Seafood Salad with Prawns
This seafood salad with prawns needs no cooking at all: cooked prawns and seafood sticks are tossed with crisp lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes in a creamy dressing, lifted with lemon and a little paprika. It makes a cool lunch for two in 15 minutes, and goes well with crusty bread or a hot baked potato.
- Total
- 15 min
- Prep
- 15 min
- Serves
- 2
- Per serving
- 415kcal
What to serve with seafood salad with prawns
A plain green salad needs little more than good bread and perhaps a few lemon wedges. The same mixture works as a filling: chopped finely, it turns into the prawn salad for sandwiches, and it also tops a hot baked potato. Choose cooked, peeled cold-water prawns from the chiller cabinet; if you can only find raw king prawns, follow the method for boiled prawns first and chill them completely.
Step-by-step seafood salad with prawns
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- Prepare the vegetables Shred the lettuce and put it in a large bowl. Dice the cucumber and halve the tomatoes, then add them to the lettuce.
- Prepare the seafood Drain the prawns and pat them dry with kitchen paper, as extra water will thin the dressing. Cut the seafood sticks into 2cm pieces and add both to the bowl.
- Make the dressing In a small bowl, stir the mayonnaise, lemon juice, paprika and pepper until smooth. Taste before adding any salt; the prawns and seafood sticks are already salty.
- Toss and serve Pour the dressing over the salad and fold gently until everything is coated. Serve straight away, cold, with crusty bread if you like.
Swaps and ideas for seafood salad with prawns
Use Little Gem or cos instead of round lettuce, or add avocado, sweetcorn or a few capers. Replace the seafood sticks with extra prawns, or with flaked white crab meat. Anyone with a shellfish allergy should skip the dish, since seafood sticks contain fish and often crab or shellfish extracts.
For a lunchbox or picnic, chop the vegetables and mix the seafood the night before, and keep the dressing in a small pot. Combine everything just before eating so the lettuce stays crunchy. Keep the salad in a cool bag with an ice pack if it will be out of the fridge for more than an hour or two, and eat it within a few hours.
Common problems and fixes for Seafood Salad with Prawns
- The salad turns watery in the bowl.
- Pat the prawns dry, and dress the salad only just before serving. If you need to prepare it ahead, keep the dressing in a separate bowl.
- The dressing is too heavy.
- Replace half of the mayonnaise with plain Greek yoghurt and add an extra squeeze of lemon.
- The flavour is flat.
- Add more lemon juice, a pinch of cayenne pepper or a tablespoon of chopped dill or chives.
Frequently asked questions about Seafood Salad with Prawns
How long does it keep?
Up to 24 hours in an airtight container in the fridge, but it is best on the day it is made, while the lettuce is still crisp. Keep the prawns and seafood sticks cold, and stick to the use-by dates on the packs.
Can you freeze it?
No. The lettuce, cucumber and mayonnaise go watery and lose their texture when they thaw.
Can you use raw prawns?
Yes, but cook them first until pink and opaque all the way through, then cool them completely. The method is in the guide to boiled prawns.
What can I serve it with?
Crusty bread or a fresh baguette suits the creamy dressing. You can also spoon the filling into a soft roll or onto a hot baked potato.
How did you like the recipe?
4.8 / 5 · 64 ratings
