During summer, we naturally turn away from the heavier foods that just aren’t very appetizing on a hot day. A simple seafood salad can be a welcome addition to any lunchbox or dinner menu during these dog days of summer. 

While the term seafood salad may initially conjure up images of fake crab and tiny shrimp swimming in mayo with a bit of celery and onion, don’t despair! There are SO many other types of salads that work well with seafood: green salads, vegetable salads, salads with pasta, legumes or grains, mixed salads, and even fruit salads. 

Crab, salmon, tuna, and shrimp are what most people consider first when they think about ingredients for a seafood salad, but the options are truly endless — try calamari, scallops, lobster, or swordfish. Consider using ingredients that add brightness (grapefruit or mint), crunch (cucumber or jicama), texture (sunflower seeds or pistachios), sweetness (roasted red peppers or pineapple), or saltiness (capers or olives) to your salad and keep the dressings simple to highlight the fresh veggies and seafood. 

Remember, these don’t need to be difficult to be delicious as seafood has the magical power of making a meal special without the need for too many ingredients or a lot of fuss. Try mixing fresh cooked sweet corn, grilled shrimp, chopped tomatoes and avocado with fresh pesto. Or combine small watermelon cubes with crab meat, diced cucumber, basil, jalapeno, and lime juice. 

Don’t just limit yourself to lettuce with seafood piled on top! Thai-syle seafood salads, ceviche, potato seafood salad, seafood salad sandwiches or wraps, seafood pasta salad…there’s no end to what summertime eating you can come up with when you think  “salad” and “seafood” together! So why not try them all before summer comes to an end? 

And if you’re looking for something REALLY different to do with seafood — try this Epicurious recipe for a seafood salad MOLD (no, not as in a green, furry mold… a mold SHAPE!)

Enjoy your summer seafood salad!