimp pasta or Cajun shrimp.
- Go for deliciously buttery Shrimp Scampi, a shrimp bowl, or shrimp fajitas
- Make a shrimp stir fry or Old Bay steamed shrimp.
- Throw in baked shrimp, sauteed shrimp, lemon garlic shrimp, or broiled shrimp.
- Make saucy and delicious honey garlic shrimp.
I was looking for a recipe that would taste like a Shrimp roll I had recently in Charleston. I didn’t have Old Bay so I subbed a little celery salt. We had them on brioche hot dog buns and it was even better than the Charleston roll. Thanks for a keeper recipe and a delicious new summer meal!
My boyfriend and I made this recipe for dinner and it was delicious! The shrimp were tender and not overcooked. We added a little cayenne pepper to the mixture to give a little heat as we like spicy. Will definitely be making this recipe again for friends and family.
So glad you enjoyed!
Wow! Made this recipe as written and it was SO GOOD! Will definitely be making this again. The perfect Summer weekend lunch!
This was excellent! We used Red Argentinian shrimp and added extra lemon juice on top of the roll. My husband is from New England and he said that he would eat this anytime of the day or night. Thanks for the awesome and budget-friendly roll!
Wonderful Saturday meal
Delicious! My entire family of 6 loved these!
I made the shrimp rolls for dinner tonight I used pretzel hot dog buns and toasted the insides lightly also. This is a yummy recipe. Thanks again for a home run meal! Next time Iβm gonna serve it with my vegan cole slaw. Keep these great recipes coming. ππ½π
why no sodium content?
Hi! Our recipe analyzer doesn’t do an accurate job on sodium. Apologies!