New England Shrimp Rolls are the stuff foodie memories are made of…jumbo chunks of shrimp simply tossed with mayo and lemon and then stuffed into a butter toasted bun ~ life (and lunch!) doesn’t get any better.
meaty shrimp rolls have a sweet taste that resembles lobster
One of my greatest food memories is of the amazing lobster rolls I enjoyed in summer on the coast of Maine. If you’ve ever spent any time in New England you’ll know all about lobster rolls. People look forward to them for months, and they’ll drive all day and all night just to satisfy their craving. But since I no longer live in an area where I can get them, I’ve come up with a new summer memory-maker ~ shrimp rolls!
Let’s dig in
- meaty shrimp rolls have a sweet taste that resembles lobster
- the secret to great shrimp rolls
- what you’ll need
- frozen shrimp makes shrimp rolls so convenient
- how to thaw frozen shrimp
- how to cook frozen shrimp for shrimp shrimp salad
- how to make a classic shrimp roll
- the ‘thing’ about New England shrimp rolls is their simplicity.
- coleslaw is a classic accompaniment to shrimp rolls.
- more summer shrimp recipes
the secret to great shrimp rolls
You don’t want to overwhelm the delicate flavor or texture with lots of extras. Purists will tell you that the classic New England roll is done in one of two ways ~ dressed with drawn butter, or with mayo ~ that is, with nothing else to interfere with the enjoyment of the pure shellfish. Today I’m going the mayo route, but I’ll jazz it up a little bit ~ I can’t help myself.
what you’ll need
- shrimp
- either fresh or frozen will work, and I use raw uncooked shrimp.
- mayo
- celery
- onion
- lemon
- salt and pepper
- hot dog buns
- top split if possible!
- butter
frozen shrimp makes shrimp rolls so convenient
I love this meal because I don’t have to think very far in advance to get it on the table. If I don’t have fresh shrimp, no worries, I always have a bag of frozen peeled and deveined shrimp in the freezer. Fresh shrimp only lasts a day or two, but I can have shrimp at the ready in my freezer for a month or more. And frozen shrimp is often ‘fresher’ than the so called fresh shrimp in your supermarket. It has been flash frozen right on the boats, and stays that way, while ‘fresh’ shrimp has been thawed, and you can’t be sure how long it’s been hanging around.
how to thaw frozen shrimp
- method #1: Put your shrimp in a colander and run cool water over it until thawed, this will take just a few minutes, depending on how much shrimp you are thawing.
- method #2: Place your shrimp in a bowl of cold water and let sit for 5-10 minutes. You can also place your shrimp in a zip lock bag first, before immersing in water.
how to cook frozen shrimp for shrimp shrimp salad
- I just put my thawed shrimp into the steamer insert of my big stockpot and add just enough water to come up to the holes of the basket.
- Then I bring it to a boil, let it steam for a minute or two until the shrimp have started to curl and turn opaque, then shut off the heat, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes. The shrimp are perfectly tender and delicious.
- You could also saute them in butter for a more decadent flavor, but either way it takes just minutes.
how to make a classic shrimp roll
Step 1. I want to have nice chunky pieces of shrimp for my rolls, so I only cut them in half for this recipe. Easy peasy. If your shrimp is larger, cut them in a large dice. Pat them nice and dry, you don’t want to introduce water into your salad.
Step 2. Toss the shrimp in a simple dressing: mine is just mayo, onion, celery, and lemon juice with a little salt and pepper.
Step 3. The next step, and it’s an important one ~ is to brush your rolls with melted butter and then grill or toast them. That buttery crunch of the toasted roll is a big part of the magic of this dish, so don’t skip this step! Tip: use top split buns if you can find them, it’s tradition. But as you can see I couldn’t find any around here, so I went with a regular hot dog bun. Still great.
Step 4. Then stuff ~ and I do mean stuff ~ your bun with the shrimp salad.
Step 5. Add chips, dill pickles and a wedge of lemon. You’re shrimp rolls are ready to devour.
the ‘thing’ about New England shrimp rolls is their simplicity.
