This Old Bay shrimp and apple salad is a gorgeous recipe. It looks really nice served in little glasses with edible flowers as a garnish, but it can also be served over lettuce or baby salad leaves if you prefer. This Old Bay shrimp and apple salad is a nice way to begin any kind of meal, and it is especially good during the summer when you don’t want to cook.
We are using shrimp, and you can use little ones or chop larger ones. Make sure they are peeled and deveined first. Canned or thawed shrimp are fine here. You will also need some red apple and onion for crunch. The dressing for our Old Bay shrimp and apple salad is made with mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay seasoning and lemon juice.
Old Bay Shrimp and Apple Salad Tweaks
If you want, you can add other ingredients to the Old Bay shrimp and apple salad mix. We suggest diced celery, chopped walnuts or diced cheddar cheese. You might even want to add a little fresh dill weed or chopped chives. The recipe is nice as it is, so you might not want to add anything else to it. Also take care not to overwhelm the delicate flavors by adding too many other flavors to the mix.
If you want to make this ahead, that is fine, but don’t add the edible flowers until just before serving.
Also, because chopped apple has a tendency to turn brown, soak the pieces in lemon or lime juice before incorporating them into the recipe. Then you can make this Old Bay shrimp and apple salad up to several hours ahead and it will still taste wonderfully fresh.
Buy Old Bay Seasoning, on Amazon
What is Old Bay Seasoning Anyway?
One of the key components in this shrimp salad is Old Bay seasoning. This is a spice and herb blend from the US, made by McCormick and McCormick.
Old Bay seasoning was developed by Gustav Brunn, a German immigrant, in 1939.
Back then, there were so many crabs locally that the bars in Baltimore, Maryland, used to offer them free, hoping it would encourage people to buy more drinks. Seasonings such as Old Bay were offered alongside.
This seasoning includes paprika, celery salt, mustard, mace, cloves, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, bay leaf, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. See why it’s so good in this Old Bay shrimp and apple salad?
It is popular in Maryland, the Southern States, the Mid-Atlantic States, and parts of the Gulf Coast and New England. You can also buy it online or make your own mix. Old Bay Seasoning is amazing with any kind of seafood, or even with chicken. If you don’t have any you can still make the following shrimp appetizer recipe, just adding some of the spices that Old Bay contains to get a similar flavor in the finished dish.
PrintOld Bay Shrimp and Apple Salad
Shrimp, apple and Old Bay seasoning are used in this creamy salad recipe. Garnish this with edible flowers for an elegant result. These make such a delicious appetizer for a special occasion.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Appetizer
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450g) peeled cooked small shrimp (prawns)
- 1/2 diced red apple
- 1⁄2 cup (125 ml) mayonnaise
- 1⁄4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1⁄4 finely diced small onion
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 6 edible flowers, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Unless your shrimp are very small, cut them in half.
- Stir the shrimp with the apple, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, onion, Old Bay seasoning and lemon juice.
- Chill the mixture for an hour then in small glasses, garnished with edible flowers if liked.
