If you’ve ever been intimidated by the idea of cooking seafood, try these quick and easy shrimp rolls – you might just change your mind!
I don’t cook a lot of fish or seafood on here, and it really is a shame. Fish definitely has lots of roots in the South, and shrimp is not the least of these. Shrimp is definitely my favorite seafood to eat and to cook, so finding ways to feature it here is always fun for me.
I know that a lot of people don’t care for seafood, and to each his or her own. I don’t care too much for raw onions (as you guys well know), and I don’t want them forced on me for sure. However, I know that a lot of people don’t cook seafood even though they enjoy eating it because they find it intimidating to cook.
Honestly, I’m not sure what’s intimidating about cooking seafood, unless it’s the fact that it can be easy to over cook and that when it sticks, well, it can fall apart. All you need to know to avoid those mishaps is a few simple tricks, and if your fish falls apart, well, who really cares? You can eat it anyway, and it will still taste good.
You don’t have to worry about the shrimp in these shrimp rolls, though. It’s not going to fall apart, and as long as you’re paying attention, you aren’t going to overcook it. I don’t think that shrimp rolls are really a traditional Southern food, but shrimp is definitely traditional and any salad made with meat and mayonnaise is pretty darn Southern.
I’ve always wanted to try a Maine lobster roll, which is funny because I never cared for lobster. Actually, I don’t know that I’ve ever eaten lobster. My parents used to cook lobster at home all the time and I think I was very freaked out by the claws. One of these days, though, I will consume an authentic Maine lobster roll (we plan to visit some friends in Maine one of these days – I promise we will, guys!).
Anyway, the concept of these shrimp rolls is based on a lobster roll – lightly dressed seafood salad piled on a buttered hot dog bun along with some lettuce. In the name of recipe testing, we ate these shrimp rolls twice in a two-week period, and that was a good thing. The shrimp rolls come together with about 20 minutes of active prep and cook time and they’re a great, light, easy weeknight dinner.
These quick and easy shrimp rolls will convince you that seafood is not scary to cook – so if you aren’t convinced, try these out!
Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Bite.
Mary
Yield: 4 rolls
15 minPrep Time:
5 minCook Time:
20 minTotal Time:
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 small shallot, finely minced
- 1 celery stalk, finely minced
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 hot dog buns (I like Martin's Potato long rolls)
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 4 lettuce leaves, washed (I used romaine leaves because that's what I had, but butter lettuce would be more traditional here)
Instructions
- Fill a 4-quart pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the salt and the shrimp. Cook for 2 minutes, until the shrimp is cooked through. Drain the shrimp and chop it into 1-inch pieces. Refrigerate until cool.
- Combine the shrimp with the shallots, celery, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and Old Bay. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Preheat the broiler and set an oven rack 8 inches from the broiler. Open the hot dog buns and brush the buns with butter. Broil until very lightly browned.
- Place a lettuce leaf inside each hot dog bun. Divide the shrimp mixture among the buns. Serve immediately.
Notes
Prep/cook time does not include time to chill the shrimp after cooking. This took about 20 minutes for me.
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