So for this salad I’m going for the absolute minimum, the basics, like good mayo, some finely minced onion and celery, a squeeze of lemon, a good handful of snipped chives, salt and pepper, and that’s it. Could you get more creative? Sure, check out my ‘Make it your own’ suggestions under the recipe. But I suggest making the classic shrimp rolls before you mess with perfection 😉
coleslaw is a classic accompaniment to shrimp rolls.
Any of mine from the blog would work perfectly, I’d suggest my Vidalia onion slaw, (remember you can use any sweet onion for this) my red cabbage and dill slaw, or, if you like a little kick, my classic vinegar slaw. Line your buns with the slaw before loading up with shrimp salad, or serve it on the side.
more summer shrimp recipes
- Mediterranean Orzo Salad with Shrimp
- Pink Pineapple Shrimp Skewers (with huli huli sauce)
- Lemon Garlic Shrimp with Orzo
- Shrimp Taco Salad
- Low Country Shrimp Boil
- Creamy Shrimp Bisque
- Chimichurri Shrimp
- Shrimp in Romesco Sauce
- Shrimp in Lemon Sauce with Olives
New England Style Shrimp Roll
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh or frozen shrimp, uncooked
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 1/4 cup minced celery
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
- 4 hot dog buns, top split style
- 3 Tbsp butter, melted
garnish
- paprika or Old Bay seasoning
- snipped chives
Instructions
- If your shrimp are frozen, thaw the shrimp under cool running water for a few minutes until softened, and then steam or sauté them just until cooked through. This doesn't take long, so don't over cook. Let cool then give them a rough chop.
- Put the shrimp in a bowl and toss with the mayo, onions, celery, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Taste the salad to adjust any of the seasonings. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
- Melt the butter and brush onto the open buns. Grill for a few minutes until toasty.
- Serve the shrimp salad in toasted buns, topped with a sprinkle of paprika or Old Bay, and some snipped chives.
- Store any leftover shrimp salad in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Video
Notes
- To cut the fat in these New England style shrimp rolls use low fat mayo, or half Greek yogurt and half mayo.
- For an extra kick, top with pickled jalapeños.
- For a low carb option line small bowls or glasses with lettuce and or diced avocado, and then spoon the shrimp salad over top.
Just made this for dinner and it was fantastic.
Ah, these shrimp rolls remind me of summer! Definitely the recipe I need to try at home now.
I am drooling over here – this is some perfect summer dining!
After reading this, now I have a hankering to go to the Ice House on The Great Island. I guess I know what I’m doing for dinner tonight! 🙂
This looks delicious. Where can I find the shrimp? I couldn’t find a product locator.
I believe it’s available at Walmart and Sam’s Club, but I’m checking on that for you Carol.
Delicious and easy! Added Old Bay to the mayo mixture and used onion powder instead of minced onion (being lazy), served the rolls while the filling was still warm- it was so good! Definitely adding this to the rotation thank you!
Trader Joe’s is where we purchase our wild Argentine shrimp. I have been making this for years and the family can not get enough. Hint—- use Old Bay!
Made this tonight and used ciabatta rolls from Costco and subbed cucumber because I didn’t have celery. Served with fresh from the farmer’s market corn on the cob! Fabulous dinner, my husband loved it especially on a day in the mid 90’s. I put the buttered rolls under the broiler for a few minutes to toast.
We made these tonight and added some fresh dill – Yum!
I made these last night and the family loved them. Thanks for a great recipe!
I know, really! Those burgers are new, I think, I’ve got to get some too.
Shrimp rolls are probably my favorite sandwich…anytime of year. I like the simplicity of this recipe, but I do have a couple questions: do you season the shrimp before you steam or saute them, or is the final dash of salt and pepper enough to bring out the shrimp flavor? Also, do you have an onion preference for this recipe? Yellow, Sweet, White, Red, Green…? I know that white onions have a slightly sharper bite, but I didn’t know if that would overwhelm the flavor. Oh, and one other thing, I have both regular and smoked paprika. Do you think the smoky flavor would add to or detract from the taste? Sorry for all the questions. I’m going to have company over on the weekend, and I figured I’d make a huge batch of these.
I don’t season the shrimp beforehand, but there’s no reason not to if you like, especially if you’re sautéing. I like yellow onions, generally, and that’s what I mean if I don’t specify another type. Sweet paprika would be traditional, but I happen to love the smoked stuff, so I would use that. Hope you enjoy!