creamy shrimp salad tostadas

We ain’t cookin’ this week, no sir-ee.

I guess excepting some homemade crispy tostada shells, but even that you can shortcut with some store bought favorites if you’re pressed for time and pressed for quality air conditioning.

I saw someone in Instagram post a reel for homemade lobster rolls, and this viewing party reminded me of my Old Bay Avocado Shrimp Rolls from half a lifetime ago. I actually think they’re pretty fucking ugly and I wouldn’t mind redoing them – the recipe is solid, the photography was a little below my usual par – but honestly that doesn’t matter here because they served as the jumping point for these dudes here.

You don’t see me plugging mayo-heavy foods very often, but this one is excellent for a summer day that overheating doesn’t sound like an awesome idea. They’re filling, protein-heavy, and super flavorful, especially when you tack on those pretty pickled onions and a few fronds of cilantro once assembled.

Don’t sleep on these Creamy Shrimp Salad Tostadas as a light appetizer either, should you still have some BBQs to attend or host (Labor Day, anyone?) You could whip up some mini tostada shells if you want. Aw. Cute. Or, hell, say to hell with the shells, buy some tortilla chips, and scoop up the salad that way. I’m not here to dictate your life, fellas. But I do think trying the tostadas is a good bet for ultimate culinary joy.

Toast the Ada

That’s kinda funny because I know someone named Ada who may be reading this. Probably not. But hey, if you are. I’m not recommending we throw you in the oven, don’t worry.

I baked up some homemade tostada shells more so because I had some tortillas I needed to use before they shriveled into sad, crumbly oblivion. Very easy to do. Grab your tortillas, rub both sides with a little olive oil (I go savage and dip my fingers lightly into a bowl of oil, and give the tortillas a most sensual massage), and plop onto a baking sheet. Don’t overlap them, else they’ll steam instead of crisp.

Bake 7-8 minutes until golden, bubbly in spots, and probably curling up or downward around the edges. You may need to perform this step in batches if your baking sheet isn’t quite big enough. No problem.

Shrimpedy Doo Da

While the tostadas cool off, make your shrimp salad. The ingredients list is blessedly minimal. Minimal effort equals happy Kellie.

I bought cooked shrimp because I felt wildly lazy and a tad frantic because I had a lot of miscellaneous shit to do. Just be sure it’s thawed out, and remove the tails. Then, roughly chop up the shrimp into smaller bits.

Stir the mangled shrimp with mayonnaise (I always use vegan, but that’s just due to preference), red onion, green onion, cilantro, a touch of lime juice, some minced garlic, cayenne, and a touch of salt and pepper to taste. Or not a touch if you prefer. Cover up the bowl with plastic and pop in the fridge for awhile. Chilled shrimp salad certainly does taste better.

When the salad is cold and your hunger is hot, assemble thy tostadas. I keep my garnishes pretty standard: avocado, serrano pepper, pickled onions, and some cilantro. A squeeze of lime to finish is always nice too.

These tostadas are great to eat for lunches, just be sure you store everything separately and put them together when you’re right about to eat them. You can definitely stuff the shrimp salad into a buttery roll, or between some bread slabs, or just over some greens and enjoy with crackers or the aforementioned tortilla chips. Many a great way to leftovers.

The world is your shellfish, peeps!

Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!

Let’s stuff some shrimp into various tortilla iterations:

Crispy Buffalo Ranch Shrimp Tacos

Sheet Pan Blackened Shrimp Poblano Tacos

Weeknight Spicy BBQ Shrimp Tacos

Crispy Jerk Shrimp Tacos with Coconut Pineapple Salsa

Chipotle Shrimp Tacos with Jalapeno Peach Salsa

creamy shrimp salad tostadas

A light, almost no cook summer delight that's high in protein and higher in awesome.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 minutes mins

Chilling Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 48 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Servings 8 tostadas

Ingredients

  

• 8 yellow corn tortillas
• 1 lb cooked jumbo shrimp (16-20/lb), chopped
• 1/2 cup vegan or regular mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 2 tbsp green onion, diced
• 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (use to taste)
• 1 avocado, sliced
• pickled red onions, cilantro, serrano pepper, and extra limes, to serve

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Rub both sides of each tortilla with a little bit of olive oil and place onto a large baking sheet, in one layer. Bake for 7-8 minutes until crispy. Squeeze some lime juice overtop and sprinkle with flaky salt.
• In a bowl, combine the the shrimp, mayonnaise, red onion, green onion, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, cayenne pepper, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
• Top each tostada with a mound of shrimp salad mixture, avocado slices, pickled onions, and cilantro. Squeeze an extra bit of lime juice overtop. If desired, add some serrano or jalapeno slices for a little kick.

Notes

*Tostadas: Storebought tostada shells are perfectly acceptable here as well!

*Pickled onions: Heat 1/2 cup of water to a simmer, then remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt until the granules dissolve. Thinly slice a small red onion and place in a jar or glass storage container. Pour the liquid overtop until the onions are completely immersed. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or up to 3 days.

Keyword dinner, healthy, main course, pescatarian, salad, seafood, shrimp, tostadas