Tuna salad sandwiches are pretty divisive. Some people can’t get enough of these tangy, briny lunchtime staples, while others would rather eat just about anything else. If you’re in the first camp but find yourself getting a little tired of the same old routine of stirring together tuna and pickle relish with mayo, changing up your choice of canned seafood may be just the shakeup you need to make your midday meal exciting again.
Since canned salmon is easy to upgrade, it’s most people’s choice when fishing around (pun intended) for a fresh take on seafood salad. However, there’s another even more frequently overlooked canned seafood that amps up both the texture and flavor of this simple sandwich — canned shrimp. These teeny little shrimp taste just like their larger cousins with a similar bouncy, pleasant texture along with being a pretty easy one-to-one swap with tuna if you’re craving something a little different. Draining them keeps this salad from becoming gloppy, but you can also rinse your canned shrimp to help them taste more like fresh.
Like tuna, shrimp blends beautifully with the creamy tanginess of mayonnaise, mustard’s sharp undertones, and the bright astringency of both fresh and dried herbs — including dill, parsley, chives, and even roasted garlic. With these additions, one standard 6-ounce can generally makes two servings of shrimp salad that’s best served on a sturdy roll or bun, since it’s so dense and moist — think toasted brioche, a fresh croissant, or a crusty torpedo roll.
Taking your shrimp salad to the next level
Though you can simply sub canned shrimp for canned tuna in your favorite recipe, you also have the option to lean into the shrimp’s milder, slightly sweeter flavor with traditional pairings. For instance, you might skip the pickle relish and add a small dollop of cocktail sauce to your mayo base instead, or sneak in a shake or two of Old Bay seasoning for a little coastal flare. In fact, this easy versatility plus their surprisingly fresh flavor places canned shrimp firmly in the category of canned seafood you should be keeping in your pantry.
You might also be inspired to use canned shrimp in other typically tuna-based recipes, such as a tuna melt. Again, all you really need to do is treat the shrimp exactly as you would the tuna by blending them with your seasonings, piling them on your bread, adding a layer of cheese, and toasting until bubbly.
You can also simply pile your shrimp salad on some toasted rye, a combo inspired by shrimp salad toast Skagen — a tuna melt’s much fancier Swedish cousin. Jam-packed with intense flavors like horseradish and smoked paprika topped with whitefish roe, this is a dish worth trying at least once. If this traditional dish doesn’t quite suit your budget or tastes, you can still elevate your shrimp salad with a few simple tweaks. Try ultra-rich kewpie mayo instead of regular, or sub giardiniera (Italian pickled veggies) in place of regular dill pickles.
